Finding Self Love in Quarantine

This is a stressful time in the world. It seems that people are ready to snap at the drop of a hat. I’ve found that although we are distant, our reach through social media can start many arguments. During this time, we should be practicing self love. We can’t always influence people’s opinions, even when they’re hurtful. It’s important to distance yourself from negative attitudes. Put effort into your relationship with yourself. It always seems simple, until we start to focus on it. Here are some of my best tips for practicing self love during quarantine…

• Write Down What You Love About Yourself

Before I go to bed and before I start my day, I write down three things that I love about myself. They can be anything from my intelligence to the fact that I’m healing. These are something you can do for yourself, that can boost your confidence and remind you of how great you are. Everyone can benefit from a little extra love, especially when it’s coming from yourself. 

• Power Pose

When I used to compete in high school, our coaches taught us power poses. They are scientifically proven to boost confidence. When I am down, I’m reminded that I can handle anything. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, type it into google. I’m sure a million things will pop up. If you don’t want to go down that rabbit hole, stand like a superhero when they step onto the scene to save the day.

• Let Go Of Other’s Opinions

This is by far the most difficult. It’s easy to get caught up in what-if’s, especially when there are little distractions. It’s good to accept constructive feedback about yourself. That being said, negative comments shouldn’t be taken as fact. Some people are mean without reason. Let go of other’s opinions and start cultivating your opinion of yourself. Look at how you treat yourself, is it in line with how you believe you should be treated? People will follow your example. Most people tell themselves how stupid or dumb they are throughout the day, I don’t think you’re stupid of dumb. Sure, sometimes we make poor decisions but we can always strive to do better. Chances are, you could benefit from a little more grace.

• Try a Confidence Meditation

I preach meditation for everything. I love it. Confidence meditations are the equivalent of listening to motivational compilations on youtube. They’re built for you to let go and start believing in yourself. Take five to ten minutes out of your day, sit down and listen. You may learn from it. I certainly do. Sometimes it’s difficult to convince yourself and you need outside help, this is a great option. Give it a few tries, if you hate it, no harm done. 

• Notice What You’re Doing Well

For those of you who struggle with anxiety or your image in general you could try focusing on what you do well. Often, we put a lot of focus on what we could be doing better, so pause at least once today and notice what you’re doing well. In this moment, it could be washing your hands for twenty seconds. The topic or activity doesn’t matter. What’s important is shifting your focus. 

This time can feel lonely and isolating. It’s important that we give ourselves grace in this time of intensity. No one has a roadmap for pandemics, if they did I would hope we’d be doing a lot better. Remember, you’re not alone. Reach out to people if you’re struggling. I know that anxiety can be extremely heightened right now. That’s okay. You’re allowed to feel whatever you’re feeling. It’s normal. Take a deep breath, everything will be okay.