10 Surprising Acts Of Self Love

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Posted June 6, 2012


I bang on about the usual self love acts often – repeating affirmations, meditating, eating wholefoods, lying in the sun etcetera etcetera – but there are plenty of other ways to shower yourself with love that you may not initially consider to be doing the job. There are certain acts that you may brush off as insignificant and discredit because of their simplicity.

Here are 10 of those acts:


1. Pay attention to your finances:
Money is something that until very recently scared the bejesus out of me. Numbers have just never been my thing. But then I heard Kate Northrup talking about how being responsible for your money is an extreme act of self care. I realised that she is totally right! Like anything else in our lives, the numbers in our bank account need love and attention in order to grow.


2. Listen to your intuition:
It always has your best interests in mind, and the more you listen to it, the stronger it will get.


3. Make decisions based on what brings you the most happiness:
This sounds simple in theory, but too often our decisions are swayed in favour of justifications other than our own happiness. Choosing in favour of your happiness is like sending a potent love message to yourself.


4. Don’t feel guilty for making decisions based on what makes you happy:
The guilt will un-do any do-gooding that your happiness-based decision-making did. (Whoa, that’s a tongue twister)


5. Act out of love, not fear:
This is something I learnt from the incredibly wise Anita Moorjani (click here for parts one and two of my interview with her). Don’t do things because you are scared of what will happen if you don’t do them. Only do things out of a solid love and respect for yourself.


6. Get yourself a new tea bag:
The thrifty side of you may think it is smart to get more than one use out of a tea bag, but I’m here to say that you are worth a new freaking tea bag every time you have a cuppa. It tastes so much better.


7. Stand up for yourself (even when it will piss people off):
We all need to have our own back. Shrinking in the face of opposition will only tell yourself that you are less than whoever is in front of you.


8. Forgive yourself:
No matter what you do, no matter how much you regret something, no matter how disappointed you are in yourself – always, always, always forgive yourself freely. Brush it off as an important lesson and focus on all of the good you are creating.


9. Value your own opinion:
Whether it’s to do with work, romance, or even the new shoes you just bought; stop seeking approval and validation from those around you. You already have all of the answers inside you, so start trusting yourself.


10. Live in the moment:
This one is powerful. When we live in the moment, we cannot dwell on the past or worry about the future – we are completely okay with however we are showing up. It is impossible to wish for anything else when you are completely present – and this kind of contentment is the ultimate act of loving yourself for exactly where and who you are.

 

In my opinion, self love is the most important of all of our wellness acts. Everything positive stems from garnering a deep inner respect for yourself. You make healthy choices, you become a delight to be around, you have more positivity to express on others, and life just seems to flow with more ease. You recognise more blessings, and are therefore given more in return. If everyone practiced self love like it is the advantage that it is, this world would be amazing.

 

What else do you do to practice self love?

 

Positive affirmation for the day: I deserve to be put first.

 

 

 

MAKE PEACE WITH YOUR PLATE: HOW TO END YOUR TORTURED RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD.

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Jess, you inspire me so much. I am undergoing my own business venture at the moment (well attempting anyway, ha.) Everyday I open up my blog and I feel inspired to keep pushing on.
Just wanted to say thanks. You seem like such a beautiful person :) x x

Thank you so much Eva! Wishing you all the best for your business venture xx

Not being afraid to say no, this can be hard for me!

Well done, Jess. Very well done.

I currnently get monthly massages at my natropath!

Great post! “Get yourself a new tea bag” gave me a giggle… I’m all too guilty of this one… even often sharing a herbal tea with my Husband and usually giving him the first, strong cup… think I’ll be good to myself and make myself my own, strong, fresh cup (with my own tea bag) too! Thanks!

Wonderful post. It amazes me how giving women are but they forget or don’t think their worthy to “give” to themselves.
I have “me” time but having a nice bath with a scented candle and a “please to not disturb” sign on the door
Lisa x

#5… this has been a recent lesson for me. Wow.. I highly recommend it.. Created such a shift in my world the second I did it.
Great post, Jess!

Loved this jess….. so to share my most recent act of self love is to go to our beautiful farmers market each week and buy amazing organic veggies for my powerful green juice every morning….i serve it up in a lovely champagne glass and give thanks for the bounty:) smile and savour each sip….mmm, even if its rainy outide im smiling inside with this treat…love your teabag example, sooo funny and true.
Another act of self love is to rest when i’m tired…i end up recharged and much more happy and is incredibly healing
Blessings xx

really love this post Jess…. well done xo

Jess you are such an inspiration. I lost my joy today and was having a very hard time getting it back. This article came at the perfect time. Thank you!

Thanks so much Kaley!! So happy the post helped you relocate your joy xx

The tricky one for me is making decisions from the heart rather than from justified reasoning…. I am super overcommitted in my life and can’t figure out how to let go of ANY of the commitments because for each one I have a justification for keeping it…

Great post – thanks!

Great post Jess. Thanks for the timely reminder!

excellent post as usual! I am working hard on practicing the self-love at the moment – for me it is dropping everything to get a walk in – for both my mental and physical health :)

Another great post Jess- thank you! An interesting idea about money too! Unfortunately, I’ve just made a big decision to go towards something that I knew deep down wouldn’t bring me happiness. Now it’s going to be hard to turn back!

Thanks again Jess- long live the present!

This is a great post. It makes me think of what else makes me love myself.

It came to my mind that I love sports (karate and swimming). It is part of my free time spending.

Such a great list! I’m in the process of really learning to control my finances now, and not have it be so scary. It can actually be kind of fun!

There is no more powerful medicine than Self – Love!

Thank you Jessica for this great read!

There is no more powerful medicine than Self- Love

Thank you for this great post!

And remember the Cure Is…. u, me and everyone!

I love the teabag one especially! That rings so true to me- i shall think of you everytime I throw my used green jasmine bag in the bin rather than refilling!!

i think number 8 is also very hard for people…. i know it is for me.

Hi Jess,
I love every part of this post – I’m a big believer of self-love!
I am guilty of the tea bag thing….such a quirky point to add yet so true for me, I wonder how many other women are guilty of this? Not anymore :)
Debbie x

Great advice! Thanks!

Hi Jess! You are right, taking care of your finances is also a way of showing love to yourself. Money can cause us a lot of stress if we are not able to manage it well, so it is always good to keep track of what and how we earn and to also save for the future. And the rest of the list are very useful and inspiring too. Thanks :)

Your list is wonderful. I also include: weekly massage, complimenting individuals with whom I interact, finding the glass-half-full in strange events even if it takes a while, changing conversations about what’s wrong to what I appreciate or what I am grateful for, trusting (“the past is gone and the future unknown”). Your attitude is inspiring.