Love Thy Selfie

On the outside of my closet door, I have what is called a Vision Board.  It’s a collection of pictures and phrases that I’ve cut out from magazines. These cut outs consist of phrases, future goals, places I want to travel, or things that I desire. One of the phrases taped up amongst my cut outs is “Love thy selfie”. No, it doesn’t mean I love all those “selfie” pictures I post on my Instagram or Facebook. To me, it’s learning to love, to be kind, and to take care of myself.

Loving yourself is often misunderstood as being selfish, arrogant, and to put it bluntly, when done wrong comes across as douche-like. Pardon my French.

Self-love can easily become a topic of controversy, especially in this day and age where being conceited and self-centered is all over social media and is promoted by celebrities and icons.

However, to love yourself is a completely necessary thing for living a happy and fulfilling life. For those of you who know me, you may know I am or was a “people pleaser.” I believed being a “people pleaser” was a good thing, and that making everyone else happy was the right thing to do and took priority over my needs and self-care.

The more I have learned to take care of myself, the less I am concerned with pleasing other people in exchange for my own expense or happiness. It has been a long road of learning and often feeling guilty as I have learned this life lesson. It felt unnatural to put my needs before others. Yet the surprising thing I have found is when I decided to start taking care of me, I became a happier, more positive person, and guess what? I’ve probably been even nicer to others and perhaps a better mom and friend.

I recently saw a girl post about how she got her nails done for the first time, was getting her hair done at a salon, and got a massage to boot. She said she felt so guilty for giving herself that time and self-love. I commented on her post and told her it was awesome she was treating herself and that she was very deserving.

You should never feel guilty for taking time to yourself!

A perfect example of this is working out, if getting to the gym is your only “me time” by gosh make it happen!  Do something that allows you to reboot and refocus.

This past week I’ve had a chance to refocus and take some quality time to myself. I’ve spent a good amount of time running to the gym and getting in some sweet workouts. Other times I’ve just sat around reading, writing and brainstorming goals and future aspirations. It’s amazing how a simple reset, such as giving yourself quality time, can be uplifting and help you to feel better about yourself.

Find simple ways this week to love thy selfie!