Ep: #55 - 8 Unexpected Benefits Of Loving Yourself Unconditionally

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Hello Hello Hello and Welcome to episode number 55 of the Wellness 4 Women Show

8 Unexpected Benefits of Loving Yourself Unconditionally This Valentine's Day

Well ladies it is that time of the week again for the Wellness 4 Women Show and this week it is all about LOOOOVE!

Self Looove!!

Valentine's Day is just around the corner as this is being recorded. So tell me in the chat... do you celebrate it with a loved one? or are you a hell no? Or maybe you are a single pringle like me which can bring up its own set of emotions and expectations. Whatever your situation, there is nothing more important than showing yourself some love this Valentine's Day!

I have been really interested this week to see how people were going to celebrate valentines, some were celebrating, some not as they show love all year around, some are with children and one was getting a tattoo. No mention of self-love though and it is so important.

When it comes to loving ourselves unconditionally, it is not always easy.

Self-love is not always easy because it can require stepping out of our comfort zones and putting ourselves first. We often tend to put the needs of others or external pressures before our own needs, which can lead to feelings of guilt and shame.
We can also be overly critical of ourselves, which can make it difficult to show ourselves compassion and unconditional love.

But there are so many unexpected benefits of loving yourself unconditionally and today I want to remind you about 8 unexpected benefits of loving yourself unconditionally as well as some tips and tricks on how to do so with confidence!
Let me know what your take away are from this episode in the Wellness 4 Women Facebook Group? Leave a #gem plus your comment. Likewise got a question the group is the place to be for a private community and support.

My journey of self-love has been a rocky one. When I was younger I never felt like I fitted in. Never really felt like I belonged in any group or setting. Growing up felt like an uphill battle of trying to find acceptance and love for myself. The problem was I was trying to find it externally with friends, boyfriends, teachers, looking to my parents etc. I didn't know any better it was just something I fell into.

This morphed over the years into being fearful of conflict, perfectionism and some people-pleasing tendencies.

It wasn't until my weight loss journey that the idea of self-love really started to take root for me.

After years of searching for it outside of myself, I finally realized that the only place to truly find it was within myself. My journey was not perfect there were plenty of ups and downs along the way not just in weight but with hormones, relationships and of course we had C19 etc.

But what the journey showed me was I didn't have to be perfect. I've been able to get work on accepting my difference and flaws.

I have identified things to offer this world; things that no one else can provide because I am uniquely me just like you are uniquely you and I am fully embracing this and in doing so embrace me!

And I want this for you too.

It all started with mindfulness and life coaching. Taking small steps towards loving myself unconditionally by doing things just for me - showing up for my food plan that day, eating with my physical needs not an emotional one, going on walks, listening to music that made me feel alive and connected, reading books on personal growth and spending time with loved ones.

All these little steps slowly helped build up my self-esteem and confidence levels as I started to see how worthy and capable I actually was.

The more involved I got in enhancing my self-care practices and engaging in activities that brought out the best version of myself, the more peace and joy flowed into my life.

Even when life threw obstacles at me, instead of punishing myself like I used to for not being perfect or comparing myself I worked on overcoming these and continue to work on it. My new inner strength keeps me from crumbling into pieces by reminding me of who I am and all the amazing things I want to do.

So these were my benefits but what could you find? Let's not dilly dally and dive in:

1. Improved Self-Esteem: When you practice self-love, it can improve your self-esteem and help you feel more confident in who you are.

Feeling confident in your own boots you will show up more for yourself in life and weight loss and for those around you as you shine brighter.

When we learn to love ourselves without judgement or criticism we become empowered and motivated to make positive changes in our lives that are beneficial for not only us personally but also those around us and this shows in all we do.

2. More Positive Outlook: Practicing self-love can help you look at the world with a more positive outlook and focus on the good in life.

When we practice self-love and compassion, it helps us to become more mindful of our own needs and feelings. As we acknowledge our desires and feelings, it becomes easier for us to recognize when things don’t feel right. Through this we can better understand our own thought patterns and how these thoughts may be influencing our outlook on life and we can then work those through self-love and compassion techniques to brighten the outlook.

A positive outlook is essential for living a happy, healthy life. This improved level of self-awareness can lead to us taking steps more aligned to our health and well-being goals.

3. Improved Relationships: Practicing self-love can also help improve your interpersonal relationships, as it allows you to better understand your own needs and feelings, as well as those of others.

When we learn to show ourselves compassion, we become more open and accepting of others, allowing us to foster deeper bonds.

Once we understand how to love ourselves, more we can communicate this to others. We can be clearer on our boundaries.

We can also do work around the fact we have no control over the thoughts, feelings, and actions of others only ourselves but in doing this we become better at adjusting our expectations and actions, so that we can work towards understanding others without judgement.

Less judgement of others equals less strife. Less strife happier life.

Not to be confused with people pleasing for the sake of it, boundaries created from self-love and compassion are critical but it can really help sometimes to let go of the small stuff that can sometimes grind the gears as often the only gears being grinding are ours.

This also includes the relationship with ourselves and setting loving boundaries for our health and well-being.

4. Increased Motivation to Achieve Goals: When you love yourself, it gives you extra motivation to achieve your goals because you believe in yourself.

