February is the month of love. There’s even a well-known special day set aside for us to show our loved ones how much we care about them, but there’s someone else you should “show the love” to this month (and every other month): YOURSELF!
At IronPlate studios, one of our mottos is helping you “become the best version of you there is.” This doesn’t just mean helping you with physical changes to your body: it means helping you from the inside out so you can be happy with your body, mind and spirit to give you the confidence and the drive to accept, face and overcome new challenges. All too often, we focus on our flaws and the things we want to change about ourselves. We overcommit to social engagements and put in long hours at work or at home caring for loved ones. While this can sometimes be beneficial in helping us develop and grow, it can also lead to health problems such as fatigue, anxiety and illness. Even if we want to, we can’t fully give our love and respect to our family, friends, jobs, etc. unless we love and respect ourselves. Those that take time for themselves have a better sense of well-being, confidence and even overall health.
“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection”
– Buddha
Make sure to set aside some time… just for you.
Learning to love yourself:
Acknowledge your strengths.
- What are you good at?
- What are some things you like about yourself?
- While it’s important to be aware of our weaknesses in order to grow, we often dwell on them and forget what makes us great!Change the way you talk/about yourself.
- If you’re constantly making negative comments about yourself or your appearance, soon you’ll start to believe only the negative.Try Journaling.
- Write your own freestyle or look for one already written with prompting questions.
- Try answering three questions a day with this worksheet: https://www.therapistaid.com/therapy-worksheet/self-esteem-journalAccept compliments.
When was the last time you actually accepted a compliment with gratitude instead of coming back with a comment of denial, self-insult, devaluing, looking for more reassurance or transferring the credit to someone else?Set aside some time — no matter how short — for just you.
- Exercise session, yoga, meditation, catch up on your favorite book or show, meet up with friends, etc.Appreciate the little things.
We often get so busy we forget to embrace and cherish the small things that happen to us each day. Take a couple minutes at the end of each day (could be right before you go to sleep or while you’re in the shower, etc) and reflect on the little things that made you happy that day.Pamper yourself
Enjoy a massage, mani/pedi, a night out with loved ones, some time alone.
Including daily self love and positivity helps us feel confident, refreshed, rejuvenated and able to fully share our love and attention with the ones we care about both on Valentine’s day and every other day of the year.