By: Jeannette Maw
Many of us have been told the importance of self-love, but don’t easily know how to practice it.
Let’s remedy that now.
Here are the top five best methods to begin treating yourself well:
1. Say something nice every night.
I learned this one from Jack Canfield, who looks himself in the eye every night in the bathroom mirror after he’s brushed his teeth, to say a couple of nice things to himself.
The same way he’d say something supportive or encouraging to his kids or a valued employee, he turns that love on himself before bed every night.
You could give yourself a shoutout for how well you handled something that day, or how smart you were to remember that thing, or a simple rampage of appreciation on having a good hair day. Anything nice will do.
Jack said his negative self-talk disappeared after 40 days of that practice.
This self-love practice can dramatically improve your overall self-talk once you get a good practice going.
2. Say yes to what you want.
This practice is all about saying no when it’s a genuine no, and saying yes when it’s a genuine yes.
It means not falling for the old routine of living according to others’ expectations or desires.
Your preferences deserve priority. For some people, that’s a rebellious act of self-love in itself.
Just say yes to what you want, as best you can.
(And if you read this and immediately started thinking why you can’t say yes to what you want, please rethink that. No matter your circumstances, there is a way based on the options you’re allowing yourself that you can choose what you prefer, even if you’re working with less than ideal options.)
3. Write a worthiness reminder.
This practice is where you write “I am worthy” on each line of a piece of paper until the page is full. You can amp up the good vibes even more by finishing each line with something desirable, like “I am worthy of good friends. I am worthy of ideal health. I am worthy of helpful support.” etc.
The first time I did it my life exploded with good news within 24 hours. There was unexpected money in my mailbox, big thanks in my inbox, good news on my voice mail – the blessings were everywhere I turned.
It made me an immediate fan of the practice, to say the least.
Part of a powerful self-love practice is reminding yourself of your inherent divinity and perfection. While there are lots of ways to do that, writing it down can be tremendously effective.
4. Upgrade self-talk.
This is related to the nice words at night practice, but expanded by consciously paying attention to how you speak to and about yourself during waking hours.
If it’s not something you would say to a loved one, then you don’t deserve it either. Give yourself the benefit of the doubt; be generous in your self-evaluations, and encouraging with inner dialogue.
Gremlins will give you lots of chances to practice this should you choose to engage this particular radical act of self-love. But it’s really good for your overall vibe to master this habit.
5. Handle with care.
The final best self-love practice is how you handle yourself …
I mean literally handle.
When you brush your hair or get dressed or lather up in the shower or apply the lotion – all these are opportunities to touch yourself the way someone who loved and appreciated and adored themselves fully would.
Not with irritation, judgment, or distraction – but with mindful, conscious love.
You know how to do that better than you think you do … there’s surely someone (or maybe something) in your life that you handle with respect and love.
It might be the way you scratch your dog’s head, or how you wash your baby’s hair, or the way you share a delicious bite of dessert with your sweetie – we know what it’s like to handle someone with love.
When you start handling yourself that way, well, you’ll quickly realize how powerful it is to be good to yourself in this way.
Bottom line: however you choose to treat yourself with more love, it’s a practice that will pay off in spades in all areas of life. But don’t take my word for it – put it to the test yourself, please.
Jeannette Maw is the Good Vibe Coach inspiring conscious creators to embrace their manifesting powers at www.goodvibeblog.com.
