19. Self-Love Re-Visited

I often wonder what you, my readers, would most want me to write about, and I got an answer from a friend at Church who follows my blog.  She said she would really like to read more about self-love here.  So I am taking some minutes out of my day to write on this subject again.  It is one that I feel most strongly about.

When I get up in the morning and I feel the slightest bit of depression or gloom  I know what I need to do for myself …. heart-centred meditation with Sarah Blondin (who can be found on Insight Timer app).  In her meditations she teaches me to be open to facing every one of my emotions, however difficult they may be, and to go inward to face each and lovingly hold space for them and then let them drift away.  That is exactly what I did this morning after waking up feeling gloomy and anxious …  I meditated with Sarah Blondin’s ‘Your Seed Of Softness’ guided meditation and faced my frayed-at-the-edges heart; my stressed, worried and irritated heart.  I held my hand over my heart space and spoke lovingly to my heart.  And as if by magic, my difficult emotions have drifted away and now I feel light and bright and eager to live the rest of the day.  

My morning meditation is one very important act of self-love which I gave myself today, which softens my heart and helps me deal with difficult emotions rather than ignoring them and causing yet more depression.

When I feel gloomy, worried or depressed, I try to ask myself inwardly “What do I really need right now?”  And I find a way to give that to myself.  And it usually is love, love for the hard places that I don’t want to look at inside of me, love for my irritated and worried soul, or love for my disappointed heart.

Often, we may try to look to others to give us the unconditional love we so dearly want and need for ourselves, when in fact what we really are needing is our own self-love, self-acceptance, self-compassion, especially when feeling down or depressed.

Now you may have tried meditation and feel it is not for you, and may have other ideas for self-love, as I listed in blog post number 3. Self-Care.  I, for one, definitely enjoy a good walk in nature, expressing my thoughts and feelings in a journal and taking the time to cook and eat a nourishing meal, and these are needed especially when I am stressed.  

I wish you well as you discover your self-love “go-to’s”.