Steps to self-care

The road to self-love is always going to be long and hard, to many of us, the idea of loving your natural self is hell. With social media and society building this idea that you need make-up, perfect skin and body to be accepted, it’s hard to love yourself without that. Small steps through manifestation, positivity and gratitude can make you feel completely new and to know you no longer need the approval from anyone else but yourself can make you go a long way.

Although I am not perfect myself, I have never felt more confident in my life. It’s taken me some time to get to this point but because I appreciate myself and what surrounds me, I feel like I can be confident enough now to be happy. Here are some steps I took to get to the point I’m at today.

1. Realisation

Realising that you are enough and you can accomplish anything. The sooner you realise yourself this the faster you can appreciate the smaller things in life like small achievements. Realise that no one else’s opinion on you actually matters, apart from your own. Trying to fit into what society wants you to be is unrealistic and impossible, so be yourself!

2. Manifestation

Manifest the good things in life. When you put your mind to something, anything can happen. Manifest positivity, love and hope and when you start feeling this way, good things start to happen and you can clear your mind of a lot of negativity.

3. Baby steps

Don’t expect drastic changes overnight. If ditching make-up and beauty treatments scares you, take small steps instead to appreciate yourself without them. When you take your make-up off, looking closely at the features you love; your eyes, smile, nose, everything. The next day, try avoid putting anything on that one feature as it’s beautiful without it! Soon you will become more comfortable with your natural self. Always look back and remember how far you’ve come, compare yourself to your old self and know that even the smallest changes are the biggest.

4. Appreciation

Everyday write or think about what you appreciate about yourself, even if it’s something small or minor, appreciate it! Celebrate everything you love about yourself and appreciate those who love you for you. Appreciate your life and surroundings, weather that be your job, home, friends, family, etc, be grateful for what you have as gratitude can bring you so much positivity.

5. Always make yourself a priority

You should never feel bad or guilty for doing this, most woman are taught to be the caregiver and to be nice no matter what, screw that. I’m not saying to discard anyone’s feelings but make sure yours comes first, don’t do something for someone else knowing it’ll effect your mental health and wellbeing. If this means cancelling plans to stay in bed or distancing from toxic relationships, if it benefits your state of mind and sets you on the right path, do it!

6. Never put yourself down

The world today can be so harsh and critical, allow yourself to make mistakes and realise you’re only human! Our biggest critics are ourselves, so change that, try only telling yourself positive things.