5 Radical Ways to Show Yourself Love

Blogger: Elizabeth Kempkes
Blog: Creamy Nougat Lair

• Make a list of the things you love about yourself.  Pick 5 things. . .no, wait. . .10 things that you love about yourself and write them down.  Put your list someplace where you can see it everyday.  I know that for many people it’s hard to even find one thing you love about yourself, but remember, this isn’t about what other people find attractive about you.  What do you find attractive about you?  Try also to find physical characteristics you love not just your sense of humor or intellect (which are important but most women can’t hear enough good things about their bodies).My list goes something like this:

• I love my flexible and expressive hands.
• I love the color of my hair.
• I love the curve between my waist and hips!  It’s totally exaggerated, swooping, and sensual.
• I love my feet (which I didn’t find attractive at all until my first pedicure).
• I love my thick thighs.  They make great substitute drums when the rhythm gets me!
• I love my sense of humor AND the way my body shakes with laughter.
• I love my sparkly brains.
• I love how my eyes change color according to my mood.
• I love my weirdly pointy elbows.
• I love the mole on my face.  It’s so distinctive –I really can’t imagine having it removed anymore.

• Buy yourself flowers.  No, this isn’'t just something desperate single people do.  Buying yourself flowers is an important part of self-care.  Most women take for themselves a fraction of what they give to others.  It’s also an important reminder whenever you see them to take a deep breath, relax, and know you love yourself enough to treat your senses to a riot of blossomy color! (more after the jump)

• Play. I can’t emphasize enough the power of really living in your body.Play is an important tool because, by its very nature, it gets you out of your head and interacting with your body and your senses. Play with your dog, throw a Frisbee, shoot hoops, go roller-skating, take a walk, blow bubbles, frolic, laugh. Just recently, I got some really disappointing news while out with a friend of mine. We were walking to our favorite restaurant and, on our way there, there was a store that had a bubble machine out front! We spent a gleeful couple minutes chasing bubbles and laughing as they burst in our hands. That tiny amount of play got me out of my head where I would have sulked the rest of the night and into my body where life was great despite our bad news!

• Be naked. Well, perhaps I should be more specific. Be naked and do something sensual! I love being naked on freshly washed sheets or curling up like a cat on the patch of sunshine that arrives on summer afternoons on my bed. Other people might take a bath or sunbathe or get a massage! Nothing helps you love yourself more than receiving pleasure just by being.

• Slow down. It is easy to forget to appreciate yourself when you are distracted by modern life whizzing by at breakneck speed. I suggest that at least once a day, do something slowly. That something could be eating a strawberry slowly and really experiencing its sweet zing and freshness. It could be brushing your hair slowly, working the tangles out gently and giving your scalp a massage. It could even be getting dressed slowly, taking your time transitioning to the mundane, workaday world. Show yourself that you are a priority and enjoy the hell out of at least one (slow) thing a day.