Self love. I honestly believe that there is no greater gift that you can give yourself. In the past I have battled with body image, self loathing and extremely low self esteem, I think everybody does to one extent or another. Sometimes the most outgoing, seemingly confident people can be really hurting inside, worried what the world thinks of them. 

Here at JoyBear we would like to see everyone discover how to love themselves more, how to be more accepting of their own uniqueness and how to bring more joy into their daily life. For me personally, since I discovered how to accept myself through self love practices and thought work, my life has completely changed for the better. I'm not saying that bad things never happen to me or that I wake up each morning full of radiant positivity and energy, but when I am presented with challenging situations now I am so much better equipped to deal with them. And on the days I do wake up feeling a bit down, I know how to lift my mood and give myself the best chance of a good day. 

Here I would like to share a few of the things that have helped me the most to get you started on your self love journey... 

1. Self love will never be 'done'. It took me a little while to realise this. It certainly gets easier but you need to see it as forming habits and practices that you will use for the rest of your life. Once you have been working at it for a few months I feel like the habits you've been practising start to look after themselves a bit more, but you are trying to undo a lifetime of programming, most of which consisted of the world and media telling you that you are not good enough, so be prepared. The pay off to this hard work is feeling good about yourself and enjoying your life more so for me it is something that I willing to invest my time and energy in.

2. Stop comparing yourself to others. Everybody is unique and on their own path. There is no perfect life/job/body that will make you automatically happy. There is no timescale you are supposed to work to, instead focus on yourself and your journey. One of my favourite podcasts is called Unf*ck Your Brain by Kara Lowentheil, she calls this 'Compare and Despair' and that rings so true with me. Whenever I feel myself slipping into comparisons, I remember that phrase and it serves as a reminder to stop and remember my own uniqueness. I then pick out one thing that I really like about myself and give myself nice big compliment.

3. Start a Self Love List - Make a list of at 10-20 or even 30 things that you love doing. They should be things you can easily do at home and that don't cost lots of money. Treating yourself to a coffee or dinner date can be amazing, but I prefer things that can be done right then and there for this list. The idea is that when you feel down, you have a look at your list and choose one thing to do. This will help you to break the cycle of negative thoughts and to train yourself to be able to lift your mood. Here are some examples from my ever growing list - 
- Spend 30 minutes doodling or sketching
- Face mask
- Put on one of my favourite songs and dance and/or sing along for the full song. Bonus points if you keep going for longer
- 10 minute meditation (I usually use a guided one from Spotify or YouTube)
- Listen to a podcast that you enjoy
- Mirror affirmations
- Write a list of 10 things you are grateful for and why. This is best done with a cup of tea...
- Get on with one of my many unfinished craft projects

I hope this has given you something to think about on your own self love journey. I would love to hear what's on your Self Love List so leave me a comment below...

Stay safe. Have fun. Issy x