If you’re seeking solutions to bring some self-love back into your life on Valentine’s Day and everyday, we’re counting down the top tips on discovering self love across all aspects of your life.
At INNOVO, we believe in self-love - leakage and all. That no matter what you might be experiencing when it comes to stress urinary incontinence, it's more vital than ever to love yourself! But as you embark on your dryness journey, there might be moments of doubt, self-loathing or even shame. All of these feelings are totally OK, but we’re here to let you know that there’s a better way. You don’t have to feel embarrassed, you don’t have to feel ashamed. In fact, you are still worthy of self love now and always, no matter what.
So if you’re seeking solutions to bring some self-love back into your life on Valentine’s Day and everyday, we’re counting down the top tips on discovering self love across all aspects of your life.
1. Be Someone Who Loves.
So you’re feeling particularly down one day and you find yourself in a place where you don’t love yourself. Sometimes it feels impossible to make that shift into loving yourself. But, just like when you’re at the gym working on your body, self-love takes consistent practice.
Instead of loving yourself, focus on being someone who loves. That simple act will allow love to flow through you as often as possible. Focus on what you love the most about people you meet. What you appreciate while going to the store, or sitting in a meeting, or speaking to your mom over the phone. Adjust your body to positive emotions by finding as many things to love and appreciate as possible.
2. Visualize what it looks and feels like to be loved.
It’s easy to love ourselves when things go as planned, when we succeed and people like us. When everything falls apart, that’s when the real work begins. In those moments, ask yourself how someone who loves you would act? What would they say? What would they do? They probably wouldn’t criticize, judge, and berate you. They’d offer you kindness and compassion. Try practicing that towards yourself.
3. Stop comparing yourself.
Comparison is a killer to self-love. By taking our greatest flaws and compare them to someone else’s greatest success, you’re doomed to fail and kill any joy you can be experiencing.
Instead, try remembering that your life is your own for a reason and that you can’t compare your life to someone else’s. Especially because no matter how well you know them, you’ll never know how they feel, how they perceive their life, and what they might be going through that you don’t understand. Instead, spend your time and energy to nourish and build your path.
4. Ask your gut for help.
When you feel good about yourself, it means that what your thinking is aligned with how your soul/higher self sees you. When you feel bad about yourself, it’s a red flag telling you that you need to change it up. If you think a negative thought, it’s a sign to think a different thought. Try to replace it with something kinder. For example, “I’m just so lost and confused” can be replaced with “I’m doing the best I can to move forward.”
5. Surround yourself with people you feel good with.
This is a biggie. Think about the people who light you up, who inspire, fill you up, and want what’s best for you. Be picky about who those people are and don’t settle. These are the people whose energy you can take into your own and who will boost you up and show you self-love when you need it most.
6. Be compassionate when it all goes south.
So many of us beat ourselves up we actually need self-love the most. When we fail or screw up or someone rejects us, that’s the time we get even more down on ourselves. Instead, choose to be most loving and forgiving with yourself when things don’t go as planned. When you stumble and fall, or when you say the wrong things. When someone rejects you or a project fails. Ask yourself what you need and then give it to yourself, whether it’s a warm bath, a dinner with friends, or just a timeout to your day.
7. Make room for healthy habits.
Start truly caring for yourself by being mindful around what you eat, how you exercise, and what you spend time doing. Do stuff, not to “get it done” or because you “have to,” but because you care about you and you’re putting yourself first. And that doesn’t mean you need to obsess. If you don’t feel like going to the gym, do something else that lights you up. Put on a soul-soothing podcast or go for a walk. Create habits that are healthy, not just physically but emotionally.
8. Schedule your worry
Are you ready for a really great tip? Think about how much of your worry that actually serves you and how often you can actually do something about your worry. Sure, some of the worry has a purpose, as it tends to give us a little kick when we need to get it together. It’s there for a reason. But it doesn’t have to be all the time. Whenever those thoughts enter your mind, tell them, “Thanks, but I’ll deal with them on Monday morning, or tomorrow at 10am.” By scheduling your worry, it won’t overtake you and you can dedicate the appropriate time to booking that appointment or solving that crisis.
10. Accept what you cannot love.
It’s easy to love what you love about yourself and not so easy with the things you don’t. Instead of aiming to love those parts, which will probably just make your mind go “Are you kidding me?”, focus on accepting them. So instead of rejecting what you don’t love, remind yourself to accept it. You don’t need to love everything about yourself to develop self-love. All you need is acceptance. The next time something happens that makes you want to get down on yourself, see this as your practice to accept what is.
