Living My Authentic Self – Day 6 of 7: Self-Love

This morning, while dropping the kids at school, I heard a song on the radio.

“Why am I always looking for a ride or die?
‘Cause mine’s the only heart I’m gonna have for life
After all the times I went and fucked it up
(All the times I went and f’d it up)
I wonder when I love me is enough (is enough)”

The song is Demi Lovato’s “I Love Me”. The song itself is profound in that it’s one of the few cases where a celebrity is reflecting on the inner self-critic – which we all have.

‘Cause I’m a black belt when I’m beating up on myself
But I’m an expert at giving love to somebody else

I’m my own worst critic
Talk a whole lot of sh’t
But I’m a ten out of ten
Even when I forget

In my research, I isolated a few key takeaways that show how to practice self-love:

Be kind to yourself by putting in place a self-care ritual/routine including below:

• forgiving yourself for your mistakes, acknowledging the lesson from them, and moving on.
• Understand that there’s no point in thinking much too much about things you have no control over
• Find/refine your care/friendship/kindness-circle, and distance yourself emotionally from everyone who isnt in the arena with you.
• Practice observing your emotions and understanding them as opposed to reacting to them.

Love,

Munaf