Self Love: Acceptance, Belief and the Sun
16:32
I can't say I rigidly practice what I preach in this blog post. But I AM trying and that's the main thing. I doubt very much if you are born practicing self love. It CAN be something that some are better at than others. But what exactly is self love, and why should we be practicing it? Self love is about appreciating yourself in such a way that your spiritual, mental and physical health improves. It's all about being good to yourself and not beating yourself up for the mistakes you make in your life. Being kind to yourself is self love. It's something that I struggle with on a daily basis and I'm well aware that so many people are in the exact same boat as me.
However, I have started to think about it a lot more, and am actively trying to inject some extra positivity into my life. When I attended an event in my college with Irish celebrity Bressie, who is a vocal advocate for mental health I began to discover a lot more about the human mind. I never ever thought about the fact that you CAN, with a bit of effort train your brain to think happier thoughts. As we all know it's very easy to train your brain to be negative. Negative thoughts come more easily than others. Ask any Irish person what they're good at and they'll start stuttering, dodge around the question and are all around wary of saying positive things about themselves.
So I want you to consider taking on these practices to be nicer to yourself, some of these you will have heard before or maybe you haven't. Either way I'm hoping these things will make you feel better about yourself because there's nothing worse than lying in bed at night staring at the ceiling wondering when you're going to feel better.
EXERCISE
Exercise is NOT a sole solution to make yourself feel good about yourself. At least I don't think it is anyway. But it is a very very good way to burn away strong emotions. Just over a week ago I found myself in a really weird state of mine where I was both sad and frustrated. I couldn't shake it no matter what I did. Even though it was about 10pm at night I decided to go for a cycle. It lasted about 50 minutes in total. I don't think I've pedalled so furiously in my life because I stopped for no one, and just kept going until my legs were aching. I remember stopping on the far side of the university campus, under the bridge on the Clare side, looking over at the lights of Dromroe. I felt so much better than I had 40 minutes before that. I remember Bressie telling us before that he finally conquered his night time panic attacks by running until he could run no more. I'm not saying to run yourself into the ground, but exercise really is a good way to make yourself feel good.
MUSIC
Never underestimate the power of music in making you feel better. Granted it can make you sad too, but in this case I'm talking about songs that make you feel good, reassure you and put a smile on your face. So make a playlist of your favourite songs. Whether it's the that fact you can relate to the lyrics or because the song lifts your spirits, there's no shame in playing these songs over and over again. Sometimes you need time to yourself to just play your favourite songs. People say that it's therapeutic to listen sad songs but for me it really really isn't. I find it brings you back to that sad feeling you felt at the time. SO DON'T DO IT TO YOURSELF. Positivity. One song I find very uplifting and apt to my own situation is Mine by a singer called Phoebe Ryan.
TALKING TO YOURSELF
Yes, really. I've started to find that if I verbally check my myself when something goes wrong I can calm myself down. Even if it's just "It'll be okay. Don't worry. It's not as bad as it seems. You can do this". Simple things can work magic. Positive psychology has only been something I've actually thought worth a try since Bressie's event "Breakfast with Bressie". I've always tried to distract myself from my problems, for instance, heading to a pub to drink alcohol or dance when I've felt anxious. I never had the courage or never was in the mindset to sit with my anxious thoughts and try to work them out mentally. Here are some tips I noted from the event:
- Your brain can be programmed to be positive.
5 TIPS FOR POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY (PRACTICE OVER 10 DAYS)
1. Limit or avoid toxic people/environments for ten whole days and see the difference.
2. Practice self-compassion - release serotonin (from your neurotransmitter)
Tell yourself what you're proud of from that day before you go to sleep.
3. Gratitude. " I am grateful for.." Tell yourself 30 things you're grateful for from the day.
4. 30 mindful moments. Be aware. Relish what you do. Live in the moment, e.g. appreciate nature.
5. Judgement. Stop judging people, it causes bad hormones to be released from your brain.
BEING AROUND PEOPLE YOU LOVE WHO LOVE YOU TOO
I really wouldn't underestimate this. There is nothing like a good laugh when you really want to cry. Laugh as much as people. Being around even a family pet can make you feel a lot better. It's all about that release of seratonin. It's nice to have someone who wants to take care of you and WANTS you to be happy. So even if you're feeling absolutely terrible and would rather be alone, drag yourself out of that room and hang out with people who love you. I know this post is about self love, but you definitely want to be around people who encourage you to feel good about yourself. Even if you find it hard to accept compliments, it's still so nice to hear them.
GET REST
I cannot stress this enough. I can't count how times I've had a total melt down only to realise it's because I haven't gotten enough sleep. Even if it's saying no to that night out or switching off your phone an hour earlier, try to get in a solid eight hours sleep whenever you can. You'll feel a whole lot better and are a lot less likely to have a screaming match with someone. A good hour's nap can do you the world of good.
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-on the difficult days when the world's on your shoulders,
remember that diamonds are made under the weight of mountains
- beau taplin: diamonds -
All pictures are merely decorative and belong to their respective owners.
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