Recently divorced or getting over a relationship? Or are you just finding yourself with a craving to do some self-care or personal development? Here are some tips to get you started on loving yourself. ❤️
1-Spend time pampering yourself.
Whether you feel like treating yourself to some luxury or you have an ouchy in your heart, now that you have some free time, maybe it's time to go into that delicious bath store you've always passed by & get some of those amazing scented oils & candles .
2- Keep a gratitude journal on your night stand.
Each night, before going to sleep, write down three things that you are grateful for that day.
No matter what kind of day you've had, there is always something to be grateful for. For example, "I am grateful for the awesome song I heard on the radio." I am grateful for the air in my lungs." I am grateful for that great cup of coffee I had this morning." You get the picture. Ending your day with gratitude increases your positive energy, helps you to rest better, & helps you to draw back more positiveness into your life. Even if you are nursing a broken heart, you can be grateful for that friend that lend you an ear today, or that co-worker that covered for you when you had to spend a few extra minutes in the bathroom for a good cry.
3- Meditate or go for a walk in nature.
Meditation is not a woo woo thing. It actually has amazing health benefits. Meditation has been known to help reduce stress, control anxiety, helps you focus, and that is just to name a few. For those who have a hard time finding their inner silence, you can follow a guided meditation. There are tons of books, downloads, and even free phone apps that you can use anywhere. My favorite app is called Insight Timer; it's free and has tons of guided and no-guided meditations.
4- Exercise
In addition to weight loss, increased strength, better sleep, and all of the other amazing health benefits, exercising actually boosts happiness levels and helps you get better at setting and achieving goals. No, you don't need to run a 10K, but getting at least 15-30 minutes a day of exercise will make a huge difference in your life. And for those who are broken hearted, remember what we learned about how breaking up is comparable to a drug addict going through withdrawals? Why not use that adrenaline and get yourself in the best shape of your life!!!
5- Read a book
Whether you are looking for some romance, mystery or feel like you are ready to dive into some self development, books are perfect for all of the above. In addition, reading also helps reduce stress, helps memory improvement, & improves focus. So get to your nearest Barnes & Noble or download a book today.
6- Surround yourself with positive people
It is good to live a kind & compassionate life, but you need to have compassion for yourself too. Surrounding yourself with happy, positive people, specially if you are going through hard times, helps you to learn coping strategies, lifts your spirits, connect & bond in laughter. It also helps keep you focused on where you want to be, that's HAPPY again.
7- Spend time with friends and family
Although time alone is important, spending time with friends and family is just as important. Social time goes a long way for helping to provide some distraction from a breakup and for creating new memorable experiences that last a lifetime. Spending more time with your family & friends is rewarding and beneficial to improving your happiness.
8- Scripting.
Scripting is writing things down, in great detail, about things that you want to experience. This exercise helps you to gain clarity on what you desire, and helps you to begin talking about how you would like things to be in certain aspects of your life. It is a playful, but powerful way to stay focused on the positive goals that you want to achieve. Get a notebook, or a journal & write away, you will instantly feel a positive shift happen!
9- Get some really good sleep
Yes, I know that you probably know all about how getting a good night sleep is very good for your over-all health. You know how poor sleeping habits are linked to depression, poor metabolism & heart disease. But did you know that sleep It is a way for your body & mind to recover, it's a kind of rebooting for your system. And did you know that a good night sleep affects how you process emotions & social interactions, improves concentration & productivity too? So get yourself an amazing pillow & a sound machine and hit those ZzZzzzzZZZZZzzzzz.
10- Travel to a new place
Traveling to a new place can be like an amazing & brief, start over for our brain. If you haven't done it yet, imagine stepping off an airplane into new surroundings, new culture, new foods, new music, new customs. This is exciting on its own. But traveling to a new place helps broaden our perceptions, open our minds, and gets us a real life education. It is something that we can keep forever in our memories. And if you can't leave the country just yet, you can still create lifetime of memories & amazing experiences by visiting new places within the US. Get out there and visit a new park, a new beach, another state. The point is go somewhere new, and once a year if possible.
