I’m ending the week with another piece on self-love. (Here are parts one and two.) Below are additional examples of what loving yourself might look like in your life. I personally love examples, because I’m always curious about real-life applications. I’m always curious what a concept looks like day to day—especially when we’re talking about something as big and abstract and unfamiliar as self-love.

• Seeing a therapist for your anxiety or depression or something else you’re struggling with.
• Keeping up with your doctor’s appointments.
• Being intimate with someone who truly and genuinely cares about you.
• Getting to know yourself better by journaling; pausing and paying attention to your thoughts and feelings; and taking yourself out on dates.
• Taking the time to explore your dreams, and acting on those dreams, whether your dream is to live a slower, more intentional life or to write poetry or to travel the world or to go back to school or to start your own business. We take these dreams seriously, and we try to make them come true.
• Being kind to your body, which might mean resting when you’re tired; hiring help to clean your home; participating in physical activities that make you feel alive; feeding your body delicious, nutrient-rich foods; and getting enough sleep.
• Making decisions that support your soul, your health and well-being.
• Standing up for yourself and being assertive (even when people intimidate you).
• Letting yourself feel whatever you’re feeling, without judgement or criticism.
• Accepting your body exactly as it is (which is certainly a process, just like self-love).
• Forgiving yourself for the mistakes and poor decisions you’ve made in the past (instead of punishing and berating yourself).
• Reminding yourself that you are human and fallible.
• Surrounding yourself with supportive people and being selective about the people you spend most of your time with.
• Being selective with how you spend your time in general: What do your days look like now? Do the activities support you? Are you getting enough rest? Would you rather skip certain tasks? Would you rather say no to some events? What would you like to say yes to?
• Speaking compassionately to yourself, especially when you’re struggling.
• Knowing you’re worthy. Knowing you matter. Knowing you deserve to be treated with kindness, respect and care—and taking action from this deep knowing every day.

Again, loving ourselves is a daily process. We’ll have bad days, good days and better days. The key is to keep coming back to self-love, even when we lose our way, because we will. And that’s totally OK. Because this love is always available to us, within.

What does self-love look like for you day to day? What is your deep knowing?

Image credit: Rustle/Bigstockphoto.com

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