Daily Self-Love Bingo!
Ready to play some Self-Love Bingo!?
We keep hearing from different leaders, studies and inspirational speakers that we need to learn how to love ourselves first in order for others to love, respect and appreciation your energy. That in order for us to grow, we have to think positive about ourselves and make our needs a priority. As a result, you begin to set boundaries and establish habits that make you happy through self-love.
So what exactly is self-love? The theory and concept sounds great, but how do I actually practice self-love?
There are different interpretations out there and one that resonated with me is from the article “What Does The Bible Tell Us About Self-Love?”
True self-love is: The commitment to objectively know myself as I am, to fully experience life as it comes to me, and to honor my potential by continually seeking ways to grow.
It's the desire to want to learn, experience and act on what you believe. We see mistakes as learnings and we are thankful for what life brings. When we embrace self-love and become less critical about ourselves, we begin to see others in the same light.
Self-love is not to be confused with not giving a fuck. It's about not giving a fuck about things that are self-destructive spiritually and taking us away from being our authentic self. Dedicating our energy on designing a journey that feels right and not allowing others to define it for us.
I'll give you an example of something that was very challenging and an ongoing struggle: my body image. I say body image because it goes beyond just weight. I am very critical about my body's appearance and seems to be a common thing across our society. Since I was young, I was very self-conscious about my weight and that I needed to be skinnier in order for someone to love me. I started to have these feelings when I was in Middle School/High School and continue to have them now! Instead of me accepting and embracing the positive qualities about my body, I critiqued myself and did everything possible to change. I went from one extreme diet to another, one failure to another, and nothing was long-lasting. Until I said "Enough is Enough." Why am I allowing myself to be influenced by a fictional image of what beauty looks like instead of loving my own beauty and who I am as an individual. I told myself... it's not the size of pants you wear that define you but the desire to want to be a better individual that lives a healthy life. Looks change as we get older, so why not focus more on things that will have a lasting impact on my health and embrace my beautiful soul! :)
I asked myself the following:
What things do I love that could both help me be healthy, active and grow spiritually?
How could I learn more about the impacts a diet has on me and educate myself to be more self-aware?
Are there things that I can do daily that drive positive reinforcement?
Am I being authentic and true to myself, or trying to impress others?
It's a pivot in mindset that allows you to embrace your uniqueness and set forth your own journey. A journey that you enjoy, love and allow yourself the opportunity to learn. It's easier said then done and something we have to work on a daily basis.
So how do we start? Invest in you! Allowing yourself time to reflect and a little "me" time is a great way to start building self-love and setting your boundaries.
Below you will find an example Self-Love Bingo that I have started to do myself. I challenge you to try at least three a day and work towards adding more day by day. In order for one to change a habit, it take consistency and discipline - setting short and attainable milestones helps you get there.
Try it and let me know what you think! Would love to hear your story - so feel free to drop a comment or send me a message.
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