I feel like our society puts a big emphasis on the importance of ‘self care’. We are told to make time for ourselves. Time to pamper ourselves and to fill our cup. While I think self care is very important and should be practiced daily, I also feel that the focus should be shifted to the importance of a core base of self love. Self care with the absence of self love is an empty act that will never really fill our emotional and energetic cups. A practice of self love that is routed deep in integrity based self respect practices is the key to finding and sustaining a love of oneself and a love of ones life.

Being a mother of two small children I have days where I feel completely wiped at the end of the day. As mothers we are required to wear many different hats which can lead to the emptying of our energetic cups. It’s actually really an honor though to be able to show up for everyone in such a big way. Even though at times it can seem draining. Still it’s an honor. I’ve realized that there is a difference between rest and that of authentic loving self care in the form of self love. It’s possible to be vastly efficient and then also have room for daily and even moment to moment self love and self care practices. Even if at the end of the day if all there is actually time for is a shower you can still have infused your busy day with self care. The reason for this is that self care is really about practicing self love. The beauty about self love is that it doesn’t have to be a time set aside kind of a thing. Self love can and should be practiced all the time.

Having the time and space to get a massage or go to a yoga class is super fantastic. However self care in the form of self love doesn’t have to be reserved for a time at the end of the day or later in the week. Below are 5 ways to practice self care in the form of self love:

5 Ways Deepen Self Love

Fully Show Up for Every Moment: Showing up and being present is a practice of self love because you allow yourself to fully experience the moment by being THERE for it. The practice of being present is one of the biggest forms of self love. When you allow yourself to be present you are saying no to worry and anxiety and saying yes to receiving the gifts of the present moment. For example, when you are able to be present for your children you can feel a since of amplified love and bond between the two of you. With that high vibrating bond that was created from being fully present with your child then comes a sense of pride. You then can choose to FEEL into this moment and have pride that you are able to fully give yourself to your child in that moment. That’s beautiful act of self love and also soulful self care.

Positive Affirmations: What would you say to your best friend if she asked you how she looked today? You would most likely tell her something like she looks cute in that shirt or that her hair looks nice. Self love is treating yourself with that same love and respect. It’s looking in the mirror and saying “I Love You”, “You are beautiful” and then it’s FEELING those words to be true. This one is tough for many people. I personally work on this everyday. A simple way to start cultivating a habit of positive affirmations is to notice when a negative self thought comes in. Then release the thought without judgement. And replace it with an opposing positive thought. This practice will begin to rewire the way you think about yourself and will have the power to shift your life as you know it. If you believe you are a loving person, you will be loving person and magically your life will be filled with love. Like attracts like and it all starts with you.

Nourish Your Body: Making the simple choice to drink lots of water is a form of self love that shows your body love. When you eat nourishing foods you are choosing to feed your body love in the form of food. You are saying yes to your personal health and wellness. That is self care in the form of self love.

Practice Positive Thoughts: Choosing to have positive thoughts is a form of self love because you are choosing to see the beauty of your life and can therefore tap into a deeper sense of joy. You can be in the midst of a challenging moment and choose to either amplify your stress by focussing on that which you perceive as negative, frustrating what have you. Or you can choose self love in that moment and find the lesson, find the grace, find the humor, the beauty, the goodness. Practicing self love in the form of positive thoughts about the world within and around you leads to a greater awareness of that which is good. This practice will leave you feeling content and at peace with all that is.

Feel Gratitude: Gratitude is self love at it’s finest. Feeling gratitude is so important because it allows you to fully RECEIVE and EXPERIENCE the GIFTS you’ve been given. By choosing to be grateful you are choosing self love. Being grateful sends the energy that you acknowledge a blessing and even more importantly that you receive the blessing. I’ve noticed that when people feel of low self worth they will not allow themselves to feel grateful. The reason for this is that subconsciously they don’t feel worthy of receiving the blessing. Allowing yourself to really feel and embody the gratitude of a blessing sends a message that you are worthy of that blessing. That is self love. As a happy byproduct of allowing yourself to receive your blessings through gratitude you will attract even more blessings and goodness into your life. 

Showing yourself self love is a practice that is woven into every breath of every day. It’s choosing love every time. Love in the form of food/drink. Love in the form of your thoughts. Love in the form of words. Love in the form of gratitude and thereby fully receiving your many blessings. Love in the form of showing up to your life in a real way. It’s choosing to see the love and positivity in and around you always. Self care and self love don’t need to be things that are put on a pedestal or reserved for certain times. It’s not an out of reach sort of a thing. It’s an every breath, every moment choice to choose that which is beautiful, that which is love.

Love & Light, Christina

I love preparing nourishing meals for myself and my family. There is a beauty in cooking in the kitchen with a baby and toddler at your feet. However it can be a challenge to make labor involved meals when watching after the young ones. So I’ve been doing my best to come up with ways to make my life easier in the kitchen while still getting in our home cooked meals. A big batch of roasted vegetables is an easy way to set yourself up for a super low involved 3 or more dinners. I love roasting vegetables because all you have to do is place the cut veggies on a pan, coat them with olive oil, salt, pepper and a squirt of balsamic vinegar. You toss it all together. Then cook them on 450 for about 30 minutes. Stirring once half way through the cooking process. Then boom, they’re done! It’s really that simple. Below are three meals I made from one batch of roasted vegetables. Toss vegetables together with olive oil, salt, paper and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Roast in the oven on 450 degrees for 30 minutes. Tossing once about 15 minutes into cooking. Easy peasy! Roasted veggie tacos. So Good! I am loving the Must B Nutty Almond Flour Tortillas. Roasted vegetable salad on a bed of spinach. Topped with goat cheese, cashews and a honey lemon vinaigrette. Roasted vegetable eggs. Topped with feta cheese and a side of baked sweet potato slices. A quiche or frittata would be nice too.

The beauty of this is that you can get as creative with it as you like. Use whats local and in session and play with combinations of vegetables. The best thing about these big batch roasted vegetables is that they are simple, easy and delicious. Enjoy! xo