Strangely enough, one of the biggest things motherhood taught me is the importance of self-love.
It’s easy to forget self-love
Life is such a crazy ride and the days can flow into each other like a roller coaster ride of chaos. I find that sometimes when you are trying to attend to all the smaller particles of your day, solving all those little problems and puzzles, attending to the mundane daily chores that make up your day, looking after your people, making sure that everything is done … it’s easy to forget self-love.
You can’t look after other people or things if you are not loving yourself, taking the time to do the little things that make you whole.
Self-love, real self-love is for you, your mind, your body, your soul
The way I see self-love is not in a narcissistic way, but merely in looking after yourself, your mind, your body, and your soul. It is taking the time to grab your yoga mat and invest in yourself instead of playing a stupid game on your phone or checking mindless Facebook updates. As amusing and interesting as these might be, sometimes they steal time away from what is really important. When you are in the shops getting little things for your favourites, get the damn shirt. Don’t put it down and get something for one of the kids.
Take a slow walk in the garden in the early evening, breathe in the fresh air and tantalise your senses with the beautiful colours, scents and sounds. Get that new haircut; a change is as good as a holiday. Paint all your toe nails different colours, use some sparkly pink eye shadow. Ditch that chocolate and rather cut some fresh watermelon. Put your phone down, Instagram can wait – rather read that book you have been dying to start. When you walk past your cats, take five minutes to cuddle them and love them, the washing can wait.
It’s often the smallest gestures that feed your soul
Really, it’s all these little things, these little gestures from you to you that feed your soul. Little reminders that you are important too. When your inner self is in balance, it has a rippling effect to all other aspects of your life … to all the people in your life.
So love yourself more … in all the little things you do.
