Loving Yourself
Last weekend, I ran my Repotted Retreat. Twenty-six wonderful women turned up and dug down into what they wanted. They were honest about what they needed and where they were at. They left nourished and ready for the next chapter of their lives!
We talk a lot at Repotted - a lot about what you need, what you want, what you think and what is ok. One of the strongest themes is that we need to do more for ourselves.
One of the women made a comment that throughout a rough few years, everyone that she spoke to told her that to move on and heal or improve your life, ‘you need to learn to love yourself’. She said, what was so frustrating was that she couldn’t find anyone who could tell her HOW to love herself. She said I just want someone to tell me what to do!
Loving yourself is a big job that combines self-awareness - what you are like, with self-acceptance and compassion. It's about treating yourself with the kindness you would offer a friend, recognising your worth, acknowledging your strengths and making decisions that are supportive of how you want to live your life.
As promised, here are my instructions for how to love yourself:
Prioritise yourself. It's not selfish, that's survival. All those other sperms didn't make it through, but you did. You're literally a winner just by being here. So start acting like it. Be the main character of your life.
Get your energy sorted. Feeling good is your birthright. Give yourself the things you need. Nutrition, hydration and movement are 101 basics of being a human. Look after your body, spend time cleaning out your mind. Do what you need to do to be at your best physically, mentally, emotionally & spiritually.
Find your pleasure points. Give yourself permission to do the things that make you come alive. The things that you love. Give yourself time to enjoy your life - not just exist. Wear clothes you love, hang out in places you love, find things that make your heart happy.
Surround yourself with the right people. To thrive, you need to surround yourself with people who contribute to your energy - not weigh it down. The energy you're drawn to is huge. If you haven't got the right people in your life, you need to go on a friendship drive and find some.
Make decisions that improve your life. Decide what you want and make an effort to get it. Decide to get to know yourself. Decide how you want to live. Your life, your rules.
Treat yourself like a lover. Buy yourself gifts, take yourself out. Enjoy being with you! Given the amount of time you are with you, you might as well fall in love with yourself!
