Self love is an absolutely crucial piece of the puzzle for the healing journey. We could take thousands of dollars of supplements, be drinking the highest quality juices, & taking the best superfoods but it really doesn't matter if we are doing everything from a place of stress. The best foundation for the healing journey is to cultivate a practice of self-love. This love is not an ego-type love, where you love yourself because of some sort of features or accomplishments. This is deep, soul, and heart-based love - the type of love that the universe is made of. The type of love that YOU are made of.
First when you begin a self-love practice, especially if you are experiencing chronic illness, you will only experience this love as a thought. We can give love to our dogs, to our friends, to our families, but somehow the hardest person to give love to is ourselves. So while it will start as a thought and as words, it will eventually progress into the feeling. There is a "fake it until you make it" attitude that needs to be adopted here. Eventually, after enough "carvings" in the love direction, you will start feeling it!
Two of the best methods for self love are:
1. 7 minute I love you meditation. This consists of sitting down for 7 minutes (while listening to some binaural beats or soothing meditation track) and just repeating "I love you (insert name) to yourself.
2. Staring deep in your eyes in the mirror and repeating "I love you." Talking to yourself from a place of love and acceptance while staring at the blacks of your eyes is super powerful and a truly lifechanging practice!
Forget self help! Forget motivational videos! LOVE YOURSELF everyday and watch as the world transforms around you.
The 2nd practice was one of my anchors as I went through a 3.5 year ordeal with severe mercury toxicity, severe depression, and severe panic attacks. It was my grounding rod, and I don't know if I would be alive had I not religiously practiced this.
LOVE YOURSELF LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT. IT DOES!