Self-Love Is…

Hey everyone! Happy July! I hope all is well! For my little life update, I’d like to announce that I have finally wrapped up summer classes and I now have all this free time to connect and make content for all of you!

I’m so excited! So please, if you will, make yourself comfortable, heat up some tea, because I’m gonna talk to you all about what self-love is.

Self-love is the ability to love yourself as you are. As beautifully and imperfect as you are. It’s recognizing where your weaknesses lie and how you can use your strengths to complement those weaknesses. It’s hard and I get it, I’m going through a similar thing (to be honest), but finding out where you are and being more aware of it is a step towards promoting self-love and acceptance.

Now, I know that I have touched upon this topic many times in previous blog posts (click here and here for more!), but if it’s your first time here on my site, then I’d love to talk to you about self-love and how implementing these little practices into your everyday life can really help you gain more perspective and help you reach your goals, among other things.

Self Love Is… Cleaning Your Room

I’M NOT KIDDING! When we clean, we help ourselves get rid of all the junk that is-physically and mentally- there. We allow ourselves to become better people.

When I was younger, I used to take time (sometimes at night) to clean and re-organize my dresser. For me, what that did was help me pass the time, but what I didn’t realize was it helped me really take pride in the things that I had and it made me feel good to know that I was taking the time to clean.

Lately, I found myself being anywhere, but my room. I don’t know what it was… My room was clean in some areas, it looked clean, but it didn’t feel clean.

I don’t know if I’m making any sense, but what I mean to say is that my room, essentially was not my favorite room in the house and it was something that was subconscious. I was also feeling groggy and low key depressed, along with feeling detached from my room. What’s more is I wasn’t taking the time to really, really clean or straighten it up, because I felt that I didn’t have time (hashtag EXCUSES).

It didn’t hit me until my mom, the real MVP, pointed out to me that the reason I had been so down in the dumps was because my room was a mess.

My night stand was collecting dust, the trashcan was overflowing with, well, trash and I had clothes everywhere because I’m in the process of packing for my trips coming up this month!

Having clothes just being thrown everywhere, not only signifies mess (obvi, lol) but it also signifies negative vibes, that you’re overwhelmed.

And the fact of the matter was this: I was overwhelmed. The thought of having a lot of things, just thrown everywhere, and so “little” time to clean it all up, made me feel literally, overwhelmed and not capable of doing so.

But I realized that if I just take the time to fix up one little corner at a time, I can give myself good vibes and be happier! So I encourage you all to do that!

Self-Love Is… Finding your outlet

Find something that really sets you free. I’ve talked about finding your outlet in a separate blog post, where I go into more detail about this here.

For me, my outlet is writing. I have a load of journals from high school and beyond! I found that I could write and write and write, for hours at a time. Writing my thoughts on paper is like talking to someone.

Writing is therapeutic, the same way that people who sing find singing or practicing music therapeutic to do so as well.

Dedicate at least an hour of your day to making sure you get to do something that really sets you free and helps put you at ease. It can literally be anything from running to reading to rollerblading.

Anything that helps keep your anxious mind at ease is what I like to call an outlet.

Self-Love Is… Unfollowing and Modifying

Unfollowing and modifying??? What are you talking about, Karen?

What I mean by unfollowing and modifying is really take a look at what and who you follow on the social medias. Simply put, if you see a page that is making you feel some kind of way or is impressing upon this unattainable ideal, UNFOLLOW THAT PAGE.

Make sure that you are following people and pages that really lift you up. Modify your social media to reflect the values that you hold dear to your hearts.

Don’t be afraid to go down the list and unfollow. You don’t owe anyone or anything a reason as to why you’re leaving– it’s your life, do what you need to do (well within reason, of course) to be happier.

Self-Love Is… Taking Care of Yourself

Now this, y’all, is so so so so BIG! Kinda like the first point of cleaning your room, you need to really show that you really care about yourself.

This includes:

getting your hair done
nails done
eyebrows done

But those aren’t the only things you can do–there’s also:

working out
taking a walk
getting a massage
watching a movie.
putting on a korean face mask.

The list could seriously go on, but what I’m saying is if you could put in a little bit of time into making yourself look good, you are able to make yourself feel good in the long-run! Yas Honey!!!

Image result for queer eye fab 5 gif — I think the fab five would also agree!

Self-Love Is… Eating without Fear of the Future

Y’all, if it’s one thing I’ve learned about self-love, it’s this. I have yo-yo’d up and down the scale and I’ve eaten my entire body weight on multiple occasions. That being said, my worth is not dependent on my size or what I see on the scale. My worth is dependent on how I see myself, how I feel in my skin.

For so many years, I’ve punished myself for eating the things that I shouldn’t have been eating and it took a while for me to unlearn the things that are so untrue about food. So here’s what I’ve learned:

Food is fuel, it is what helps keep me alive.

One bad meal doesn’t mean one bad day.

Not all carbs are bad– there are two kinds of carbs: simple and complex. Simple carbs are the cakes, candy and other refined sugars that lack vitamins and minerals. Complex carbs are the beans, peas, and multi-grains that are packed with vitamins and minerals.

Ice cream and cookies can be enjoyed on multiple occasions–like now, since it’s summer.