Self-Love: your blueprint for all other relationships
We tend to relate to each other based on our prior love experiences. We love the way we have been loved. Which can be really hard if your prior relationships (family, friends, romantic, etc.) have been dysfunctional.
THE BLUEPRINT
The great news, though, is that you have the power to interrupt old patterns that are no longer serving you. YOU get to choose the blueprint you want to use for all your relationships moving forward. When you turn your attention inward toward Self-Love, you’ll find a fully stocked “love studio” in which to design and experiment with your new blueprint for love.
How you want love to look and feel in your life?
Whatever experiences you’re craving from another, you can start by giving them to yourself. For example…
Do you long to feel loved and accepted for who you are?
You absolutely deserve this! Ask yourself what physical sensations or actions would help you receive this kind of love and acceptance? Does it sound dreamy to have someone hug you after a long day, hold you for a few minutes and let you know they adore you?
Start creating your blueprint: Give yourself 10 hugs today. Let yourself take time to truly hold yourself and savor the love connection that is there for you. This is a physical and emotional experience that will actually change your biochemistry.
Do you wish you had someone in your life who would celebrate you and cheer you on?
Someone who always shows up for you, someone who truly roots for you? Great, you can have that!
Start creating your blueprint: Ask yourself what words would help you feel celebrated and encouraged. Then actually say those words to yourself. You can say them out loud, in a journal, in cards you write to yourself, or notes you hang on your bathroom mirror. When you lay the groundwork for the encouraging words you love to hear, it will be much easier for them to come to you from the outside later on.
Do you yearn for deep connection with a loved one who is curious about what lights you up?
Ooooh, yes, this is a beautiful desire, and it starts right inside your own heart.
Start creating your blueprint: Ask yourself how you can start to honor your own joy and pleasure? Is it a warm and welcoming home space that celebrates your unique vibes? Ok, take an afternoon and intentionally create a space in your home that honors books, pictures or objects that light YOU up. Maybe include notecards where you write your encouraging words from above, and a candle you light each day to connect with your sweet inner self.
JUST FOR YOU, BUT ALSO BONUSES
Self-love is a worthy and beautiful practice just for its own sake. You get to take it wherever you go, so it enriches every part of your life. When we claim this responsibility to love our Self, we are actively choosing how we think and feel about ourselves.
The bonus is that as we create this new relationship with our Self, it will serve as a blueprint for how we will love others (and how they will love us).
KEEP PRACTICING
Just like any relationship, Self-Love isn’t just a one-time brainstorming exercise. It’s a practice. It’s a daily devotion to this new way of relating to yourself. When you continue to deepen your practice, over months and years, there’s an integrity that grows and starts to shine through. Then, everywhere you go, you are radiating your own unique signal of love. Who knows what this signal will attract!