HOW SELF LOVE PROMOTES BETTER HEALTH
With Valentine's Day around the corner, you may be bombarded with advertising and promotions with gift-centered romance themes. I’m not much of a romantic, but I am all about love. It’s impossible to fully love another unless we love ourselves. This is the main reason why I feel Valentine's Day is an added reason to reflect on self-love.
Self-love may seem selfish to some, but by filling up your own cup of love, it becomes effortless to share your love and attention with everyone else around you. There is no better way to foster love than by taking moments out of the day to mindfully breathe, turn attention within, and recenter thoughts onto feelings of gratitude for all that we have. This could be in the form of meditation, writing in a gratitude journal, while stretching, or simply spending quiet time alone focusing on the things we love about ourselves, our family, and those we encounter. Essentially, no distractions. No phones or TVs, just experience sweet solitude and silence.
Gratitude = Peace, Acceptance, Oneness, and of course, Love.
This daily gratitude practice is all the more powerful when accompanied by an aroma that brings you joy and comfort.
Our sense of smell is one of the most powerful tools we can use to encourage love, intimacy, and opening up the heart. Just by inhaling essential oils, you make an immediate connection with your limbic system which governs the regions related to emotions and memories.
Whether you are looking to release negative self-talk, have more emotional balance, or ignite your sensual spirit, you can use a therapeutic essential oil from the list below to encourage self-love.
Essential oils also help keep us present. So when stress and worries get the best of you, turn to one of these essential oils to help refocus your attention which will allow more space for inner stillness.
Stress and unhappiness often arise when we are focusing on the things we don’t have or putting blame on someone or something else outside of us. Take your power back. The more we choose to look for things we are grateful for, the more ease and comfort we have in our mind and heart.
If you are in a relationship, make mental notes daily of the things you love about the person you're with. Verbally express them. Make them know you are grateful for their presence and actions. The more you share your gratitudes of the simple things like taking out the trash, making coffee in the morning, or making the bed, the more you encourage them to take these loving actions. Of course, be sure to return the favors!
If you are feeling lonely, turn this feeling into all-empowered Aloneness. Aloneness is the opposite of codependence. It’s knowing you are whole and complete exactly where you are. The more you love yourself, the more others will love to be around you! Embracing aloneness is a state of being while feeling lonely is an emotion. According to numerous studies, “people who set aside time to be alone tend to be happier. They report better life satisfaction and lower levels of stress. They are less likely to have depression.”*1
Key takeaways, coupled or not, spending quality time alone, even for a few minutes a day, to focus on the various aspects of life to be grateful for, not only gives you more peace of mind and less stress, it encourages love on all levels. Using therapeutic essential oils coupled with a daily gratitude practice amplifies and supports mental and emotional health which in turn amplifies self-love.
May your heart overflow with love today and every day,
Rachel
Resources
*1 - Amy Morin. 2023 5-ways-solitude-can-make-you-more-successful-backed-by-science