Self-Love Through Self-Care

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By Amber Blake

Self-care is the practice of looking after your emotional, mental and physical well being. It encourages maintaining a healthy relationship with yourself, the most important relationship you have. The decisions and actions you make to nurture this relationship with yourself reflects in your mood and health.

Self-care ideas can be as small as making a call to your friend or home cooking yourself a meal. Making habits out of self-care is beneficial to your overall health. There are several different selfcare habits you can add to your routine so choose what you enjoy best.

Try these self-care practices to show yourself a little more love:

Self-Care Routine

Setting a dedicated time for a self-care routine may improve your overall health. With life’s busy schedules, it is important to remember to set aside the time to look after yourself. A self-care routine can be as simple as spending 30 minutes of the day reading a book or listening to music.

Another simple way to incorporate a self-care routine is to have a hygiene routine. Taking care of your hygiene is an important act of self-care. Taking a shower, doing a face mask, and moisturizing is a simple way to practice more self-care.

Eating a Balanced Diet

Take the time to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner to nourish your body and mind. Taking care of yourself by fueling your body with nutrient filled foods makes all the difference.

Eating a diet enriched with vitamins and minerals is an act of self-love. Caring for your body with a well balanced diet will increase your energy levels and improve your mood.

Physical Activity

Set aside a time for movement every day. Incorporating physical activity into your daily routine will better your mental and physical well being. Choose an activity you enjoy and try doing more of it.

Adding physical activity into your self-care routine will not only better your mental and physical health, but it will improve your sleep as well. Physical activity has several benefits and is an important part of self-care.

Practicing Gratitude

Make a habit of practicing gratitude daily. The practice of gratitude improves your emotional and mental well being. Showing appreciation for the people and things in your life betters your relationships with them and the relationship with yourself.

Think of how good you feel when you express gratitude during Thanksgiving—then try to express gratitude more regularly.

Meditate

Practice meditating regularly. Meditation is the act of becoming aware of the current moment. It allows you to observe the moment without judgment and calms the mind through intentional breathing.

Mediation can help you become more relaxed and stress free. Try meditating for five minutes a day and increase your focus over time.

Connect

Spend time with your loved ones. Spending more with those who are close to you betters your mood and reduces stress. Try calling a friend for a cup of coffee or inviting your dad to dinner.

Incorporate self-care into your days as an act of self-love that lasts. Improving your relationship with yourself through acts of self-care overall improves your quality of life. There are endless opportunities to practice self-care so start with something simple today.