While self-love was such a big trend in 2018, many people don’t realize it goes beyond eating an extra slice of cake or getting your nails done. Self-love is about nurturing not only your Body, but also your soul. Today we are going to look at some of the ways you can practice self-love this year.

1. Create a self-love ritual

Pampering ourselves now and again is something which can be great for our mental health and it can really help us to be a better person. Taking the time once a week or so to switch off your phone and TV and take some time for you is something which can be great for your spirit. Think about taking some time now and again to read a book, have a nap or pamper your body. If you can create a little routine to perform each week this is a great way to keep your body and mind healthy and happy for longer.

2. Build a community

The people you choose to have around you in your life are incredibly important and they can really make a big difference to your health and your happiness in life. When it comes to making a change to your own life and self love it is crucial for you to take the opportunity to be around positive people who lift you up and make you happy. If you aren’t surrounded with these kinds of people this won’t help you and you will need to think about making a serious change to your life.

3. What is working for you?

Look at your life for a moment and think about what is working for you at the moment and what things you would want to be different. There are so many things you can do in your life which will make you happy and this means there is no point in you wasting your time in things which don’t make you happy. When you look at your life in parts, you’ll be able to see which things need to change and where you can improve.

4. Respect your body

Honestly this seems like something which should be obvious to everyone but it is actually something which a lot of people simply don’t do. Your body is your vessel and this means that it is the one thing which is allowing you to live your life and function as a person. You should take the time to feed your body with the right foods and keep it healthy and appreciate it for what it is. This can be a great way of thinking which can give a hand in preventing violence , weight gain and lots of other things. Once you learn to appreciate the body you have and look after it, you will be a Happier person overall.

5. Clean out your closet

Sometimes one of the best things we can do when we feel in a bit of a rut is to go through our closet and clear out anything we no liver wear or need. The reason we can do this is because it will allow us to only keep clothes which make us feel confident and sexy. We can throw out any clothes which make us look and feel less confident and his can be a good way to hit the reset switch and be happier as a result.

6. Stop comparing yourself

Technology is great and Social Media is something which has allowed us to live a way of life where we are always connected to people around the world in the click of a button. But social media can also be a bad thing and it allows us to see people all over the world living a more fun life than us, being thinner than us and more popular. Once we start following people like this on social media it can be very damaging to us and it can prevent us from being happy. Comparing our lives to someone else’s is never a good idea because we lose sight of what we have and what we could lose. Make sure you stop comparing yourself and start looking at your own life with a sense of happiness.

7. Do what you are good at

One of the best ways that we can feel happier in our lives and more confident as a result is to spend our time doing things we genuinely enjoy and that we are great at. It is important for us as people to take some time out now and again to do what we love and being able to do something we are good at will build our self esteem and make us much happier overall. It can be just the remedy we need after a hard day or two and it will help lift our spirits and help us to appreciate who we are and what we have to offer to the world.

8. Be with the people you love

The main thing which can help us when we are down and feeling alone is to spend time with people we love. There are many things in this world that can make us happy but there is nothing more effective than looking at someone who loves you. Try to plan more things with your friends, family and your partner and this can make your life much happier overall.

9. Learn something new

Learning a new skill can actually make us feel happier and more confident in ourselves. If you are bored of the same old routine it can be a good idea for you to get out and do something new. It could be a new sport, traveling to a new place or trying a new game. Whatever it is, you can always benefit from it and it will allow you to learn something new about yourself as you realize that you have different skills you never knew about.

Photo by Brittany Neale