February is the month of love and as it comes to a close, we thought we’d focus on the most important kind.
If you are struggling with a health condition, or just generally feeling out of condition, it may be hard to love yourself and your body.
Emotions such as frustration, anger and sadness are likely to feature prominently in your life whether they be directed at your ‘self’ or your body. It’s easy to spend all your time focusing on the physical side too but this can come at great cost to your spirit and as a result, your joy for life.
It may be tough to see any beauty in a world that feels to be a constant battle and a body that you can’t seem to get to do what you want or look how you want but life doesn’t have to be this way.
The thing is, no one is more deserving of your love than you but it’s easy to fall into a negative cycle when facing what seem like insurmountable obstacles so here are a few tips for you to begin to integrate into your day:
1. Start your day with love (not technology).
A fatal mistake many of us make is to reach for our phones. In doing this, we are immediately looking outside of ourselves. Remind yourself of your worthiness before getting out of bed. Breathe in love and breathe out love.
2. Meditate and write to yourself through a journal.
Even if you can only manage five minutes of each, you may find that you want to gradually increase this over time.
3. Affirm your happiness.
If you find it difficult to feel happy now, picture a time when you did, project that into the future and see yourself experiencing it as though it is already here. Use affirmations to train your mind to become more positive. Write something loving to yourself on your bathroom mirror so that each morning you will see it when you clean your teeth.
4. Don’t deflect.
Accept any sadness and pain you feel rather than avoiding it. Often we attempt to shop or eat our way through it but this often creates other problems. Practice mindfulness to work through your emotions.
5. Be patient with yourself.
Let go of urgency and fear. Relax and transform striving into thriving. Trust in yourself, do good work, focus on the now.
6. Express gratitude.
Train your mind to be grateful. Appreciate your talents, beauty, and brilliance. Love your imperfectly perfect self.
7. Remember you can.
Focus on the things you can do rather than those you can.
8. Be careful with your energy.
Don’t spend time with people who aren’t supportive and loving of you. You can love everyone but you don’t have to spend time with all of them and no one expects you to.
9. Embrace failure – forgive yourself.
Learn from your mistakes and go forward. Use this affirmation, I forgive myself for judging myself for __________ (fill in the blank i.e.: for getting sick, for not doing your best.)
10. Just be. Remember the power of fun.
Self-love requires time to relax, play, and create face-to-face interaction with others. It’s easy to forget about having fun when you’re caught up with money worries or illness troubles.
11. Speak your truth.
Speak up and speak out. Repressing feelings and emotions can only lead to pain and doubt.
12. Focus on the positive.
Go to your heart and dwell on and praise yourself for what you get right in all areas.
13. Become aware of your choices.
Ask yourself throughout the day, Does this choice honour me?
14. Seek professional help.
Self-rejection and neglect is painful. You deserve to be happy. You have a right to be accepted and loved. If necessary, seek help from a support group, counseller, or coach. It’s the best investment you can make.
At Amchara, we’re not only a detox retreat but a place to heal your body, mind and spirit.
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