Whether you are going through a breakup, struggling with school or work, or just going through a rough patch in life, it’s important to remember the most important thing in your life: yourself. Showing yourself self-love will not only build up a great relationship with yourself but it will also make for stronger relationships with people around you. Loving yourself is the first step in being able to love anyone else.
For when you are going through a difficult time, here are 5 ways to show yourself self-care:
1. Do what you love to do
The best way to show yourself self-love is by doing things that you know you love to do. It’s time to start focusing on yourself and what makes you happy. Think of some of your favorite hobbies and do them. Whether it be spending time with friends and family, cooking, cleaning or working out, it’s important to do things that will make you feel good about yourself. By doing things that you love to do, you will be taking your focus off of what’s going wrong in life and putting your focus on what’s going right, and suddenly, you will start to feel a lot better.
2. Pamper yourself
Sometimes when we are really busy or wrapped up in things, we forget to have days just to focus on ourselves. But, it’s really important to just take days to love ourselves. Get that mani/pedi you’ve been needing. Take a bubble bath. Do that facemask. Get the haircut and color that you’ve been putting off for months. Not only will you look better but you will also feel better. It’s like hitting a little mini reset button. Now that you’re feeling and looking your best, you can act your best.
3. Exercise
When people talk about self-care, they think it only relates to mental health. But actually, self-care relates to both physical and mental health. How your body feels has an impact on how your mind feels. Get up and go for a walk, get your blood pumping and feel good about yourself. Now that warmer weather is here, going outside for a walk is a great way to add some activity in your life and focus your energy on something good.
4. Keep a journal
Having good mental health is key to living your best life and showing yourself self-care. It’s easy to push off your emotions or bury them but they will only come back to haunt you down the road. Part of living a healthy life is embracing all aspects of life: the good, the bad, the happy and the sad. One way to always keep yourself in check is by journaling. Write and reflect on your good days and your bad days. If you are going through a hard time, use it as a little therapy session to help you grow and reflect. Then, when you have made it through the darkness you can look back and see how far you’ve come and impress yourself with your strength!
5. Surround yourself with people who love you
No one lifts you up more than the people who love you. By surrounding yourself with people who love you and who you love, you are letting yourself know that you are not alone. Sometimes things happen in life that are sad and it’s really hard to get through those tough times all by yourself. Which is why having a strong support system is crucial for you and your journey. If you ever doubt for a second that you are alone, realize that you aren’t and that you have a whole team rooting for you.