Are you loving yourself well?
It’s a question we may not ask ourselves often enough, and we really don’t have to look very far for the answer. Especially when we think in terms of how well we’re loving others.
As women, it’s so easy to put others’ wants and needs before our own. We’re built to care for others and the world tells us we are more when we’re doing more. We often sacrifice, pour out and lose sight of ourselves in the process.
When we find ourselves investing so much of our time and energy on others to the point that we overlook our own needs and desires, it’s time to take a step back. When we see we’re over-committed, feeling underappreciated, depleted, irritable, and even resentful it’s time to recalibrate.
How can I authentically love others well unless I first love myself well?
It’s true. The degree to which I love and accept myself will directly impact how I love and accept others.
I know when I’m not loving myself well.
- I say yes when my gut is telling me to say no.
- My inner critic is taking up space
- I don’t ask for what I want
- I give in to please others
- I slip into the comparison trap
- I act out of a need to be perfect
What does it look like for you?
“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.” ― Oscar Wilde
Loving yourself well is not selfish or self-centered. It’s necessary.
Self-love impacts our energy, inner peace, and motivation. Without it, we have the tendency to trudge through life as a people-pleaser, stressed, and living on autopilot. Never really taking time to consider what’s best for ourselves.
We allow people to take advantage of our willingness and good nature in the name of dependability and loyalty. Granting others what our soul longs desperately to receive and only we can give.
Giving to ourselves first is the avenue by which we are able to give the best of ourselves to others. We give from a place of fullness, not from a place of needing to be filled. And this magnetism radiates out and calls others in simply because we’ve taken the time to cultivate self-love.
Loving yourself is an opportunity to become the best version of yourself.
We don’t enter into this opportunity from a place of needing to fix ourselves. We enter from a place of already being enough. Already being worthy. Already accepted.
When you have nothing to prove, loving yourself becomes the lens to see your unique traits, qualities, and potential. It’s a chance to witness the fullness of who you are and draw inspiration for where you want to go and how you want to show up in the world.
Loving yourself well is always an invitation to come home.
We come home to all that makes us who we are. Our thoughts, feelings, and desires.
Coming home is a willingness to simply BE. It’s a continual open door to sit with yourself, get to know yourself, and let your uniqueness draw you into a space of warmth and safety. It’s in this space compassion and resilience grow.
When you cultivate greater compassion for yourself, you extend it to others. Your inner voice grows stronger so you engage with greater resilience to what’s going on around you because you are grounded. Your grounding isn’t in others and it isn’t dictated by any surrounding situation.
When we come home, we are free to be the fullness of ourselves.
We see ourselves. We know ourselves. We accept ourselves.
Loving yourself well takes intention and practice. There’s no shame in admitting there is always room for improvement. It’s a lifelong pursuit that pays great dividends.
Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. It can feel awkward or a bit selfish. This is where we start small. Small, consistent acts done over time yield huge, impactful outcomes.
The good news – it’s never too late!
- Are you feeling stressed or overwhelmed?
- Do you continue to say yes when your gut’s telling you to say no?
- Are you unable to silence your inner critic?
- Do you find yourself in the comparison trap and always coming up short?
- Feeling guilty for wanting what you want?
- Having a hard time asking for what you want?
- Is it easier to please others than to do what pleases you?
You’re invited to join me here throughout the month of February for the Self-Love Series.
Each week, we’ll set our intention toward loving ourselves better. With valuable resources and fun tools to implement and practice, you’ll discover that loving yourself isn’t hard or time-consuming. You’ll experience a shift right away, whether you’re new to the practice or you just need to retune your awareness.
We’ll practice growing self-compassion, discover what we really love, learn how to silence our inner critic and so much more!
So, let’s do this! You have nothing to lose and so much to gain!
