Showing Yourself Some Love

During this month of love as you are busy making sure everyone around you feels adored, you might be forgetting about the most important person in your life: YOU. Yes, you.

According to research, practicing self-love not only makes us healthier and happier, but it could be the secret to getting us back on track as we navigate challenging life transitions such as divorce or the loss of a loved one.

Here are five ways you can show yourself some love:

Acknowledge Your Achievements

While we are quick to see the achievements of others, our highlight reel is usually filled with our shortcomings--this is especially true as you move through a hard time of life. Stop being focused on what is broken and instead focus on what is going right. Take a moment each day to recognize all that you achieved—celebrating even the smallest of victories.

Set Boundaries

All healthy relationships include boundaries but the secret to their success is that they are about your relationship with yourself—not adjusted to fit your relationship with others. “Instead of creating your boundaries around a difficult relationship in your life, you must make your boundaries about you,” writes Kelly O’Brien. You can find some great boundary setting tips here.

Sleep

Chronic sleep loss contributes to a myriad of health issues and also affects our memory and mood. Make some simple changes to your bedtime routine such as going to bed at the same time, limiting exposure to light, and properly winding down from your day. And don’t feel guilty about taking a daytime nap—just try to limit it to 15-20 minutes in the early afternoon. Click here for more tips on getting good sleep.

Schedule Quality Time

Yes, life is busy, and when you look at your calendar, you may think it is impossible to pencil in some regular time for yourself. But, it’s crucial—and it doesn’t have to be a big deal. Just carving out one evening a week where you can read a book, do yoga, or listen to music is enough to rejuvenate you. You can find some more easy ways to schedule time with yourself here.

Be Gentle

We all have days that could go better, but instead of beating yourself up over a bad day, take time to soothe the wounds. Take a hot bath, make homemade cocoa, stretch your body, take a walk—give yourself permission to feel bad and do something that makes you feel better.