10 Unique Ways To Practice Self-Love

If you’ve been on social media lately, you’ve probably seen some post about self-love. I actually just posted a picture of myself on Instagram…looking like a ghost with a face mask on. Did Halloween come early this year? Nope. Just Bree on a Friday night.

I love this conversation we are having about self-love! I am all for doses & mimosas of love and care. I think it promotes a really healthy discussion about how we treat ourselves and in return, how we treat others.

I’ve written a few other posts about self-love, which you can check out here and here! Hope you enjoy them!

I mean, have you ever seen a truly confident and happy person go out of their way to bring another person down?

NOPE!

But I can’t help but feel that Self-love is HARD sometimes. I mean, at least for me it is. I don’t wake up in the morning, loving myself and glowing in gratitude (I’m usually finding my retainers stuck in my hair and scrambling to hit snooze – we’re working on it… ok guys?!)

I have to remind myself that self-love is not just eating clean, working out and face masks. (Although ALL are important in the self-love equation) but it’s about doing that inner work too. It’s taking care of your mind, body, and soul. Self-love is being self-aware, checking in with yourself, setting boundaries, cultivating healthy relationships and invigorating your mind every once in awhile.

It’s also important for us to know that what works for one person, doesn’t work for everyone. Maybe, one day, you need to watch 16 episodes of Friends and eat Girl Scout cookies. If that is what you need to do to love yourself – you do you boo. (Just try something new the next day)

Soooo here are 10 different ways that I practice taking care of my mind, body, and soul!

Get more sleep

Do I even need to include some scientific research about how important sleep is? The FACTS are pretty much everywhere! I am the type of person who naps. Some people can’t do it but not this girl. *points to self* So go to bed an hour earlier, take a 20 min cat nap. Shut your eyes! Rest up! We got life to live.

Watch a TedTalk

If you follow me on Snapchat or Instagram then you know, I am always watching TedTalks. They just always get me thinking and leave me feeling curious and invigorated. I’m planning on doing a post of my 5 favorite TedTalks so look out for that one!

Listen to a podcast

I put on a podcast every time I do the dishes or start cleaning up after a long day. Don’t get me wrong, I love blasting some Kendrick Lamar but sometimes it nice to hear a thought-provoking conversation. I feel like podcasts are a great way to learn new things too. The Good Life Project and 10% Happier are two of my favorites right now.

Read your favorite/new book

Books are my safe place. Not sure how that happened but there is something about holding one of my favorite books in my hands that’s instantly calming and comforting to me. I highlight my favorite quotes or passages in books so I always have something to return to. If books aren’t your thing, you can try reading a magazine or your favorite blog (I’ve heard of this really great blog called livingbreely. You should totally check it out!)

Visit a museum

I’m pretty lucky because I live in San Diego and we have the very beautiful Balboa Park which is FULL of museums. If there aren’t any in your area…look up art galleries or exhibits. Those are fun too!

Have a healthy conversation with a friend or loved one

Do you have a person in your life who is just ALWAYS positive or happy? Or is just DOWN for a good conversation? I have several friends like this. I hold them so close to my heart because they literally give me life when I’m feeling a little off or down about something. I am a huge believer when it comes to that saying “laughter is the best medicine”

Declutter/clean your living space

You would be surprised how our environment affects our well-being. I’m not a neat freak by any means so I always have laundry to do, dishes to clean, shelves to dust, floors to mop. At the end of the day…lighting a candle and kicking back in my clean space does WONDERS on my mood.

Play with your dog/cat/animals

I MEAN….if a picture is worth 1,000 words.

Get into nature

Ahhh. This is the BEST. I don’t know why I didn’t put this first. Nature is just part of us as human beings. We are meant to be together, like pb&j. Kim & Kayne. Macaroni and cheese. Get it? Go dig your toes into the sand. Feel the grass under your feet. Take some deep inhales of fresh air. There is this really cool hashtag trending on Instagram – #optoutside and it gives me so much inspiration to spend even 20 minutes outdoors.

Don’t contemplate…meditate

I get it! Meditation may not be your thing. That’s cool. But if it is….YAY! I can’t tell you how many ways meditation has changed my life. The largest shift I noticed after meditating for a few months was how compassionate I became towards myself. I totally dropped a lot of judgment of myself and my capabilities. I was able to notice my thoughts and bad habits. I really began to work WITH life instead of against it and I watched the world around me unfold in the most beautiful way.

I’m still trying to figure out what works for me. I’m putting in the work by slathering some seaweed s*** on my face, eating salmon while watching TedTalks on my laptop. On certain days, simply the effort to love myself is what I really need more than anything.

But above all, self-love is learning to love yourself DESPITE your flaws. It’s an ongoing love affair with yourself.

What are some of your favorite ways to practice self-love?! I wrote a post about my go-to self-love tools. You should totally check it out!

I wrote a post about my go-to self-love tools. You should totally check it out! Click Here!

Let me know in the comments down below 🙂

I don’t know how else to earnestly tell you how much it means to me that you stopped by!

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Hope you’re having a FAB week.

Ciao for now!

Be Well,
Bree