Yesterday we talked about the importance of self-love, and the necessity of making self-care a priority. Today let’s talk about loving yourself even when it’s hard. I struggled with self-love for years. Self-love is hard. It is a process. A process that requires you to get real with yourself and everything around you. The self-love process is not pretty. It requires a lot of work, some tears, and a lot of getting real with yourself.

Today I want to share with you three key steps to loving yourself even when it’s hard.

NUMBER ONE: KNOW YOURSELF

In order to love yourself, you have to KNOW yourself. Have you ever been in a relationship with someone and thought you loved them but then realized you were in a relationship with a complete stranger? I’m sure that didn’t work out too well. So how can you expect to love yourself if you have no idea who you are? Your relationship with yourself is the longest relationship you will ever have. YOU CAN NEVER GET AWAY FROM “SELF”. In order to love yourself, you must become self-aware. You have to know who you are and what you want in life. Do not settle. Do not give others the power to dictate your life because you don’t know who you are. Dig deep, the real you is waiting to be unmasked.

NUMBER TWO: CARE FOR YOURSELF

Self-love, and self-care go hand in hand. Your body is your temple. You take the time to make sure everyone else is looking, smelling, and feeling good, so it is just as important to make sure you feel the same way. You rush, rush, rush and find excuses as to why you don’t have time to care for yourself. Like most women, you are most likely critical of your body. You can point out every flaw, wrinkle, and imperfection. BUT how about turning that criticism into love?. Instead of pointing out all of your imperfections, how about focusing on something you love about yourself. Embrace every curve, and accept your body as is. You can want to live healthier, be skinnier, etc, but don’t beat yourself up along the way. If there is something you dislike about yourself, then take steps to change it. Get up. Make the necessary changes, and take care of yourself.

However, self-care is not limited to the physical. You must care for your mental and spiritual health in the same manner as your physical health. Nurture yourself. Try Yoga, go for a walk, relax. Self-care is as simple as taking the time in the morning to pray, read a devotional, even applying lotion on your body after you shower. Self-care can also be a bit more in-depth for example, blocking off time in your schedule for you, finding a sitter or leaving the kids with dad so that you can go have a self-care day. Even if only for ten minutes each day, find a way to take care of yourself.

NUMBER THREE: BE NICE TO YOURSELF

Women are often our own worst enemy and harshest critic. We all have an INNER MEAN GIRL sounding off inside of our heads. This girl tells you lie after lie. She screams “YOU AREN’T ENOUGH. YOU ARE A FAILURE. THE QUALIFICATIONS YOU HAVE DON’T MEET THE STANDARDS. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO MORE IN A DAY. YOU ARE A BAD WIFE, MOM, ETC.” Stop listening to the lies of your inner mean girl. It’s time to show that meanie some light. Confront her and call her out on her lies. TURN THAT MEAN GIRL INTO A NICE GIRL. Since her voice is often the loudest in your head, show this girl some love. USE her to re-define your “I AM”. Instead of letting her tell her what you aren’t, tell her who you are. Fill yourself with thoughts of how beautiful you are, how great you are and simply that YOU ARE ENOUGH. You are amazing and great. Stop listening to her lies, and start telling her some truths. It’s time to silence your inner mean girl.

I DARE YOU!

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