21 Ways to Love Yourself Up!

Did you ever find yourself putting so much energy into other people that you don’t find time to love yourself?

by Renee Heigel,

Dive into self-love and care.

Are you someone who has big dreams but you often hide in the shadows because you are afraid to step forward and be in your spotlight?

Are you frustrated because you don’t know what to eat?

Do you constantly put yourself last and you rarely make it on your own to-do list?

Maybe you fit into one or more of these categories:

1. You don’t believe it’s possible.
2. You are pissed off and have given up trying.
3. You lack the motivation but still want it.
4. You are intrigued by the idea but you’re sick and tired of feeling bad about yourself, failed diets and your health.
5. You see beauty in yourself but you have unconscious blocks that keep you from owning it.
6. What body? You gave up on that a long time ago.

Maybe you use relationships and food to fill up a void and an empty feeling in your gut.

You can use new ways to fill the void with your most important relationship… the one with YOU. Ironically, loving yourself may feel hard and you may find ways to distract yourself from self-love and care. It may feel easier to fall back into your old patterns and self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviors. It may even feel unnatural to practice self-love and care at first.

Working on our relationships, especially the one with YOU is a form of primary food.

Primary foods consist of relationships, career, spirituality, and exercise, and unless we have these four “foods” in balance the actual meals we put into our mouths will not make a profound difference, at least not long term. As Marianne Williamson says in her book, A Course in Weight Loss: 21 Spiritual Lessons for Surrendering Your Weight Forever, many might feel that overeating or binging on food is an “…indulgence of self but it is actually a profound rejection of self. It’s a moment of self-betrayal and self-punishment.” This is the opposite of a commitment to your well-being. Recommit and show some loving appreciation to YOU.

21 Ways to Love Yourself Up

1. Learn to say no. Many of you feel overwhelmed by the fact you say yes all the time so practice the art of “No” so you can say “Yes” to you.

2. Meditate. Clear a space. Quiet your mind. Breathe. Let your thoughts come up and let them go.

3. Light some candles. Tidy up and light some candles during the day.

4. Enjoy healthy, pleasurable meals. Make a nice veggie dinner that will give you energy and make you feel clean.

5. Journal. Start with anything, a to-do list or brain dump. See what comes up and out.

6. Dance. Put some music on and move. Close your eyes, move your hips and let go.

7. Sleep in. Pick a day, turn off the alarm and sleep.

8. Take a bath. Be leisurely. Light some candles; use some salts or a gentle scrub on your body.

9. Yoga. Take a class and remember to breathe.

10. Make a vision board. Make one seasonally, if you like… it’s a great way to use old magazines before you recycle them.

11. Use affirmation cards. This is a powerful way to practice expressing your authentic self. “I AM BEAUTIFUL!”

12. Oil rub down. After you’ve bathed and while still in the shower, rub your body down with your favorite oil and as you rub each part focus on how much you appreciate that body part.

13. Cleanse. Eat some cleansing foods, juice some veggies or work with a practitioner to customize your cleanse.

14. Play outside. Go outside and run, act like a child, walk through the woods, swing on a swing.

15. Read a magazine/book. Simply sit and read. No phone. No food. No TV. No distractions.

16. Use your creativity. Create art, arrange photos, paint, draw, decorate, build, etc.

17. Clear the clutter. Cleaning can be therapeutic. Donate. Go through that box you haven’t looked in since you were a child.

18. Get fresh flowers. Bring some flowers into your home and a smile to your face (purchase them or pick your own).

19. Visit a farmer’s market. There is nothing like getting outside, buying fresh food and talking with passionate, smiling people.

20. Nourish yourself with water. Drink a ton of water and breathe gently through your nose between gulps. Relax.

21. Book a session with a practitioner – Acupuncture, Reiki, Chiropractor, massage, pedicure, manicure, health coach, life coach, etc.

About the author:
Renee Heigel, CHHP, AADP, is an life coach, writer, holistic health and nutrition practitioner, mom, entrepreneur, foodist, speaker, cook, world traveler, media maven, and creator of Love Yourself Naked and Local Nourish Flourish.

Renee trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City, is certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners and has over a decade of experience plus certification in coaching work.

She shows women in their mid-20s to mid-50s how to eat more local, whole foods so they can create long-term health and love themselves naked! She offers private health, life and nutrition coaching, webinars and corporate wellness coaching.

Visit www.reneeheigel.com to find out more

This work by In5D is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International

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