Self Love vs. Surface Level Self Care

Self love is a word that gets tossed around a lot!?

The media has distorted it so much that we've even come to consider buying products that help us look younger and thinner as loving ourselves.

When what we actually need is to practice loving ourselves with less conditions, and with more intention.

It's time we consider, whether our self-care actions actually come from a place of love or from a place of wanting to change because we're not happy with who we are.

For example, your workout routine is definitely great for your health and is a great way of caring for yourself, but consider 'who you are being' when you show up for that workout. Here's what I mean:

• Are you doing the same workout even when you’re exhausted physically or are you adjusting as needed??
• Are you exercising from a place of loving your body, or are you doing it from a place of fear or punishment?
• Are you considering where you are in your cycle when you choose your workout of the day, so that your body can benefit most from it?

Exercise is just one example of how 'self-care' can actually be quite unloving, if done from a place of loathing or autopilot.

Self love is about caring for ourselves on every level; physical, spiritual, emotional, mental. And it requires intentionality.

Surface level self care on the other hand, is caring for ourselves superficially, without considering if it's truly nourishing us.

Now, I'm not trying to diss your workout, the creams you buy, or any of the great things you may currently be doing for self care.

I'm simply saying, consider from what place are you caring for yourself.

Because you'll feel so much more nourished when it's coming from a place of love.

Here's a list of ways you can practice on loving yourself for real:

• Noticing when your inner critic is at work in your mind and putting it in it's place.
• Stepping away from a situation when your patience is running thin.
• Choosing to put yourself first, even when you're extra busy.
• Embracing weight fluctuations as part of being human.
• Saying no, even when it’s hard to.
• Setting the boundaries and having the hard conversations.
• Being patient with yourself when what you want is not happening fast enough.
• Praying to God/ Universe/ a higher source for guidance.
• Choosing to feel your emotions rather than numbing or attempting to escape them.
• Getting out of your head and into your body through mediation or mindfulness practices.
• Moving your body in ways that feel good.
• Recognizing that there are no good and bad emotions, just emotions that need to be felt and expressed.
• Accepting that you’re human and you mess up, and forgiving yourself.
• Loving the body you have even when it doesn’t look or behave the way other bodies do.
• Choosing foods that nourish you.
• Catching yourself feeling guilty and reminding yourself that guilt is useless.
• Catching yourself comparing yourself to others and reminding yourself that you being different is a great thing.
• Choosing peace over conflict.
• Aligning to your cycle even when society says you should work? the same everyday.
• Choosing stillness over doing.
• Choosing presence over autopilot.
• Prioritizing pleasure and joy.
• Taking care of your energy and not wasting it on things that are insignificant and drain you.
• Listening to your intuition even when your mind says it doesn’t make sense.

And of course …

• Doing less of the unessential things, to create space for more of what you want in your life!

I hope reading this served as a reminder that you are worthy of loving yourself in deep meaningful ways.

I’d love to know which of these resonated most for you. Share below in the comments. ??

Sending you so much love.?

Daniela

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Hi, I’m Daniela!?

I help busy ambitious women Do Less unessentials, so that they can create a life of more peace, success and fulfillment.?

Ready to embrace doing less?! Let’s chat. ??

https://go.goddessrevived.com/discovery-call-8923