I’m sure you have heard of love languages, as in how you best receive love from others. But have you ever thought about your love language for yourself, as in receiving love from yourself? Loving yourself is true love in its deepest form and arguably the most important. There are a number of ways to show love and care for yourself, and I’m sure there are a number of things that automatically come to mind, like putting on a soothing face mask or getting yourself an iced coffee. Although both are great options, this is not the self-care and self-love I’m talking about. I’m talking more about getting to know yourself better from a psychological perspective and appreciating yourself for your mental wellbeing (although a face mask and iced coffee can really feel like it still does the trick).
Rather than treating yourself to a spa day or caffeine, an emotional release is necessary to connect with yourself on a deeper level. This can be as simple as mindful meditation, journaling about your day, making lists about your favorite things, and much more – those are just a few of my personal favorites! Options like the ones listed above allow you to explore your feelings and emotions in their truest form. Experiencing these raw feelings allows you to be honest with yourself and prepares your mind for what the next day will bring. Sometimes the small stressors in our daily lives can add up over time and simulate an emotional avalanche. If you’re an emotional person like I am, you can get through a decent number of days just fine – even amidst all the chaos of online class and a global pandemic. But then one day, all it takes is the smallest stressor to set off all of the stressors from the previous days.
Practicing these small tasks will help you to better connect with your body, mind, and soul. If it makes you feel uncomfortable at first or you don’t know exactly where to start, just keep going! Your most critical judge is yourself, so if what you are doing is making YOU happy then that is all that should matter. Once you find what helps you make that deeper connection with yourself and you do it often enough, those tasks will become habits and help you find your daily emotional release for a healthy mind.