Hello Lovely People,

It’s time for this month’s Stories + Spaces and the topic is “Self-Love.” You’ve probably noticed my last few posts have been related to self-love, and I have to be honest, my self-love routine has taken a back seat due to my busy schedule this semester. Over the past few weeks, this lack of self care has begun to catch up with me. I’ve been breaking out every week due to stress, illness is creeping up on me and my sleep schedule is out of whack.

Although I love being busy and investing my time into many things, it catches up to you. Sadly, when we get busy I think the first thing we neglect is ourselves. After constantly breaking out and feeling under the weather, I realized it’s time to take care of myself first.

This post could not have come at a better time! I am working on refocusing my attention and taking care of my well-being. Tessa constructed this post and she asked us three questions.

Why is self-love important?

In my opinion, self-love is important because it gives us confidence and makes us happier. When you look up the definition of self-love, you may see synonyms like conceit or narcissism. I find this to be so disheartening. Self-love should not be looked at as a selfish act. Self-love is not about being too into yourself or being selfish; it’s about taking care of your mind, body and spirit. It’s interest in your own well-being, and is that really narcissistic?

Self-love is important to your health, it promotes good energy and a mindful life. Taking care of yourself is crucial to keeping your passions inspired and keeping your vibes positive. Never look at self-love as something negative or selfish. You can still love yourself and spread love to others. Actually, people who are more confident in themselves, are more likely to be kind to others because they are comfortable with themselves. When you are comfortable with who you are, you don’t worry about what others look like or what they think. It’s freeing!

How I promote self-love in my life?

As I mentioned in the beginning of the post, my self-love routine has been a little off lately. But, since I have been feeling this way, I decided to take a step back and focus on myself more. These are a few of the ways that I take care of my mind and body.

  1. Drink tea: Tea is great for many different things; immune system, energy, skin, etc. Drinking tea is healthy & yummy!
  2.  Lavender essential oil: This has been my go-to for everything. I use this on my breakouts, pillowcase (stress reliever) and in my hair (dry scalp). It is the best thing ever!
  3. Taking a run: When I find the time (and the weather is nice), I love to get outside and run. This relieves my stress and boosts my mood.
  4. Getting my nails done: Lately, I have found getting my nails done really helps boost my confidence. It makes me feel pretty and look professional.
  5. Read positive quotes:  I love finding quotes on Pinterest and sharing them with my girl friends.
  6. Sleep: Sleep is so important to me. It keeps me functioning and it’s important to give your mind a rest.
  7. Taking care of my skin: This has been a never ending battle lately, but I always remove all my makeup and wash my face each night. I like to moisturize my face each night too, especially during the winter months.

This isn’t really a bullet point but just a statement on promoting self-love and that is speaking positively about yourself. When you speak negatively about yourself to others and to yourself, it promotes negativity in your life. Never compare yourself and be confident in who you are.

What I love most about myself?

Who I am and where I come from. A lot of people don’t know that I use to be a tomboy growing up; I raced motorcycles, caught gaint frogs and built forts until I was about 13. People see me as a girly girl and all into fashion, which is partly true, but I come from a lot more than just that. I’d like to thing my life as been on the end of a little crazy but nothing to complain about because I believe it has all made me who I am today.

My past has made me work hard for every single one of my goals, it has taught me to have a kind heart but not to take shit from anyone. I always give people second chances, but never a third. Ambition and passionate are words that describe my attitude toward many things in life. I love that I had the opportunity to grow up playing outdoors, doing ballet and racing dirt bikes, it made me tough. So, what I love most about myself is who I am because of my past and what I’ve become because of it.

Everyday and everything is a lesson, what you learn from it is up to you. You can make it negative or you can make it positive, the choice is yours.

I really enjoyed writing this post, especially during this busy time of my life. It’s always nice to remind yourself that self-love is important. Be sure to check out the other girl’s posts too! I will link their blogs below.

Tessa | Simply Tess

Ally | A Touch of Tulle

Paige | Where the Wildflowers Are

Thank you for reading today! Stay tuned for more posts from PYM. I apologize for only posting once a week sometimes, my schedule is insane and I barely have time for homework. Thank you for sticking around and I hope your week is amazing.

Happy Monday.

xo, Lyss