Creating space for self-love can be challenging. I talk about a personal experience where I was barely able to make space for self-love in my article, Create Space For Self-Love. But, it’s wholly possible.

If a former hardcore Negative Nancy (me) was able to figure out formulas to let this self-love hype enter my orbit, you can too!

The world needs more love in general, so we can get some real cosmic energy in motion if we all start to love ourselves a little more! 

1. Access What Self-Love Looks Like For You

What are the activities that equal self-love for you?

It could be taking better care of your body through exercise, reading more, easing fears, or to stop trash-talking yourself in your head. Everyone’s self-love journey will look a little different. So it’s perfectly fine if your goals differ from someone else’s.

You do need to find out what makes your being feel like you’re honoring it to the greatest extent that you can. It may require a lot of self-exploration. It would be best if you made an effort to understand what it is that self-love looks like for you. It varies for everybody because we’re all different.

What self-love looks like for me won’t look the same as it will for someone else. What matters most is that you understand what it does mean to you and take those baby steps to allow space for self-love to come into your life.

Peruse my article, Self-Love Is Getting To Know You, where I go into more depth on this theme. 

2. Take Action

Whatever type of action you need to do to get the ball rolling, do it. It could be packing a gym bag the night before and taking it with you to work so you can go straight to the gym or lacing up your shoes to go for a run or walk.

Tying your shoes is kind of a big deal. There’s a reason velcro is a thing, so take those first few steps.

It could also entail cutting up some fresh fruit or produce. Start to cut, and you’ll hopefully forget how much of a chore it can seem to be. 

3. Don’t Make Excuses

It’s dangerously easy to make excuses for yourself. A common one I’ve dealt with myself is an age-old classic, “I’m too tired.” Life is tiring. Your energy levels wax and wane. Fatigue is one hell of an irritant. Push through. Crank up your caffeine. Even staying hydrated by drinking enough water is said to keep your energy levels in check.

Also, make sure you are getting proper nutrition with the right vitamins along with attempting to have a healthy sleep each night.

The bottom line is to quit it with the excuses. Unless you are bedridden with the plague, pooping your brains out, or injured, excuses are still excuses.

If you tell yourself that you don’t have time, that’s a lie. It’s not that you don’t have time, it’s that you’re not willing to make time! 

4. Take Baby Steps to Start Moving 

It’s hard to be motivated all the time and get things in motion. Start small with baby steps. If you have a big goal in mind, it’s perfectly acceptable to start with little, manageable steps. Immediate results aren’t realistic.

A lot of the time, we see a gorgeous finished product. An immaculate and delicious wedding cake didn’t take a day to complete. I’ve never made a wedding cake, but before the cake making starts, the baker and the wedding party need to decide on a lot of factors.

The same idea applies to so many things in life. Baby steps make the process seem much less intimidating.

Those baby steps will get you where you want to go as long as you keep putting one foot in front of the other. 

5. Relax 

It would be best if you relaxed to a certain degree to create space for self-love to come into your life.

You can stop running around like a chicken with their head cut off for a moment or two and take a breath. Come back to your intentions and goals.

Relax. You’re the best, and you can conquer whatever it is your heart desires.

Don’t forget to relax. If you can’t let yourself relax, it will be way too easy for things to spiral out of your control. You don’t want that. If you need to walk away for a quick five minutes to get some fresh air and regroup your thoughts, do that. If you need to take a week or more, that’s okay too. It’s your life.

Find what works! 

6. Be Gentle to Yourself

Part of creating space for self-love also includes being gentle to yourself. We can be our most prominent critics.

We have to be our biggest cheerleaders rather than the latter.

Maybe you didn’t reach a goal by the time frame you wanted, or perhaps your race pace is slower than what you thought it would be by now. Be gentle with yourself.

Instead of criticizing yourself for not meeting your expectations, RELAX, and think about how you can still get there.

Modifications apply to other things outside of yoga poses. You can modify the path to your target and get back on track.

But please be gentle to yourself.

Being too rough will only burn you out much faster than taking a more gentle approach. 

7. Be Kind to Yourself

In addition to being gentle to yourself, being kind is very similar. Think of yourself as your business or fitness coach. You wouldn’t want a coach that isn’t kind.

Therefore, don’t say mean things to yourself in your head about why something may not be going the way you want. Don’t play the blame game here and call yourself names.

You have to be kind to yourself if you’re going to allow more self-love into your world.

The best love relationships grow with plenty of kindness, so do the same for yourself. 

8. Take a Chill Pill

Life requires quite a bit of adulting. However, it’s possible to view it through a more light-hearted lense. I have a knack for blowing things out of proportion, so perhaps you may too.

Once I attempt to step back from my neurosis, I often feel silly. Take things seriously that need to be. But, you don’t have to let those things dictate your mood and turn you into a basketcase.

I’m also not promoting the literal use of a chill pill. What you do is your business, but I was speaking of the chill pill figuratively. 

9. Breathe

Don’t forget to breathe. I’d hope you don’t since you pretty much have to for survival.

Have you ever noticed how your breathing changes when you feel like a blood vessel is going to erupt in your eye or you’re experiencing crippling anxiety?

Breathe and take at least three breaths in and out. Come back to a steady breath, and hopefully, that’s the start of you being able to relax.

10. Focus on Your Goals

Maybe your goal is to love yourself more. If that’s the case, I’m super excited and happy for you! Loving yourself more will create an impenetrable shield around your entire being and make life a little easier to navigate.

Or, perhaps you have a career or fitness goal in mind. Maybe it’s a goal in a relationship. Whatever the case may be, keep the focus on your goals. You will love yourself that much more once you start seeing the results of all your hard work.

Sometimes you may fail, and that’s ok too.

Failure is much better than never trying at all!!!

DO NOT LET FAILURE SWINDLE YOU!

I’m rooting for us!

You might stub your toe a thousand times, but you will also have plenty of power walks in the sun! 

11. Don’t Bully Yourself

Try your absolute hardest to quit bullying yourself, or self-love is going to have a troublesome time entering your being. Quit all those detrimental comments that you fire off at yourself. I’m so this; I’m so that.

The problem with talking to yourself like a bully in your head over and over again is that eventually, you genuinely start to believe whatever bullsh*t that you’re telling yourself.

Instead, say things to yourself like, 

I CAN DO THIS. 

I’M SMART. 

I’M CAPABLE. 

EVERYTHING WILL WORK OUT IN MY FAVOR!

Fake it till you make it! 

I’M AN ENTREPRENEUR. 

I’M STRONG.

I’M WORTHY OF LOVE.

I’M DETERMINED.

Stop it with the horsesh*t bullying comments that you throw at yourself. I mean, for f*cks sake mate!

Encouraging and loving comments need wayyy more attention than a constant cycle of gloomy garbage!

YOU ARE A STAR!

Woooooo hoooooo (insert Blur – Song 2) !!!