Progress pays us.
Kindness protects us.
Learning inspires us.
Just a few of the thoughts that I generated while writing this post. Habits for happiness. Strategies for self-love.
After finishing a very relaxing meditation I thought to myself, how is self love built, and what are the things that I have done to build up my confidence and compassion for myself? And that’s when I started to write and reflect, and it tuned into 8 Strategies & Habits for Happiness & Self-Love. How do we be happy? How can we create happiness?
Self love does not always come naturally. And if we don’t love ourselves, can we truly show love and compassion for others? Love and compassion are two fundamental feelings for someone who wants to live an abundant life. And it doesn’t just have to be useful for your relationships, friendships, it helps us be better leaders. In business, or at home.
So now, how do we love ourselves? And how do we create happiness? I’ll give it a whirl.
- Deep self reflection — Find areas of improvement. Are there any things that you do that you are not so proud of? Be kind to yourself, and don’t shame yourself. Be grateful that now you are putting attention to it. Make a plan, actionable items that you can accomplish daily. Little by little, improve these areas. Be realistic while also being dedicated to touch, and even PUSH your limits. 1% better every day compounds. And it’s the little things that build up strong and lasting habits. Hey, sometimes it’s not the easiest thing looking at ourselves in the mirror, especially at first. So lean on your people! Ask for insights from the loved ones around you, the people that care, and the people that want you to succeed. These are people that you look up to, and who are truly doing positive things.
- Get into the moment — Be mindful of the here and now. This can be formed by starting a daily meditation, even if its 10 minutes to start. Regret is living in the past, and fear is living in the future. And these things can really hold us back, trust me, I know from experience. They can hold us back like monkeys fighting for bananas. Life is lighter when we let go of fear and regret, and all of the other emotions that come with those. We can’t magically change the past, nor can we predict the future. So let’s be kind to ourselves, and live in the present. Start here, with a daily guided meditation on Mindful Movement https://www.youtube.com/c/TheMindfulMovement ** And you will be glad you did! Or take deep breaths throughout the day to calm your mind in the heat of the moment. Try this, breathe in for 3 seconds, hold for 4, and exhale for 5. Pause and try that 3 times.
- Think back — Think back and remember a time in your life, doesn’t matter how young you were or how recent it was, where you truly felt like you were vibing, living carefree, and doing anything you wanted without caring what people think. You were so happy, so calm, so light and fresh. Okay now that you have gone back in time, can you remember the things that you were doing at that time? Make a list of what you were doing that made you so happy, your activities, your experiences, and incorporate them into your life. Time doesn’t magically appear for us to do the things that make us happy, we have to consciously make the time for it. Life doesn’t have to be jam packed and stressful with not even having enough time to make a nourishing meal at home. The universe wants us to succeed and be happy — we just need to be aware and allow it.
- Look at your sleep and eating habits — Are you getting adequate sleep, and waking up feeling rested? I’ve learned that there are so many things that we can do to improve our sleep. I used to think that sleep improvement began a couple hours before bed, but I learned that it actually begins the moment we wake up. Here is an amazing podcast by one of my favorite influencers, Mel Robbins. https://www.melrobbins.com/podcasts/episode-182 (All her podcasts can also be found on Apple Podcast OR Spotify). Everybody and every body is different, and what we need to fuel our bodies plays quite a large role in our happiness, energy, and our daily motivation. When we put junk into our bodies we feel like junk. Heavily processed foods, excess refined sugars and artificial sweeteners, inflammatory fats, and simply more food than our bodies need, all put a shock on our system. It doesn’t have to cost a lot to eat healthy, and in fact, it doesn’t have to take loads of time to create meals when we are eating simple with minimal ingredients. Study, research, read, listen to tips about nutrition, and better your relationship with food. Food is meant to fuel us. And when we look back to our primal days, not that we can actually remember them (unless you are a superhuman and immortal) but think about things our ancestors probably did, and what our bodies are actually made for. Simple things. Simple foods. Physical activities. Adequate sleep when it’s dark to take advantage of the light with as much energy as we can. Here is a nutrition focused podcast from Mel Robbins that has really impacted my life: https://www.melrobbins.com/podcasts/episode-250
- Movement — Even if it’s a 20-minute workout in the comfort of your own home on your yoga mat. Or a walk – hitting 10k steps in a day. Or 30 minutes in the gym after you’ve already gotten ready for the day. Or 5 minutes of calf raises each day. Or even 20 squats, 10 knee pushups, 12 lunges on each leg, and raising your hands over your body 30 times. I don’t need to say more — the point is movement creates motion in our lives. And it can be little by little every day. You don’t have to be getting ripped to see and feel the benefits of movement. Movement after glucose for instance, sugar and carbs, makes a world of difference in how one can feel, where instead of feeling a sluggish sugar crash, we can feel energized. And the truth is, if we start small and gain consistency, we will then gain momentum, build a habit, and start to crave more. I sure know how 20 squats pumps me up to prospect for my business 🙂
- Gratitude — Fill your days with gratitude and remember all of the things that you DO have, and that you CAN do. Without making comparisons to others, remind yourself that you are capable. I know it — that you are capable if you are actually reading this. Express gratitude beyond the material things that you have. For your beating heart, ability to make a decision, and your ability to make changes in your life for the better, little by little <3
- Look into your heart, and see your toddler, baby, little self — Would you tell them that they are not good enough, and don’t deserve love, or that they are ugly and not capable? I am sure NO! It makes me tear up thinking of telling my 5-year old self those things as I am making my way to school. And yet, I have told myself those negative things before in my head.. This really puts things into perspective for me, and it helps me be kind to myself. Put attention to what we tell ourselves, the stories of I can’t , or I won’t, or I’m not, and then turn those stories around. Because that’s what they are, stories! Start by making a list of the negative stories you tell yourself, and find the false reward of them. Like how they make you feel protected and safe somehow, and then turn them around into an affirmation. I am capable. I am dedicated to learning. And remember, things happen for us, not to us. And every experience, even the negative ones are learning experiences that we can grow from.
- Always remember that you are enough, and that you are beautiful in your own unique way — The world loves us. And the universe along with all of the energy and particles that make it want us to succeed. The reality is that we are the only ones that stop it. And you can change that, if you truly want to. And you don’t have to do it on your own. Get help. Get inspired.
Love yourself.
Sounds simple, and can be simple, if YOU let it be.
xoxo, josie