Cherish Yourself: 15 Simple habits to practise self-love daily
Here are 15 simple, effective ways you can practise self-love everyday – you’ll be surprised how much of a difference they can make.
As women, we often wear many hats: mother, wife, sister, daughter, girlfriend, co-worker. Unfortunately, in all the daily work-life whirlwind, it can very easily come to a point where taking care of ourselves becomes secondary.
Taking the time to cherish and love yourself is important to your well-being. Practicing self-love and care not only makes you more whole as a person, but also makes you more capable of giving it and being present to the people in your life. After all, we cannot give to someone else what we can’t gift to ourselves. To quote Audre Lorde, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation.”
We’ve listed 15 easy, effective tips so you can practise self-love into your life everyday. Remember: it is the little things we do often that makes us win in the end.
15 Ways to practise self-love daily
- Start a compliments file. Document the nice things people have said to you – it reminds you of your self-worth and will make for an encouraging and heartwarming read on your down days.
- Make the most of your commute! Commuting can be a dreary experience, so find five unexpectedly beautiful things that make you smile on your way to and back from work.
- Treat yourself to an at-home spa. Take a long, warm bath or shower; pamper yourself with candles and indulgent body care products like body oils and polishes; and sit around in your bathrobe, leisurely reading your magazines.
- Address a ‘lurking’ task that’s been nagging at the back of your mind. Scratch off that task that you keep putting off on your to-do list or a chore at home you’ve been neglecting to do (e.g. a fused bulb, a missing button on a top). It can surprisingly put your mind at ease.
- Play up your strengths. Think about what you’re good at (dancing, writing, painting) and find an opportunity to do it today.
- Get positive feedback. Ask three of your family members or loved ones to tell you what they love about you.
- Surround yourself with ‘radiators’, not ‘drainers’. Hang out with ‘radiators’, people who emit enthusiasm and positive energy, rather than ‘drainers’ whose pessimism and negativity drains you of your energy.
- Treat yourself. Indulge in a small luxury. It need not be extravagant – it could be a simple pair of earrings or even that chocolate cupcake you’ve been eyeing after work.
- Check in with your emotions. If you’re feeling particularly overwhelmed, take a moment to sit somewhere quiet and name without judgement what you’re feeling. Getting in the habit of writing it down in a journal or a piece of paper also helps.
- Do a mini-declutter. Regularly clear out things from your wardrobe or makeup drawer that you don’t love or regularly wear anymore.
- Have a good laugh. Watch an episode of your favourite sitcom or programme, or even a quick Youtube clip that gets you laughing.
- Make a small change to your diet every week. Drink an extra glass of water each day, or have an extra serving of greens and fruits every meal.
- Get moving. Play your favourite upbeat track and dance mindlessly to it – this not only gets you moving but can really boost your mood as well. Go for a jog or climb stairs to get your heart racing and the oxygen flowing.
- Get out of your comfort zone. Try something new like a fitness class, or take initiative to talk to someone new at a social gathering, if that is something that you wouldn’t normally do.
- Be selfish and have a self-date. Do something for yourself every day just simply because you want to, or spend an hour alone doing something that makes you feel recharged and new.
These might seem like small, simple steps but you will be surprised to find how the act of consciously practising self-love everyday can do to your well-being. Which one will you try first?
Sarah Khan
Photo: Getty Images
