How to Practice Self Love (Melody)
Self-love is crucial for your mental health and well-being. But what does practicing self-love mean? And how can we do it?
Take a break
The most important way to practice self-love is to take a break. When we overextend ourselves, we are caving to the immense pressure and stress which takes a huge toll on our physical and mental health. Being able to recognize when to take a break and allowing yourself to take one is the core of self-love. It’s essentially understanding your body’s limits and allowing your body to get the rest it deserves.
Here are a few things to do on your break:
5 minutes:
Drink a glass of water
Take deep breaths
Go out into the sun
Play with your pet
Do eye exercises
15 minutes:
Eat a healthy snack
Paint your nails
Meditate
30 minutes +:
Read a book
Go on a hike/walk
Listen to a podcast
Take a shower
Take a nap
Exercise
Gratitude
Another way to practice self-love is through gratitude.
The most effective way is through keeping a gratitude journal where every night, you write three things you're grateful for such as:
Taking a walk outside with my dog
Working out and taking a warm shower afterward
Calling my friend to catch up about our day
Beyond immediate things you can do, there are also many mindsets that are a fundamental part of self-love.
Appreciate the Little Things
This also ties into gratitude! Sometimes we are so engrossed in work and ourselves that we forget to appreciate the little things. But once you learn to change your mindset and begin noticing and appreciating the little things, you will feel a lot better and grateful for the world around you. It also helps you ground yourself and stay in the present.
So how do you do it?
It’s simple. Just be more aware of your surroundings and your senses. Like that warm cup of coffee that boosts your morning and clears your head; the first ray of sunlight that cracks on your face as you walk outside; the lazy cat that wakes up with you in the morning; that book lying on your shelf that will immerse you into a whole new world.
There are all trivial things, but that’s the beauty of it. All these small things are working up and building our lives into something to appreciate. Sp noticing them and then appreciating their presence will be a way to acknowledge all that we have around us and create a positive mindset that carries us throughout our day.
Be regret free
I find that this concept was the easiest to grasp but changed my life fundamentally. Because being regret-free means living life on your own terms and constantly moving forward. Being regret-free also means forgoing comparisons with others and focusing on yourself.
So how do you do it?
It’s simple. Acknowledge the past, but don’t let it swallow you. The past has already happened. There’s absolutely nothing you can do to change it. I’ve talked to so many people who wish they did more in the past and beat themselves up over it. But so what? That won’t change anything. You didn’t do more, but now you can do more. Learn from your mistakes but don’t try to fix them. Focusing on the past will only hurt you and make you bitter and upset. But instead, draw from the past. If you feel that in the past you played too many video games instead of focusing on other activities, then in the future, play less video games. You can’t change how many video games you played in the past, but you can change how much you play today.
There is simply no point in living in regret. It will only hurt you from letting go of the past and walking into the future.
Remember: there are so many ways to practice self-love and if you’re interested in learning more, there are so many resources online!!
If you are feeling down and need support, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us here at Letters Against Depression if you haven’t already. We send letters of hope and support to those who need someone there for them. You can request to receive letters here.