Happy Valentine’s Day all!
Today’s blog is a gentle reminder that the most important relationship you have is the one with yourself. You are the person you spend most of your time with - you’ve got to love yourself first!
So, how do I learn to love myself, I hear you say..?
Do what you love
Living a fast paced life filled with routines and to do lists, we can get lost in the process; making the questions ‘what makes you happy?’ or ‘what do you enjoy?’ really difficult to answer. We lose track of how we like to spend our time.
Get to know yourself again.
Try to do something that makes you feel happy every day. It doesn’t have to take too long or be anything too glamorous; whether it’s a walk in the park, a long bath or a chat to a friend – it’s often these basic acts of self care that have the biggest impact. Doing something that brings you joy everyday will contribute to your positivity each day. It’s a reminder that you are valued, you are worthy and you deserve to invest in yourself!
Step off that staircase set up by society
We often live our lives according to the things that ‘should’ make us happy, following society’s representation of happiness rather than listening ourselves and reflecting on our own feelings and emotions.
This can lead to the ‘I’ll be happy when…’ approach.
‘I’ll be happy when I get a promotion.’
‘I’ll be happy when I’m a certain weight.’
‘I’ll be happy when I’m married with kids.’
What are we waiting for? Of course we are unable to do some of the things that make us happy at the moment – this is out of our control. Start to take control of the things that you can do!
Our financial situation, career and family life can be strong contributors to our happiness, however happiness is subjective. Choose not to conform if something that ‘should’ make you feel happy, doesn’t.
Eat what you love
We spend so much time thinking about what we can’t eat, or what we need to restrict; avoiding certain foods because they are deemed ‘bad’, ‘naughty’ or may have some sudden physical impact on our body.
If we don’t enjoy our food – we will not feel satisfied from our meals. This could actually lead to eating more than necessary on the search to feel fulfilled, rather than just allowing ourselves to eat what we enjoy on the regular.
Feel content in the knowledge that balancing your plate with nutritious foods most of the time, is likely to make you feel good, compared to if you consistently eat highly processed, fast food. However that isn’t to say we shouldn’t enjoy these foods occasionally, as it is a lot of fun!
There are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods. Food should not be associated with guilt or shame but enjoyed in the moment. While I wholly encourage a healthy diet and lifestyle; the healthiest choice isn’t always the most ‘nutritious’. We need to think about whether our meals are enjoyable, satisfying, convenient and compassionate. Include foods that bring you joy.
Be who you love (on the inside and out)
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Rather than focusing on every possible imperfection on the inside and out, give yourself credit for how amazing you are and all of the wonderful things that you do.
Think about how you treat yourself. Is this the way you treat others? Is this the way you would like to be treated by others?
When we are kind to others, we feel good. So why can’t we be kind to ourselves?
If there is something you struggle to like about yourself – consider what this particular thing does for you. How can you start to see it as a positive?
Recognise those things that you do like about yourself and say them out loud or in your head. Feed your brain positivity – it’s all about the mindset.
The sooner we realise that changing ourselves does not necessarily make a change to our happiness, the faster we can move forward focussing acceptance and appreciation over comparison and pressure.
Challenge your inner critic, congratulate your strengths, be, do and eat what you love!
Holistic Health Coach - Anna Whyte
The ‘Wellness with Anna’ philosophy focuses on taking a more balanced and holistic approach to health. Often, the tools needed to make a lasting change are already in your toolbox. I offer client led guidance in order to support the progress of an individual working to meet their personal wellness goals. I will not diagnose, treat or take responsibility for bringing about wellness change, but direct, listen and support development. We work together on a journey to make health a main priority, both physically and mentally.