Loving yourself gives you the power to see beyond your challenges and obstacles, believing that anything is possible which is critical to a more joyful life and weight loss process.

It can help push you forward and stay in motion despite any difficult circumstances or setbacks.

As you continuously practice self-love, it can give you the strength to persevere and work towards achieving your goals with more resilience, determination, and passion.

Additionally, self-love helps create a positive environment for personal growth by opening ourselves up to possibilities and allowing us to take steps that we may have previously avoided due to fear or anxiety. With this newfound freedom comes the tremendous potential for success and more joy in the process!

5. Increased Self-Care: Practicing self-love can also lead to increased self-care. When you love and accept yourself, it becomes easier to recognize what you need in order to be healthy and happy.

Taking care of ourselves is just as important as taking care of others, as it prevents us from becoming overwhelmed and burning out. Self-care can come in many forms: it could be something as simple as taking a few moments each day for meditation, or something more involved such as setting aside time to go on a walk. Some thought work such as journalling or a coaching exercise. I am a huge advocate of coming at our challenges with love and care as they are more sustainable in the long run.

Now you might be thinking isn't self-care and self love the same?

There are differences. Self-care is looking after the mind, body and soul whereas Self-Love is involves developing a positive attitude towards yourself, acknowledging and accepting yourself, your strengths and weaknesses, along with understanding your needs. I

They do go hand in hand though and practicing one often leads naturally to practicing the other as well!

6. Increased Productivity: Practicing self-love can give you the energy and focus to tackle your tasks more productively.

How many days have you sat at your desk and wished you weren't there? How many days have you knuckled through because you had to? Maybe it was housework, you do it because you worry what others will think or because you think it needs to be done "just so". But how does that feel?

It feels rubbish. It feels demotivating. You are not going to want to do it.

How is that going to show up? You will be less productive, feel less willing and unmotivated.

There are a lot of 'tough love' mantras out there 'you can do hard', ' just do it', 'go hard or go home', ' swallow the frog' and yes whilst we can do hard and it doesn't mean you shouldn't ever do things you don't 100% like how much better would it feel if we approached it from love.

Having to be at your desk turns into I get to help clients today, I get to earn money to enjoy my life and provide for my family etc. I get to do a good job today because... etc.

When we love ourselves we see the value in taking care of our responsibilities and doing so we can find ways to makes them feel easier. Approaching tasks from self-love makes us more willing to take on the tasks.

What could you try?

How could you reframe something you do

For example, I have a ta-da list instead of a to-do list. I try to plan with love and balance and it feels much more empowering when I do. I call it a ta-da list for example as it is more celebratory and makes me smile.

Maybe instead of swelling the frog, doing the hard thing you say I do these things for me because I know if I do xxx I will feel amazing after.

This means that we can approach our tasks with more energy and focus, knowing that we are taking care of ourselves in the process.

Being more productive is also about slowing down. I am not always great at this but I am getting better, self love is appreciating the need for balance and acknowledging that we need time for play and rest too.

7. Lower Stress Levels: When you love yourself, it can reduce your stress levels and make it easier for you to handle things that come your way.

Stress is a physical and emotional response to a perceived threat. When we feel threatened, our bodies prepare us to either fight or take flight by releasing hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. This “stress response” can be helpful in situations where we need to be alert and focused, but when it’s constantly activated due to prolonged periods of stress, it can be damaging.

When we love ourselves, we create a sense of self-worth and acceptance which helps to reduce our stress levels as we are better able to handle things that come our way. This is because when we practice unconditional self-love, we no longer need to apply judgement or expectations on ourselves which can create an emotional burden.

If you want to grab some stress-busting and awesome ways to show yourself some self-love today, check the link in the description for me NEW free resource. 10 Self Love Exercises For You To Try Today.

8. Happier Life: Finally, loving yourself unconditionally can help lead to a happier life and my favorite way of saying it more joy.

When we love ourselves, it can improve our overall well-being and lead to a happier life. This is because when we show ourselves unconditional love, kindness and compassion, it allows us to be more accepting of our flaws and imperfections.

By doing so, we create an environment where we’re less likely to worry, stress or feel anxious about things that would otherwise make us feel overwhelmed.

Furthermore, when we love ourselves unconditionally, it allows us to find joy in the small things such as spending time with our family and friends or exploring new hobbies.

We can learn to appreciate life more for what it is and enjoy the little moments rather than focus on our shortcomings or the more difficult moments.

We can find MORE JOY!!!

Conclusion

That's it folks.

Valentine's Day is the perfect opportunity to practice self-love and remind ourselves of all the amazing benefits that come with it. From reducing stress levels, improving our overall well being and leading us down a path towards more joy in life - unconditional self love can truly transform how we feel about ourselves and help create an environment where we are more accepting of our flaws and imperfections. Celebrate yourself this Valentine’s day by taking some time out for reflection and appreciation; focus on loving yourself unconditionally instead of worrying or stressing over things that would otherwise make you feel overwhelmed. With a little bit of effort, your attitude will shift from one filled with judgement to one full of acceptance, kindness, compassion – so why not start today?

As usual, want to really make sure you are getting the benefit out of these videos then don't forget to leave your #gems in the Wellness 4 Women Group.

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Categories: : Weight loss