7 Top Tips to Love Yourself

One of the basic needs of every child born in this world is love. Besides food, water and air, in order to grow to be a healthy child and then adult, this child must be given love and lots of care and kindness.

Sometimes, some adults feel that they didn’t receive enough love and care growing up. I am sure a lot of parents tried their best but sometimes their society at large has impacted them more than they realise.

In order to receive love from others, be it romantically or socially (friends and colleagues), we first need to learn to love ourselves unconditionally. Here are my top tips for you to start that self-loving journey. A journey that will hopefully lead you to ultimate happiness.

1. Start the day by being grateful. When you get up from the bed, take a few seconds just to appreciate that you’ve been given another day to live and experience life. Another day to smile at your loved ones and another day to see the sun. Give yourself a hug or a pat on the arms if you can. Reinforce this idea with this act.
2. Tell yourself there’s only one of you in this world when you look in the mirror, whether you’re brushing your teeth or putting on your makeup. Why not be the best you out there every single day! You are made of the most unique of DNA and you are made of the same material as the stars and yes, that’s scientifically correct. So shine like the star you really are. Make that smile as bright and as beautiful as you can. (which incidentally will also switch on the feel-good hormones!)
3. Have more body appreciation. Many people today, women especially, though the numbers for men are climbing, don’t appreciate their body enough. We are too fat/too thin/too short/too tall/too hairy/too smooth/too scrawny/too…..fill in your own blanks here… Did you ever think about what a miracle our body really is? How many beats per minute your heart is making, how your stomach digests all that food you’re eating, the way your blood gets pumped through your veins and even how you can sense things even when you can’t see it. Stop beating yourself over things you cannot change (the shape of your body, your height, how straight or curly your hair is etc) and focus on the parts you are very proud of. You have strong shoulders? The pull it back and stand tall. You have expressive eyes? Make sure they stay hydrated so they can keep twinkling. You are a ball of knowledge? Sharpen your wit and humour so others can learn and laugh with you.
4. Your body is your own temple so treat it with the best care. It’s your sacred space’ so much like a temple/church/mosque, whereby visitors have to treat it with respect, so should you. Why not only feed your body with the best and healthiest food? As a holistic therapist who is also a certified Weight Loss Master Coach, I want you to ban the word diet or stop associating it as a weight loss method. Diet in the actual sense just means what you’re feeding your body. Ever heard ‘stop dieting and the pounds will drop’? When we focus on the bad (the weight gain) then only the bad will stay (the pounds/fats). So start focusing on the good. Look at food as fuel just like the tank of a car. There’s only so much the tank can take so buy the best that you can afford to. Change your relationship with food. Look at them as beautiful colourful fuel from Mother Earth, sent to you to nourish and love you.
5. Surround yourself with the best and kindest people. Too many of us are afraid to get rid of so-called family or friends with toxic behaviour. These toxic vampires suck the good energy out of you and leave you feeling drained and even unloved. When we were children, do you remember looking up to a sports star or a teacher and wanting to be like them? No one wants to emulate the behaviour of a negative person yet if we spend time enough with this “vampires” sooner or later their vibes will rub off on us. So start hanging out with that cool neighbourhood artist whose work you’ve always admired or ask if that foodie friend could teach you a few cooking tips. Or maybe you’re looking to improve your computer skills? Why not have coffee with that quiet geek who seems to know his stuff? Get good vibes from people who are willing to share their knowledge with passion. That is kindness right there.
6. Do community work whenever you are able to. Nothing makes us more humble of our existence than helping others less able than us. Being kind to others is a part of the journey to self-love. We are constantly practising love when we help others. When we do community work, we have to set aside our egos and prejudices. Can’t spare regular time to help? Don’t fret. Just put your name down for any disaster relief in your city/town. Just knowing that you are willing to help others without any remuneration is enough for your mind to register that you are a kind person.
7. Never stop learning. The very fact that you’ve decided to subscribe to my newsletter is a testament to your desire to learn more and to explore. Constantly learning and educating ourselves is a testament that we deserve the best for our minds to grow. As children, we were naturally curious; curious about the way things work, how things happen, etc. Do you remember annoying your parents with endless “Whys?” and “Hows?”. Sometimes they were patient enough to explain yet sometimes you were brushed off to go and learn for yourself. Today, education is at the tip of our fingers really. With the advent of the internet age, there is no reason for someone to say they can’t get some info. The more you learn, the more you want to know. The more you know, the more you will realise there’s still so much you don’t know. Keep being humbled by this knowledge and use this as a reason to learn from people, new and familiar. You might just be surprised at what your new hobby might be!