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8 ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO PRACTISE SELF-LOVE

Whether you’ve tried some of the go-to ways of developing self-love and they’re not for you so far or you’re looking to amp up your regime, we’ve pulled together a few different ideas for you to try out. To us, self-love is like a muscle. It’s something you have to train regularly to keep in good shape. Just as our bodies are totally unique, so are our minds. So it can take a little experimentation to find what works for you… But that’s half the fun, right? Here’s eight ideas beyond meditation and journaling.

1. Eat nourishing foods 

Part of developing a good relationship with yourself is becoming your own loving parent. A good guardian would want you to eat things that are balanced and fuel your body, giving you all the nutrients you need. Once you start looking at food this way, you’ll change your perspective entirely. Eating well is an act of self-love but remember that so are occasional treats, too. 

2. Tell people what you need

When you have a lack of self-love you can often end up putting yourself last, expecting your loved ones to just know what your needs are and meet them. When they don’t, you can become frustrated and resentful. Or, believe you really are unimportant, reinforcing that cycle. To break it, become aware of what it is that you want and communicate it. You can’t give others the best of your love without giving it to yourself first. 

3. Forgive yourself 

We can be so self-critical that we hold onto even the smallest mistakes for the longest time. Learn to let go of the little errors you made in the past and carry only the lessons into the future. Part of self-love is to accept that you are flawed, just like everyone else, but that doesn’t make you any less worthy. Apologise to anyone you feel is owed one but make today the moment you stop beating yourself for simply being human. 

4. Move your body

Viewing exercise through a self-love lens transforms it from being a way to shrink your body into a way to feel amazing. From clearing your mind to boosting your mood, there are so many benefits to focus on that have nothing to do with how you look. When you see working out differently, it suddenly becomes something you look forward to rather than a chore to punish yourself with. 

5. Setting boundaries

If you take one thing from this list it’s this…. Set. More. Boundaries. 

From turning down that Zoom quiz you’re not in the mood to take part in through to not checking your emails on weekends, say no to anything that doesn’t serve you. It can feel awkward and uncomfortable to start with but trust us, you’ve got this. Setting boundaries is a really important way to communicate to yourself that you believe your happiness matters.

6. Trust your instincts 

When you feel like you’re not as good as others, you can often believe that your intuition is equally faulty. If you get a feeling about something, listen to it. Instead of turning to others for advice all the time, try to trust your instincts. They’re usually right and it’s another vote of confidence in yourself that you know what you’re doing. 

7. Tidy your room

This *sounds* unrelated but hear us out. Making your home clean and tidy not only feels great once it’s done but it also signals that you believe you deserve to live in a lovely space. It’s also a good way to break away from negative thought patterns if you feel them creeping in. Creating order out of chaos feels like it has a similar effect on your mind somehow.

8. Stand up for yourself

Working on being more assertive is a surprisingly loving act, especially if you tend to shy away from it or you feel like you often get taken advantage of. Mastering coming across as confident rather than aggressive is a fine art, not to mention there definitely being a time and a place for it. But a little self-belief goes a really long way in life in everything from asking for a pay rise at work to voicing a difference of opinion with your family. 

What self-love techniques will you be trying after reading this? Share with us over at @aureliaskincare #aurelialondon

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