(DailyVibe.com) – Loving ourselves is more easily said than done–especially for anyone who has suffered from low self-esteem or past trauma. While it may take a lifetime of work to truly love ourselves well, cultivating self-love is a practice–and it can be done in 5 minutes or less. Here are five tricks to practice self-love in even the tightest time crunch.
1. Meditation
Meditation has many health benefits. It can even be used as a way to cultivate self-love. Using a guided self-love meditation, we can practice loving ourselves in under five minutes.
2. Affirmations
Scientific studies have shown that practicing self-affirmations can be key to maintaining positive self-worth. Research has also linked the practice of daily affirmations to lower stress levels and higher levels of resiliency. A self-love affirmation doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be as simple as stating: “I am worthy of good things.” Another positive affirmation might be “I am enough.” An even simpler one for promoting self-love could be: “I love myself.”
3. Gratitude
If the practice of gratitude seems too simple to promote self-love, think again. Gratitude has many benefits–including improved psychological health and better self-esteem. Whether we write in a gratitude journal, say “thank you” more often, or just wake up each day and consider something we appreciate, it could help us be more self-loving–and can be done in under five minutes.
4. Grounding
The practice of grounding has been around for ages. Grounding, or connecting to the earth, involves either standing barefoot on the ground or wearing leather rather than rubber-soled shoes to get the full benefits of connecting with the ground and the earth’s energies. For those who are skeptical, research backs up the idea that grounding can contribute to more energy, less anxiety and depression, better sleep, and an overall improved mental health. Taking a few minutes a day to ground ourselves can be a practice in self-love as we do something that promotes better health.
5. Mindfulness
As with meditation, affirmations, gratitude, and grounding, mindfulness offers many scientifically-backed health benefits. To make this practice both simple and efficient, we can put down our phone and tune into our morning cup of coffee–enjoying the scent, the flavor, the feel of our favorite mug in our hands, the sounds of the morning, and the full sensory experience of that first cup of coffee. Substitute tea or your favorite morning beverage if you prefer.
Finding five minutes in the day to focus on what we’re doing can be incredibly self-loving. Instead of rushing through lunch, we can enjoy the taste of our food. Instead of multitasking while speaking to a friend, we can tune into their words. When we stop rushing and start being more present in our bodies, we are self-love in action.
Self-love is a practice–meant to be done again and again whether we love ourselves already or are working on it. With these five tips, we can slip self-love into our schedules, no matter how hectic, and reap the health benefits in the process.
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