You've got the Love Beginners guide to Self - love

Hi I'm Claire 

I'm here to help you on your journey to finding self love . All to often we all tend to neglect ourselves , and put the needs of others before our own , were all guilty of it in one way or another , we all get bogged down with everyday life and if your reading this  then this is your sign ! where your journey to self love begins, putting yourself and your needs first .

A majority of people think that self love is self indulgent and cheesy and at the first mention of self love they twist their faces they think your big headed if you even happen to mention that yes you love yourself . But learning to love yourself is one of the most powerful and important things you can do in life .  Your heart is your biggest power and when you become the source of love in your own life it changes everything . Your health , your happiness  , your relationships your career they will all flourish when you start to love yourself .

We all know that deep down loving yourself is an important part of life but we actually neglect is as we don't know how to do it  .

Self love is not something that happens over night , it needs to be practised and mastered over time , we need to grow a loving  and healthy relationship with ourselves and watch as the magic happens we become our own best friend 

So now your asking ? How do we start this romance ? How do we learn to love ourselves  ( Wow starting to feel like Carrie Bradshaw Lol )  for all you sex in the city fans 

Ways to start practising Self love straight away 

1 . Affirmations 

if your totally new to the practise of self love then start with focusing on yourself .Each morning when you wake take a look in the mirror and no matter how bad you may look or feel about yourself , tell yourself that you are beautiful , your are loved , you are enough , yes you may feel silly looking at yourself saying these things to yourself but believe me when i say that the more you practise it it WORKS !!! . Make it your daily morning routine , write it on your mirror with a bright lipstick to remind yourself each time you look in the mirror or on a sticky note on your laptop 

2. Start a gratitude journal 

its been proven that by just writing down 5 things that your grateful for daily , you can train your brain to be more positive , giving yourself an overall feeling of happiness . Happiness is the key tool when it comes to practising self love as it has us step up in to an attitude of love , gratitude & abundance 

so go buy yourself a note book or journal it doesn't have to be an expensive one just something that your drawn to and at the end of each day for the next 7 days write down all the things that your grateful for and see how good it feel to end your day this way . Or do this on a morning and make it part of your morning  routine , start the day with a positive .

3. Mindfulness ! 

Be aware of what your thinking , feeling and saying as often as you possibly can . When you catch yourself focused on the negatives acknowledge it and turn your focus on to something positive . When you are mindful of your own thoughts , feelings and words you begin to focus on yourself and not on the perception of what other people think of you . 

4. Feed your soul / Inner child  

Have more fun . Make time for fun in your life you'll reduce a lot of unnecessary stress and improve your brain function , go have a good old teary eyed belly laugh and see the benefits of it make sure you do it daily . Reconnect with your inner child get outside in nature , go for walks become curious . Put on your favourite songs and Dance like nobody is watching , sing at the top of your voice express yourself freely and with ease , you wont believe how exhilarated you'll feel afterwards  after all were all  still childlike on the inside 

5. Write a love letter to yourself 

pick up a pen and paper and with the same kindness you would write to your bestie , write a letter to yourself , write about the things that make you happy , things that bring you joy , people that make you happy , what or who inspires you , people in your life that make you happy . Reflect on how your feeling give yourself a pep talk if you feel its needed , write about your dreams and wishes for the future ahead , celebrates your achievements and every little win you may have had , when your done sign the letter off with love , pop it in the post and enjoy reading it when it arrives in the post , if you don't want to post it put it in the back of your journal for days when you need to read it again 

6. Nourish yourself 

Nourishing your body is the most basic form of loving yourself , become more mindful of what you put in your body , give it what it loves nourishment start your day with a nice green smoothie , take time to cook yourself a lovely nutritious meal full of super foods , listen to what your body needs the way we feed ourselves reflects how we love ourselves 

7. Date night 

Take yourself out on a date , if you've never taken yourself out on a date before then now is the time to do it . Taking yourself on a a date is all about spending quality time with yourself and doing something special just for you . its one of the most powerful and fun things to do when it comes to practising self love . By doing this your giving your #self the love and attention you'd normally give to someone else , take yourself for afternoon tea at your favourite place or a spa day or even weekend , you'll come away totally refreshed and buzzing