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Implementing Self Love Into Your Daily Routine

blog Feb 13, 2023
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Valentines is here and it is the one day of the year we go over the top to show our love but many believe this should not be exclusive to just once a year. On the 14th February we show love to either ourselves or a significant other through acts such as buying gifts or flowers, having that long overdue day out or meal and finally get dressed up or pampered. The debate on why this day exists boils down to the fact that it entails too much money being spent, societal pressures, strained efforts to exceed expectations year on year and most prominently filling the void to be with someone for Valentines day. 

 

The purpose of today's blog is a gentle reminder to find the joy in this arranged celebration and spend the day exploring how you can implement more self love into your daily routine. On our Beam Academy Instagram we highlighted and showed support for two important dates; January 27th ‘Parent’s Mental Health Awareness Day’ and February 6th - 12th ‘Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week’. A popular discussion on how to improve our mental health is about more self love which means taking action for our own well-being and happiness. Again, self love should be something that is implemented into our daily routine to become formed habits so if you think this could use some work, then please keep reading.

Diagram Reference: www.happiness.com

 

Above you can see ‘Maslow’s Hierarchy of Happiness: The Need Levels’ which is a five-tier model of human needs and an important motivational theory in psychology. Applying this model to how we view and practice self love can really help long term improvement in our mental health and our overall goal of happiness. Understanding this model helps categorise your acts of self care into basic, psychological and self-fulfilment needs. Some people may overcompensate and spend more time meeting some of these needs more than others (e.g. constantly putting others ahead of themselves), in which case, it is recommended to divide your time and energy so you are not lacking in any area; balance is always the key.

 

Starting from the bottom of the hierarchy are our basic needs where we have physiological and safety; here is a break down of what acts of self care this entails. Physiological needs, simply put, are our biological and physical requirements such as eating, drinking, sleeping and breathing; without these we cannot function. Safety needs are made up of physical safety, and needs for home, employment, income and health; without these we continually feel insecure and unprotected. 

 

Here are some self care tips to help you stay on top of your physiological needs:

  • Eat your 5 a day and cook home cooked, healthy meals most days
  • Visit the dentist or doctor twice a year 
  • Drink 2 Litres of water a day and herbal teas
  • Get around 7 or 8 hours sleep a night
  • Spend 15 minutes a day doing breathing exercises/techniques
  • Fill your space with plants
  • Attend a self defence class and learn how to defend yourself
  • Clean your safe space
  • Journal your career aspirations and path; set yourself goals and milestones for your income
  • Set up a savings account or look at ways to invest
  • Buy health/life insurance 
  • Exercise lightly (yoga) for at least 30 mins/day or heavily (sports) 2-3 times a week for 1 hour

 

Next we come to psychological which is made up of belongingness/love and esteem needs which can also be met with some simple acts of self care each day. Belongingness and love needs to deal with our desires for interpersonal connections, good family relationships and friendships; without this we can become depressed and feel lonely, or too much can overwhelm and drain us. Esteem needs are our self esteem, confidence, achievements, and being respected by others.

 

Here are some self care tips to help you stay on top of your psychological needs:

  • Stay connected -  through get togethers, phone calls, texting and even social (sending simple GIF’s, memes and photos of our lives can keep us connected and not take up too much energy)
  • Setting boundaries and communicating empathetically, openly, honestly and calmly 
  • Seeing friends or family less or more 
  • Implement affirmations into your morning routine, look in the mirror and say them out loud to yourself
  • Establish a morning and nighttime routine (skincare, yoga practice or staying off your phone for 30 mins to avoid blue light for better nights sleep)
  • Create a vision board
  • Create healthy coping strategies for any stresses that occur in your daily life (put on your favourite movie or music)
  • Using the mirror exercise find your favourite physical feature, close your eyes and find your best personality trait (this might change daily)
  • Journaling helps keep track of goals and milestones, make sure you celebrate each and every one no matter how big or small (buy yourself flowers)
  • Treat others how you want to be treated, similarly setting and not crossing other people's boundaries

 

Finally we have self-fulfilment which is at the top of the hierarchy where our self-actualisation needs lie, and we can meet these with some self care too. Self-actualisation needs are formed by our creativity, spontaneity and problem solving which, if met, can result in awe, wonder and gratitude for life; without these we will be unsatisfied and incapable of realizing our desires.

 

Here are some self care tips to help you stay on top of your self-fulfilment needs:

  • Find out what sparks your creativity and do this at least once a week (painting, cooking or dancing)
  • Write yourself a love letter
  • Get a haircut or dye it the colour you have always wanted to try
  • Get a new piercing or tattoo
  • Go shopping or book a holiday/trip away
  • Have a spa day or join a new fitness class
  • Read more
  • Create a gratitude jar
  • Stay positive and look for the silver lining
  • Go offline for a day or take a nap 
  • Be intuitive with your body and what it needs
  • Asking for help when you need it 
  • Forgiving yourself when doing inner work
  • Meditate

 

This is not an exhaustive list of all the things you can do for self care on a daily/weekly basis, however it is a great place to start. Now you understand the model it is obvious how necessary self care is and only choosing a few to focus on at a time will make the world of difference. Take a look inward and see what makes you truly happy based on this hierarchy of needs and do more or less to get to your desired happiness. This is only a model and can look different for everyone in the context of their lives, but ultimately the message is to take more time out for yourself every single day,  not just on Valentines Day or whenever you see an instagram post/story telling you to. Our mental health is so important and we should always encourage others around us to try these things too. Let's be kind and show compassion, we never know what someone might be going through. 

 

Now repeat after me,

 

‘I love who I am, I love who I am becoming. I practise self love and fulfil all my needs to aid in achieving my desired level of happiness.’

 

 

 

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