Happy Valentine’s Day Everybody!

In honour of this romantic day, we wanted to point focus to the most important relationship that should be nurtured. Not just on this day, but on every day of the year.

That relationship is the one we have with ourselves!

It may sound cliche and its definitely become a buzz-word in the wellness community and on social media, but self love is SO very important.

Our message is that our self-relationship is a process that we should foster and build on a daily basis; it’s never static and we can always improve on our own self-talk… even the most advanced of us can slip up from time-to-time!

Most women often fail to realise their own beauty and so often beat themselves up when it comes to their appearance and body image.

So how can we fall more in love with our bodies this Valentine’s?

What you think about me is none of my business

Do you look for approval? Most of us are guilty of this, secretly relishing in a compliment you’ve received, thriving off that dopamine hit every time you get a like on Instagram. But with this we are constantly placing such a reliance and emphasis on what people think of us and our body image, thus when you receive a negative comment it can have a huge impact on your self-esteem. As a society we often allow other people’s thoughts to control how we view ourselves, so lets take back control!

How to practise not caring what people think of us:

When a friend next gives you a compliment such as: “You look so beautiful today”, in your head repeat the following: “Thank you, but what you think about me is none of my business”.

By practising this, you begin to weaken that ideology that what people think about you is so important and can override any negative comments thrown your way and thrive more off of your own inner body confidence.

Talk to yourself as though you would your best friend

Would you tell your friend that they’re “unattractive” or “fat”? No, of course you wouldn’t, so why would you ever say such things to yourself?

Start to become aware of your thought patterns. Do you regularly beat yourself up internally?

A good way to re-frame this is to talk to yourself like you would talk to your best friend. You wouldn’t hurl insults at those around you so why would you do this to yourself?

Affirmations

Practise positive self-talk. Every morning start your day by going to the mirror and saying something complimentary about yourself.

A good way to anchor this is by attaching it to a habit that you do everyday. For example, brushing your teeth. You wouldn’t leave the house without brushing your teeth in a morning so why would you leave the house without saying something nice to yourself? Attach the two actions together by making sure that as soon as you pick up the toothbrush in the morning, you say 3 affirmations. Here are some examples of positive affirmations:

• “I love myself”
• “My body is amazing”
• “I am healthy and happy”

Attaching the habit of brushing your teeth with an affirmation is how you form a new habit, because the former is an established habit whereas the affirmations are a new tool that takes work to put into practise and become a regular part of your routine. This process is called implementing ‘tiny habits’.

Avoiding Comparison

Comparison is the thief of joy, so many of us now say, yet we consistently compare our lives, careers, bodies and personalities to those of others. Being your authentic self is rare these days as so many of us strive to be the people we admire around us…. but why not try and be the best person that YOU can be, by loving who YOU are rather than who somebody else is? Work on yourself, not just the identity that you’ve gained from observing somebody else.

The world would be a boring place if we all looked the same, we should learn to treasure our uniqueness. Our brain is constantly taking in information, so you have the power to control what you absorb. Do you follow positive role models or photoshopped versions of people in the media? Have an awareness that some things are a constructed version of reality and therefore unattainable. Accepting this will help you to appreciate yourself more.

So there’s our Valentine’s self-love advice! It’s so important to remember these things when you and your body are in need of a little TLC. You don’t need to look for this self-worth in a partner, the majority of us are craving out for that love that comes from within… and that’s for ourselves to work on!