You Should Go And Love Yourself

It happens to the best of us. You arise bleary-eyed on a weekday, you’re strolling to work, sitting on the subway, riding the bus – and suddenly you aren’t in love with your life anymore. Maybe you have just exited a shitty relationship, you’ve put on a few holiday pounds, you’re miserable with your career progression, or pretending not to be homesick in a foreign city; whatever your life experience, suddenly what was oh-so-exciting seems drab and uneventful.
The answer? Make a change. To fall in love, people often forget that the first step, {no matter how cliché it sounds}, is loving yourself. When you are the happiest in your own skin and proud of who you are, the right person will fall into your life naturally.

SAY YES

First things first, say yes to everything. The answer is YES, for the invite to the party you definitely don’t know anyone at, the exercise class that is so not you, or the paintball date you would never usually go on – the key to changing things up in your life is becoming a ‘yes’ person. Get out of your comfort zone, you will be surprised what comes your way, and how much you will enjoy experiencing different things. Make a goal to speak to one new person every day, whether that be the man who serves you your coffee or the person you see on the train each morning. You’ll never know unless you give it a go, bright-eyes!

FOCUS ON YOU

Dedicate some time to self-improving your health. Fit bod = fit mind, folks! If you don’t exercise at least three times a week, start! If you do – focus on getting fit, not losing weight. Refrain from jumping on the scales, and think more about how your body feels than how it looks. Is there a 5 mile fun run in a few months? Sign up. Are you feeling stressed at the end of your work day? Try a yoga class. Challenge yourself, but remember to set goals that you know you can achieve.
Get your pamper on. Take some time out of your daily routine to take care of your appearance – book in a weekly manicure, facial or massage. At the end of the day, you need to stop taking your health for granted. Try and monitor what you are consuming on a weekly basis, but save room for dessert! Life is meant to be lived healthily, but there is a line between clean eating and not enjoying your meals. You only live once. Eat the pasta!

GET INSPIRED

Buy some fresh flowers, spend a Sunday in, and read a goddamn book. In today’s very digital age, it is so easy to spend a weekend glued to a screen. Not only does this affect your mindset, it affects your sleep patterns, behavior and lifestyle. Be creative! Go sit in a park and read, join an art class and paint the skyline every fortnight, write in a journal on the beach, or better yet, send your significant other a love letter rather than a text.
I can’t emphasize this one enough: Make travel plans. Try and designate one weekend a month to getting out of the city and visiting somewhere new. Get some fresh air, swim in the ocean, or go for a big hike. Even better? Plan a yearly trip overseas. This will give you something to think about on that boring morning commute, and help you save some cashola too!

VALUE WHO MATTERS

When focusing on what makes your life worth loving, it is essential to sit back and value the people you may take for granted. Your friends, who know you better than most, and your family, the support that will always be there. No matter your circumstances, take time to show them that you care, and spend time with the people that love you. When you are focused on any romantic relationship {at the beginning, mid-way, or the end}, it is easy to forget the people that have been there, and will be there, all along. Accept their help when offered, but most importantly, learn to receive and return love from the people that care about you.

LET IT GO

Stop fighting with the past. No matter who broke your heart, what mistake you made, or what you feel you could have changed, understand your worth and what you deserve. End the relationship that isn’t making you your absolute happiest and QUIT the job that doesn’t fulfill or promise your every ambition. Remember that in life and in love sometimes the best move is to walk away. Know when something isn’t fulfilling you, and move on.
Keep in mind, deciding that you want to better your life and yourself doesn’t mean that you have to change who you are. As corny as it sounds, follow your heart. Who cares what anyone else has to say about your life, or who you should be? Learn to love your edge. Do what makes you happy. Whether that be a person, a job, a move – the point is to look back and have no regrets. You do you!