Hello and welcome,
And today's word is all about self-love.
Do you treat yourself with the same kindness and care that you offer to others?
Do you treat yourself as you would a child that you have,
That you absolutely adore?
Self-love is not about vanity or selfishness.
It's about recognising your worth in this lifetime and treating yourself with the respect and compassion you deserve.
Imagine how different your life could be if you truly valued yourself and this life and prioritised your wellbeing.
Self-love is so essential for our mental health,
For our confidence,
For our resilience and for our joy of life.
It affects the way we handle stress,
Relationships and personal growth,
Believe it or not.
And when we love ourselves,
We set healthy boundaries,
We make choices that align with our values,
We live with integrity and we cultivate a sense of fulfilment.
Very hard to be connected to ourselves and really live a life of truth if we haven't learned to love ourselves.
Now,
Many people struggle with self-love because they struggle with self-doubt.
They think about perfectionism or they have a harsh inner critic.
And these negative thought patterns can really limit our personal growth and happiness.
Studies show that practising self-love improves our emotional resilience,
Reduces anxiety and also enhances overall wellbeing and our relationships.
The more I love myself,
The more I'm able to love others.
Love is a state rather than an act,
Although an act,
Of course,
Is involved in that.
But being in love,
In the energy of love,
Benefits not just you,
But everybody around you.
And a lack of self-love can lead to toxic relationships to ourselves and to others,
Poor mental health,
Frustration,
Self-sabotaging behaviours.
When we fail to prioritise our own wellbeing,
We often seek validation from others at short term.
We engage in patterns that just don't serve our best interests.
So there's really a massive benefit here in learning to employ acts of self-love when we're looking at living our best life.
Maya Angelou,
The poet and activist who spoke often about self-love and self-worth,
Encouraged people to see their own value and embrace themselves fully,
Regardless of past mistakes or external validation.
We have Louise Hay,
The author of You Can Heal Your Life.
She promoted self-love as a tool for healing and personal transformation.
She demonstrated how positive affirmations and self-acceptance can really change lives.
A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that people with higher self-compassion have lower levels of anxiety and depression.
Research from Stanford University suggests that practising self-love enhances motivation and reduces self-sabotaging behaviours.
How fascinating that is,
The power of words.
So many studies have been made on the power of words,
And this is a great area when it comes to self-love that we can start thinking a bit more consciously about the words that we are using.
Three action steps then that I'd like you to think about today,
And there are so many I could share here on self-love.
But one that I'd like to start with is to replace self-criticism with positive affirmations.
So if you're somebody that says,
Oh,
I'm so stupid,
Why did I do that,
Or I'm so silly,
Or you don't look right,
Whatever your self-criticism might be,
I'd like you to just play around with the idea of writing into a book or on your mirror something about being wonderful and magical and magnificent,
And really look at that sentence,
Which on first try might feel so foreign to you.
You can't imagine thinking of yourself as magnificent,
But give it practice.
Practice is power.
Practice and practice and bring up in yourself the emotions that would attach to the word,
For example,
The word magnificent.
I am magnificent.
What does that feel like?
What changes in you when you think of situations in your life from a perspective of being magnificent rather than somebody that perhaps you call yourself stupid or whatever else you might call yourself?
Number two,
Set personal boundaries that really honor your needs and well-being,
And we can start small here.
Again,
Practice is power.
So start with small boundaries and by all means build up to bigger boundaries,
But we need to get comfortable before we can go too far outside of our comfort zone.
And the number three would be to engage in activities that really bring you joy and fulfillment.
What is it that you in your soul,
Deep in your core,
Really desire for you?
And one extra one I would add here is to ask yourself when it comes to your life,
The way that you're living your life,
If you were actually your dearest,
Your loved child,
What advice would you give them if they came to you with the life that you have today?
And the advice you would give to that adored and loved being is exactly the advice you should be giving to yourself as an adored,
Loved being.
So we're going to end on a quote today from Buddha.
You yourself,
As much as anybody in the entire universe,
Deserve your love and affection.
Thank you.
