This week we are writing all about different kinds of love as a theme week. I think that it is so important to exhibit self-love. I try to show myself self-love as often as possible. I once heard someone say that “we will be stuck with ourselves for our whole lives, so we better show ourselves how much we like ourselves”, and that really stuck with me, so I do my best to show myself that. Oftentimes, my self-love overlaps with self-care, so a lot of my self-love actions reflect that. Here is a list of four things I do to show myself self-love.
Have a good skincare routine
I love doing my skincare routine. For me, this is a way for me to wind down after a long day and it’s a great way to start my day as well. I also love doing little extras, like a mask pack, after a long week or just because.
Allocate alone time
I consider myself to be an ambivert – I have both introverted tendencies and extroverted tendencies. I do need time to be social with others, but I also need alone time, specifically what I call “recharge time”. This is time where I am by myself, at home or outside, and not doing anything remotely productive. Sometimes this looks like going for a walk, staying at home and watching movies, or even just going for a drive.
Take breaks
When I am under a lot of stress, the stressor can easily consume my entire existence, to the point where I can easily neglect other, simpler responsibilities and my emotional and physical needs. I have to put timers on myself so that I can step away and reset a bit before diving back in. It helps me a lot, as I now can better remember to do my laundry when I am stressed.
Sleep
I have suffered from insomnia for as long as I can remember, so I try to make getting good sleep a priority. I try to make sleeping really nice for myself – I have nice blankets, nice pillows, and often I play white noise or music to help me fall asleep.
These are just some little things that I do for myself; it’s nothing super major, but it’s the small things that matter (in my book). We will always have ourselves as our life partner, so we best learn to love them and take care of them.