Ask Others, Trust Yourself by Elisa Balabram

On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your overall love for yourself in this moment?

Your answer is the first number that came to mind. If it was a 10, and you were truly honest with yourself, awesome! Keep doing what you are doing. If you didn’t give yourself a 10, take a closer look and check which aspects of your self and life need most attention. And remind yourself that we are all a work in progress.

I suggest that you consider when you are truly loving yourself, and when you are are not. You can simply ask yourself the questions I raise here, or you could rate your self-love for each bullet point:

• The relationships you surround yourself with – are they mostly enriching or draining your life? If they are draining it, maybe consider doing something about it. – Expressing your needs and setting boundaries are key self-love practices that could start shifting those relationships.

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How was it for you yesterday to focus on being in the moment? Did you have any interesting experiences? Ideally, you would keep practicing it every day.

As today’s self-love practice, ask yourself: How can I nurture my soul? Or what can I do for myself?

Here are a few suggestions:

• Taking one hour lunch break for a change
• Leaving work 15 minutes earlier than usual
• Taking a bath
• Spending quality time with family and/or friends

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Today as you continue to honor yourself and to mindfully engage in self-love, try to practice being in the moment. Every time you can remember, clear your thoughts, let go of the mind chatter, and focus on the task at hand.

You could begin by paying attention as you brush your teeth, and by actually feeling the brush touch the teeth and being aware of the movements you make. The same thing could be applied to getting dressed and preparing breakfast. If you need to walk up or down the stairs, focus on the steps, the body movement, the weight shifting from one foot to the next, the energy within your body, without thinking about where you are going, your next appointment, or what you are going to do later.

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Today as a self-love practice, play! What does play mean to you? Who would you like to play with… your children, your nephews and nieces, your spouse, your friends, your pet? If you are spending the day by yourself, how can you have fun today on your own? Going to the movies; Dancing to songs you love; Singing; Painting; Simply relaxing and being quiet; Riding a bike; Ice skating; Running/Walking; Playing cards; or anything else that brings you joy.

Make a point today to connect and to spend some time present and to play, without checking emails, or texts, simply being present and playing.

And NO, Facebook games like Candy Crush, FarmVille, SongPop, etc, or apps such as Draw Something, DO NOT count!

Add fun and joy to your day. Feel free to post how you chose to play today.

How often do you speak to yourself in a hurtful way? Do you ever stop yourself and make an effort to change your thought pattern? I’m practicing doing so, and I want to recommend that for today’s self-love practice you do the same.

I attended the 6-week Oprah’s Life Class with Brené Brown, in which she discussed a portion of her book: The Gifts of Imperfection and she coached the attendees in creating a journal. Right before the Thanksgiving week, Brené asked the students to only talk to themselves as if they were talking to their best friends.

I like that idea. We are usually our worse critics.

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Yesterday I shared an image of the flowers I bought to celebrate myself, you, and the 30-day self-love challenge. I meant to only buy white roses for the positive vibration and energy it could bring to my place, but when I saw the purple flowers, I was drawn to them, and couldn’t resist.

This morning when I passed by the arrangement I had created, I noticed that within some of the purple flowers, little white flowers were blossoming! You can see the photo within this post. I had no idea that this could happen, and I was pleasantly surprised by this miracle. For today’s self-love practice, stay in the moment, and pay attention to the miracles that may happen around you throughout the day.

Here are some small miracles that happen to me at times, and I am deeply grateful when they do:

• When I run to get to the subway, only for the door to close in front of me, and then the conductor sees me and opens the door for a few seconds, allowing me to get in.
• When a friend, whom I haven’t heard from in a while, calls or sends an email.

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I bought flowers to celebrate the completion of the 30-Day Self-Love challenge!

How are you going to celebrate? Today, choose one of your favorite activities and do it, or choose a treat and buy it for yourself.

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Acknowledge that You Are the Source:

Congratulations on making to day 30 of the self-love challenge! How awesome that you joined me on this journey of self-love. The journey will always continue, as there is so much we can do for ourselves.

Many of the previous 29 self-love challenges I posted, asked you to go within and choose what you needed in each moment, what you most wanted, what you were feeling, or what you could do as a self-love practice. Today’s self-love challenge is for you to go deeper in the knowing that you are the source. You have the answers, the light and the power within yourself to pursue your dreams, to experience joy, to love yourself fully, truthfully and deeply, to create, and to show up authentically and creatively daily.

Invest in Yourself

Today, go back to the challenges in which you had to reflect on your soul’s deepest desires, on your priorities in life, and on your needs and feelings. How can you take a step further? What are the skills, knowledge, and support you still need to make it happen?

The self-love challenge today is for you to invest in yourself. It does not have to be a huge investment, unless that’s what you need at this time. It could be simply buying a book, taking a course to enhance your skills, signing up for therapy, working with a coach,  attending MeetUp events, joining a mastermind program, attending a webinar, and/or hiring someone who can help you achieve your purpose.

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Catherine Storing. Photo Courtesy of Catherine Storing, Confidence Building Coach.

Dress Up!

Today’s self-love challenge is for you to celebrate yourself by dressing up, even if you are working from home.

Make today your day, and wear your favorite outfit, a fancy scarf, a special suit and/or tie, a dress, high heels, or simply wear the jewelry you only wear on really special occasions. If anyone asks why you dressed up, you can say that you felt like it, or you could say that you are celebrating yourself today.  ; )

Feel free to post photos of you dressed up on Facebook, or simply leave a comment here and let us know how you accomplished today’s challenge.

Have fun with it!