7 Ways To Show Yourself More Love In 2020

 

I think we're all on board for the self love revolution, noting that it is a necessity and not just a luxury. How do you show yourself self love?

Since my days of working as massage therapist from 2001 up to the time I retired from that career in 2014, I realized it was so important for me to be aware of the time I took to care for myself. During my career I had some stressors outside of my career for which I turned to over eating. It was around this time and in my early thirties that I learned that I had high cholesterol. This made me feel like such a hypocrite as I would suggest to my clients return visits for massage and spa therapies along with at home care things they could do to help them de-stress and indirectly effect their behaviors in regards to stress eating and possibly contributing to various health issues associated with stress and in particular their heart as some had expressed having complications.  As a massage therapist there was a lot I could not say and very few things that I could suggest. I felt the best way to make suggestions was to live and practice what I preached so to speak (I'm so not the preacher type) by taking on habits that I could share with my clients. Many of the habits I started to form and the self care rituals I created assisted greatly in lowering my cholesterol and many of my self care and self love rituals I still practice today.

In honor of National Wear Red Day, here are the 7 ways I show myself more love which takes care of my heart, mind, body and soul.

 

1. Drink 64 ounces of water daily. It sounds so simple but can be tough. I wouldn't necessarily say 64 ounces is the magic number for everyone, but it is what I've found to be suggested that works for me. And I'm not the biggest fan of drinking water so I turn to and love sparkling water to help me get in my 64 ounces per day, plus the sparkling water replaces soda. I feel like water helps to keep me hydrated which allows my body to function better, naturally and easily. It also helps to gently keep me detoxed from waste build up and also has added benefits like helping to keep my skin moisturized and wrinkles at bay.

2. I've used the My Plate Plan for so long now. I think eating the recommended daily amount of food from each of the food groups helped me greatly in lowering my cholesterol as well as loosing over 25 pounds without dieting and while still enjoying foods I love.

3. Learning, practicing and using the oh so powerful word NO and using it with absolutely no apology has been a great way for me to care for myself and to keep myself heart healthy. This took away SO MUCH STRESS. I would what I call 'over promise', stress about it, and have nothing left for me after all was said and done. One of my favorite savings is You Can't Pour From An Empty Cup. I keep my cup full and I put myself first without feeling bad AT ALL. This took practice, but whew, I can not express how much weight a two little letter word took away from me mentally, spiritually and physically. Can you tell how booted up I am about the power of NO, LOL.

4. Detox quarterly. So while I drink my water and eat my vegetables and other foods from various food groups on a regular, if you've seen my post, you may know I like to get my eat and drink on. While enjoying dining out, I do seek the trendy farm to table restaurants, but less for the trend and more to try to stay on point with my everyday life all while still enjoying what I love. And again, I do love experiencing new restaurants and I LOOOOOVE food. It is a form of art to me. And while I will show photos of  a full plate, the key for me is to enjoy everything in moderation. Typically I share my plate after I snap my photo or I'm getting a take out box and one meal will last me for an additional one to two meals. And the yummy alcohol drinks I typically share as well or don't finish. So mainly my detoxes are to help cleanse my body of build up of sugars and whatever may be in any of the foods, organic or not that I may eat. And it's never a harsh detox, just not dining out and sticking to foods that I trust the most and prepare myself, and I make sure to find a place to enjoy a great steam or three during my detox. I may also sweat a little extra via an additional 15 to 30 minutes in the gym. Oh and seaweed, I love to do a seaweed wrap during my detox week.

5. I love my at home spa time. I typically do it when my honey is away so I completely have the house and energy all to myself. My at home spa care includes lighting some candles{that Ebony Peach is my jam}, putting on some very relaxing music and once a week enjoying a detoxing bath while I sip on green tea or sparkling water. In addition to my weekly bath, I like to do my seaweed wrap once a month, but here lately it's just been once a quarter. And with our skin being our largest organ and especially now since I use public transportation, meaning I'm outside around various bus, train and care fumes, I make sure to do my weekly body scrub. Sometimes they're indulgent, however most of the time it's me making my own scrub with sea salt, olive oil and a couple of drops of tea tree and lavender essential oil and scrubbing before I shower for the day. One of my favorite scrubs to have around for my treat-yo-self home spa time is Archipelago's Coconut Sugar Scrub.

6. Exercise. I still can't believe that I'm the type of person that enjoys exercising. Honestly, I think it's because it keeps my over 40 buns looking pretty darn tight, LOL. Those results keep me going back to the gym. Annnnnd, I do notice that I sleep so well when I stick to my regular exercise which is a run on the treadmill and light weights alternating between upper body, lower body and abs.

7. Give thanks. This often comes with a nice cup of hot green tea too. And I love pretty journals. I spend time each day with my tea, silence (phone and TV off) and journal all that I'm thankful for.