Self-love has been a recent buzzword as people are becoming more in tune with themselves and realizing that having individual needs is valid. At this time of a pandemic, many of us were given the chance to slow down and face our challenges head-on. Many of our struggles, especially ones that have to do with emotions, can be addressed by showing ourselves some love and care.
Thanks to the surplus of online tutorials and a bunch of do-it-yourself hacks today, it seems like everything can be self-taught. Can we also just teach ourselves the loving we need?
In an attempt to gain more understanding of the self and earn some self-love, I gifted myself with the book The Year of the Introvert: A Journal of Daily Inspiration for the Inwardly Inclined. The book by professional writer and online entrepreneur Michaela Chung is packed with quotes, insights, and journaling prompts for introverts like me. The writer, who specialized in introversion or the quality of being shy and reserved, takes readers on a year of self-care and introspection.
As I quickly glanced through the pages, I chanced upon a method of learning how to love the self more when the inner critic kicks in and makes us doubt our worth. Whether we are in a relationship or not, we can benefit from these steps which are broken down into L-O-V-E.
Lean back
Assess a situation from a distance. Detach for a bit and give yourself time away from a scenario physically or mentally.
Observe
Watch what is happening without passing judgment. Get in touch with your feelings as well. If you can, label your emotion or describe exactly how you feel. Recognize if there are certain triggers.
Vote for you
The book asks if we quickly start rooting for the opponents when our preferred team in a game begins to lose. Highly unlikely, right? It reminds us to always be on our side no matter what if we want to cultivate a loving attitude toward ourselves. This entails showing compassion for oneself when feeling defeated in life’s game.
Escape
Going outside or engaging in one of our favorite pastimes can help us escape reality. This also allows us to validate our needs and address our wants. Our inner troll is said to be silenced when we find some peace.
With these easily digestible steps comes a powerful journaling prompt on one of the book’s pages: Think back to a time when you were most in love with yourself. The book asks, “Who were your friends, what were your hobbies, and where were you living?”
Replicate the emotion by going back to the situation and recreating even the smallest wins. It may seem like hard work but it will be worth it in the end. As an inspiring woman I know constantly reminds, “The best relationship we will ever have is the one with ourselves.”
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