14 ways to practice self love.

Go to ‘self love’’ remedy a glass of wine? It’s Friday/ Thursday/ Saturday/Wednesday (delete as appropriate), l deserve a drink. Sound familiar? That was my story.

A treat for a bad day or a good day was a glass of wine. So to begin with when I stopped drinking, and still on occasion now, I was lost. Totally lost with how to show myself love and take care of myself without booze.

My self care routine was alcohol. It was the way I looked after myself and relaxed. Yet booze had stopped working. It didn’t feel good anymore.

Back in December an email from Hip Sobriety (Holly’s mantra project) hit my inbox, it included the mantra “I am the one I’ve been waiting for’.

It blew me wide open. I’d been waiting for something to change or someone to come and help me live differently. Yet it was up to me, not anyone else, to look after myself and part of that was to stop drinking. Holly’s email gave me permission to realise that I could save me, I could look after myself and I didn’t need a reason to practise self love.

I make the decisions in my life: whether to go left or right, or forward or back, to spend the money or not spend it, to drink or not drink.

It’s all me, and it’s days like today, that come on days after yesterday where you – or should I say I – come to realise that I can make my own miracles and tell my own story. Live the life that I want to, ie. save myself and love myself every day.

For the next two weeks, myself & Sasha are running a two week #dailyselflove challenge on Instagram. We are challenging ourselves to take extra care and do (at least) one act of self love everyday until the 24th of February.

It’s day 4 today and to be honest I’ve been getting a bit stuck with how to perform my act of #dailyselflove myself without spending a lot of money on candles. So I sat down and thought about it, wrote a list and below is the outcome.

A lesson to myself: you don’t have to spend a lot of money to take care of yourself and love yourself a little more every day.

Here are some ways to practise self love that don’t break the bank – with a few that do for when you’re feeling a little more flush:

1. Book in for a class. Yoga, Pilates, HITT. Whatever it is that you love & leaves you feeling happy when you walk out the door.
2. Have a long bath. Favourite socks, cup of tea, phone in another room
3. Arrange to meet a friend for a pot of tea. Plenty of bars serve a varied tea menu – you’d be suprised! My favourite place to meet friends in the evening in London is Forge & Co, check out their tea menu here
4. Get home early, put your pjamas on, do nothing but watch TV
5. Listen to your favourite music; the whole album, the whole way through
6. Read a book
7. Take some time out and write in your journal/notebook
8. Sit and listen to a guided meditation, more ideas here
9. Put on a hair mask and paint your nails
10. Delete your social media apps, controversial maybe, but you will gain so much more headspace (I try and do this between 9pm and 8am every day … it doesn’t always happen but I feel refreshed when I make it)
11. Go to a cafe, treat yourself to a coffee and read a book or a magazine
12. Take yourself for a walk and listen to a podcast. Some favourites: Home, OYNB & PanDolly
13. Take a restorative yoga class at home. Fab even if you’re a yoga virgin or think yoga isn’t for you. Restorative yoga is relaxing and very little stress on your body – and you can do it in your pajamas! Try this yoga for relaxation class to get started.
14. Book in for a massage. My favourite way to treat myself (and the only really pricey option) if I know I’m going to have a challenging day or week – gives me something to look forward too & feels properly indulgent.

What are your favourite ways to care for yourself? If you’re looking for more alcohol free inspirations, read my top tips here.

All my love, as always, L xx