Mastering Self-Love Through Self-Care

By: Rasheedah Billups

What’s your self-love language? How do you communicate to yourself that you matter, that you are loved and appreciated? Most of us probably have never taken the time to think about it. Just as we take the time to show our significant others, children, friends, and family that we love them, we owe it to ourselves to do the same. So for every Pinterest board you have for gift ideas and perfect dates, make one for you too!

What is self-love?

Our dialogue on self-love could go on forever with many interpretations. There are probably just as many definitions of self-love as there are people. Ultimately, self-love is all about how you love yourself. Our expressions of self-love are unique to our own journeys. What we need in love is shaped by who we are and our experiences. As an expression of love for self, one may need to exercise setting boundaries, whereas, another may need to work at removing walls and being vulnerable. Our needs in love may vary, but the common goal is to make sure that we all give ourselves the space, permission, and kindness to be authentically ourselves.

When you’re cultivating any relationship, actions matter, the same is true about our relationship with ourselves. Taking the time to care for ourselves, mind, body and spirit is probably the most fundamental way to demonstrate our self-love to ourselves and those around us.

Self-care practices that scream “I love me”

Make yourself a priority. Find time in your busy schedule to do whatever it is YOU want to do. Whenever we are trying to make space to add additional items to our to-do lists, we’ll opt to bump the things that are just for us, down a few notches. It’s commonplace for us to sacrifice what we want to make sure our loved ones and jobs are taken care of. Find a way to make sure the things that matter to you stay near the top of the list.

Make your health a priority. Consume foods and products that add to your life, not subtract from it. Try transitioning to a more nutritious diet, by reducing the amount of processed foods you eat and incorporating more whole foods. Also, try eliminating toxic personal and cleaning products from your home and opt for all-natural options. Focusing on your health doesn’t stop here. Incorporate regular practices of detoxing and working out into your everyday life.

Pamper yourself. Treat yourself special, take baths more often, schedule massages, and tend to every part of yourself. Think about it, whenever we want to show someone we love them, we take extra care, we treat them special and cater to them in many ways. We strive to make them comfortable.

Taking the time to pamper and cater to ourselves will lend itself to making us feel more comfortable as we are. From facials to yoni steams, check-in with yourself at every level and see where you could use a little extra tender-loving-care. Try adding extras like the Organic Yoni Steam Herbal Blend by Urban Serenite to your personal care routine.

A yoni steam is a practice in which a woman sits above steaming hot water containing a combination of herbs, intended to cleanse and provide healing properties to the vagina (yoni). This herbal blend by Urban Serenite is formulated to heal and recover following childbirth, intercourse, and irregular menstruation.

Protect your peace. Focus on your mental and spiritual well-being. Release toxic thoughts and let go of toxic people and relationships. Loving and caring for ourselves includes being intentional about the energy we engage. That means saying deuces to toxic people and removing ourselves from toxic places. This expression of self-care may also include external support in the form of therapy when we need it.

Treat yourself. You don’t always have to wait for a special occasion, a rationale, or someone else to do the deed in order to receive a gift. Treat yourself to those flowers you love, have dinner at the restaurant you fancy, or even buy yourself a present of your favorite things. For instance, if you enjoy a comfortable space and relaxation, try the Total Tranquility Gift Set.

Wherever you need extra care, focus your attention there and pour into yourself with patience and kindness. Remember, where your attention goes, your energy flows.

What’s your self-love language? Tell us how you care for yourself as an expression of love.