Loving Yourself – One Step at a Time

Are you in love with yourself?

For years it felt uncomfortable for me to pause and look inward, to contemplate and investigate loving myself. I found it easier to love others, easier to put myself last and to prioritize other’s feelings and needs above mine.

But then I realized, I spend more time with myself than with anyone else! Why is it so difficult to embrace who I am, the gifts I bring to the world, all the wonderful things that make me….me! It sounds easy, but it involves introspection, contemplation, healing and is a journey.

It can seem selfish, to put ourselves first. But, we will spend our entire lives with our selves so we are worth the effort to get to know ourselves better, to return to our innate wholeness and to be compassionate with ourselves.

One step at a time, one practice at a time, we can become our own friend. There are many ways I have chosen to work on loving myself, with compassion and deep awareness, this is a journey we can all undertake.

I invite you to see if any speak to you..

• Be Present

  • Mindful practices, and in particular Meditation, changes our relationship with the noise and busyness. Through opening space to truly let ourselves be heard, we can begin the journey of self-awareness.

• Get to know ourselves better

  • There are many ways to get to know ourselves better. Meditation, journal prompts, workshops, healing modalities, are all avenues to find what brings us joy as well as what breaks our heart.

• Forgive ourselves

  • For me, this is always a work in progress! Accepting decisions we have made, or actions we have taken with deep self-compassion is the first step. While often difficult to face what we may have done, it is also an opportunity learn and grow.

• Follow our intuition, our inner guidance

  • We are all energetic, spiritual beings with intuitive powers. Learning to tune into that guidance, however it shows up for us, can lead us to breakthroughs and authentic choices.

• Set Boundaries with others

  • Learning to recognize when our actions and activities are not in alignment with our needs, and setting boundaries that honor ourselves is one step at a time! Start simple and allow boundaries to emerge with ease.

• Feel our feelings, name them

  • Love! Anger! Sadness! Disappointment! All valid feelings and emotions that we feel. Learning to feel those feelings without judgement and with self-compassion are a integral step to not only learning about ourselves, but to return to our innate wholeness

• Start each morning , and end each day, with a simple gratitude practice

  • Start simple! As easy as….another day that I am on this earth, with a roof over my head and food to eat. Bringing our awareness to what we may take for granted helps us learn what truly matters.

• Pause….breathe….

  • Ah, the breath! Take a deep breath….exhale with a loud sigh! Take the opportunity to pause for a minute and just delight in the wonder of breathing. Create a pause in your day to come into the moment and interrupt the cycle of being in the past…or worrying about the future. Just connect with what is happening for you right now.

• Surround yourself with supportive, loving friends

  • Our lives are built on connection. Tuning into nurturing a supporting, loving circle of friends who cheer us on when things are going well, and support us in times of need can be easy…and it can be difficult. We have all had seasons in our lives where friends fall away as we make space for new friends and energies.

• Reconnect with your inner child, play!

  • My personal favorite, reconnecting with what brought me joy as a child has opened me up to all sorts of inner wisdom. Why did I stop engaging in those joyful pursuits? How do I bring a bit of that joy every day….and how have I kept those interests alive in simple ways all these years….give yourself permission to play!

This list is just the beginning! Through my workshops, virtual spiritual guidance sessions, and modalities such as Cosmic Smashbooking, I companion my clients on their spiritual journey of self-discovery. With over 40 years of corporate experience, combined with my own personal spiritual journey, I am uniquely qualified to companion those who are returning to wholeness, seeking to know their true divine nature and live their authentic soul essence.