5 Ways to practice self-love this Valentine’s day (and every day)
‘Self love’ might sound a bit fluffy bunny, hippy dippy, dancing unicorns and rainbows to you - but it’s the quickest and most effective way of not just feeling your best but performing at your best too! It can provide some much needed restoration and recharge time and can act as an immediate mood booster - so when you return to your desk you are much more able to stay focused, have oodles more clarity and are productive as hell. Sound good? Give yourself a happy Valentine’s day by implementing these super simple tools and tips, with love to you, from us. Mwah!
#1 Be KIND to yourself…and others:
On your commute to or from work, consider 3 things that you are proud of about yourself. These might be personality traits or things that you have experienced or achieved in the past. Big or small, silly or serious - let’s not forget what we have poured our energy into and deserve to feel damn proud of. Now let's turn the love to others...being kind to another person, as with any altruistic act, will make their day brighter and in turn, yours too. Pay a compliment and see them light up!
#2 PAUSE:
This can be as simple as breathing slowly and deeply for 1 minute. Concentrating on the breath moving in and out of your body - giving your mind a tiny opportunity to rest (which it so desperately needs in this magical modern world of ours). We understand that to slow down feels completely counter intuitive when we are juggling all of the balls. But to pause is the ONLY way to engage the parasympathetic nervous system in order to reduce our stress levels. This enables us to feel calmer; we start to think more clearly, make better decisions and feel more in charge of our emotions (you know, just thinking about throwing coffee over your colleague rather than doing it!)
#3 Inhale the air, move thy body:
Any opportunity to walk outside today - take it! Hop off your commute a couple of stops earlier and walk the rest of the way, arrange a walking meeting, get outside at lunch time or go for a walk this evening. Daylight is essential for our vitamin D levels which in turn impacts our mood - we need that serotonin boost to release our happy feels!
#4 Fuel your own fire:
Do you beat yourself up for being forgetful and distracted or feeling tired and perhaps a bit of a snap dragon? Give your (frankly incredible) body and mind a chance to perform to the standards you expect by consciously considering what you are putting in it. Lots of water (or herbal tea if you're a wee bit chilly) and whole, nourishing food. Tempted by that tasty pastry? Swap it for a nourishing bowl of porridge, avo and eggs or green juice. Remember you have to fuel your own engine if you want it to purrrrr!
#5 Do something FUN!
Whatever it is that lights you up and makes your heart beat a little bit faster! Talking to your best buddy, a hike in the mountains this weekend, enjoying delicious food & coffee, music that makes you want to SING - carve out the time to make it happen this week.