Radiate Confidence: Embracing Self-Love on Your Journey to Inner Strength
- Alexina Nicholls
- Jun 11, 2024
- 5 min read
Embark on a path of self-discovery and empowerment as we explore the transformative power of self-love. Unravel the layers of inner confidence, embracing your true essence. Discover practical steps to cultivate self-love and radiate confidence from within.
Are you your biggest hater?
Not letting yourself be fully immersed in an experience because of the hate you are putting on yourself?
Slating the way you look? Putting yourself down, questioning what others may think of you?
Not wearing that bikini or outfit, because of stretch marks, cellulite, judgement on yourself?
Here are some points to consider if you find yourself engaging in negative self-talk:
Question yourself, would you speak to a friend the way you speak to yourself? I know you wouldn't. So remember, you deserve to treat yourself with the same compassion and positivity you show to others.
Practice positive affirmations. Recognise the impact of your words. What you say to yourself will impact every area of your life.
Challenge your negative beliefs. Becoming aware of how your negative self-talk affects your overall well-being will improve your self-esteem, confidence, and mental health. By questioning and reframing those thoughts, you can create a more positive mindset.
Recognise your qualities. Focus on your unique strengths, talents, and qualities. Remind yourself of the value you bring beyond your physical appearance.
Celebrate your achievements, no matter how small. Focus on your own journey ahead and the goals you are going to achieve by BEING YOU!
Be gentle with yourself during times of difficulty. Remind yourself that you are a human being and feeling less than 100% is perfectly normal.
Surround yourself with positive influences. The friends that will show you love no matter what you may be feeling. Unfollow accounts on social media that make you feel less than you are. Follow accounts that you can genuinely relate with - not a wish to be them or want for the material things in life - the genuine, wholesome accounts. Engage in supportive communities that uplift and empower women. Surrounding yourself with positivity can help reshape your mindset.
It takes time to change negative self-talk patterns. You have to be patient with yourself and consistently make yourself a focus. Showing yourself the love you want from the people around you, speaking to yourself kindly, taking care of your body and nurturing your mind.
When you have this shift of focus so much will be drawn into your life. As they say ‘where energy goes, energy flows’.
You will gain the energy to believe in your dreams
You will have the drive to completed tasks that were being putting off
You will have a greater connection with your intuition
You will be able to make decisions based off of the clarity in your mind
You will be able to have an enhanced feeling and understanding of the energies around you
So act in a way that you love because this will make loving yourself a hell of a lot easier and the people around you will find it easier to love you too.
Self-love Suggestions:
Go on a solo relaxing break
Meet up with a friend that makes you feel FABULOUS
Listen to energetic music while making yourself your favourite meal
Give yourself the pampering that makes you feel yourself
Write a list of actions steps forward to make productive and positive change (even if that is just a shopping list to begin with)
Journal thoughts, feelings and vision forward
Show compassion to not expect yourself to go back to a normal routine straight away
Communicate with your support network on how you are feeling and how they can support you
Give yourself time to be proud of how far you have come to get yourself to here, acknowledging your strength and what you are capable of
A walk in nature a day
Saying this you can do all the self-love practice but if you aren’t changing anything nothing will change the way you feel. There are two different types of showing yourself self-love and one that isn’t spoken about as often. Why isn’t it spoken about? Because it is hard.
Surface level self-love is amazing, it gives you a boost of energy and can realign your thoughts and feelings in that moment but the important aspect of self-love that people blanket over because like I said it can be hard, are the deeper rituals of self-love! The rituals that will genuinely change your life to regain self-worth, energy and will allow you to have balance in your life so you don’t have to keep looking for quick boosts of energy from the surface level self-love activities.
Use the boost of energy you get from the surface level activities to focus on the rituals of self-love and watch your life flourish…
Here are some of the rituals for you to give a go:
Set boundaries, allowing you to focus on the people and things that matter the most to you
Take care of your body, prioritise 8 hrs sleep, 1 exercise/walk a day, eat nutritious whole foods
Cleanse your environment, clean your home, organise your meals, write a to do list
Heal your emotions, allow yourself to feel the emotions you are experiencing, share your thoughts with loved ones
Which ritual do you need to focus on to say hello to empowerment?
Saying hello to empowerment will help you say goodbye to anxiety!
I think we are all wanting the same thing when it comes to the feeling of being anxious… It isn’t a nice emotion to feel even though it is what keeps us safe! If you are with me on this, here is a self-love activity I want want to invite you to do!
Think of the connection that makes you feel; scared, threatened, unloved, unseen, unheard.
Write down the person, emotions they make you feel and how the emotions make you feel.
Ask yourself if what you have written is true? If it is can you change it? If you can’t you know you will have to let it go…
Once you know this you will have built confidence in yourself and your steps forward to validate the feelings and thoughts you are having. Even if it is the smallest amount, there will always be a lift of confidence. From here you will be able to act with more understanding, clarity and vulnerability.
This next part you will have to trust me…
Ask that person for honesty.
I 100% guarantee they will give it to you. (Because even no response is a response.)
Once you have the honesty you were looking for, sit with it, acknowledge it, welcome the feelings that your understanding brings, accept your thoughts and feelings and then allow yourself to let go.
Thinking of the cause of the anxiety, journalling your feelings and thoughts, building confidence, being understanding and vulnerable, gaining clarity, being honest, letting go and healing, all takes time. Be kind to yourself through the journey, allow yourself to feel to heal.
The reason I talk about this topic when it comes to self-love is because a lot of our thoughts, how we speak to ourselves and the hate/pain we cause ourselves come from the anxiety we can avoid.
Help yourself to feel more love by first of all showing yourself love.
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