Finding Myself Through Self-Love & Self Care

For me, self-care and self-love go hand in hand. We cannot have one without the other. We live in a society, a world where self-love and self-care were never taught in schools. As children, many of us were silenced and not allowed to express ourselves with joyous, child-like sincerity. Is it any wonder we often feel unworthy and lose that special I am Enough and I am Special belief? Both are so important to loving and caring for ourselves.

The world has generations of men and women who graduated with high scholastic honors, yet self-love and self-care were lacking in their lives. Our culture believes that to be happy one has to be deemed successful in the eyes of the world. Therefore, we must be strong and stand in our power of Self. When we do not love and care for ourselves, we ignore the most important person. Ourself! We all have deep within us a fountain of self-love waiting to be discovered. Unfortunately, many of us go for years not knowing we are Enough!

We are Special! We Matter! Whitney Houston’s song Endless Love says it all when she belted out the words forever etched in my mind and heart. “The Greatest Love of All is happening to me. I found the greatest love of all inside of me.” Here was a woman who knew her worth and told the world she decided “never to walk in anyone’s shadow.” Wow! Whenever I need a power boost, I listen to that song, and my energy shifts immediately into my warrior self-love, self-care mode. We must all remember that the most intimate lifelong relationship we will have will be with ourselves. Therefore, self-love and self-care are paramount for an amazing, loving, healthy Self.

Below is a simple exercise that profoundly changed the way I saw myself and started my journey to self-love, self-care, self-appreciation, and respect, many, many moons ago.

Self-Love Power Words Exercise I found that powerful words and sentences speak to the heart of our Love of Self. Use them often to remind yourself, I Am Enough! I am Special! This simple method is a great way of speaking with admiration, love, respect, and tenderness to yourself. Below are some suggestions to start. Do add words of love and admiration, that resonates with you. Start with: I am Enough - Magnificent – Loved – Special – Capable. Caring – Worthy – Awesome. Add what is in your heart and by saying it to yourself daily, you will be changing your reality to one of deep self-love and self-care.

You may find it interesting to use a mirror and look into your eyes while speaking words of love and appreciation to your amazing self. It will energetically change your life. Self-Care = Self-Love. Saying words of love to your beautiful, worthy, awesome self is a way of truly honoring who you are. You may want to use Whitney’s words: “The Greatest Love of All is happening to me. I found the greatest love of all inside of me!” Remember to smile while speaking to yourself.

Self-Care is Self-Love: Self-care can be difficult with a young family. When I had a young family and a busy household, it was often difficult to find time for myself. Self-care breaks were far and few between. For my Self-care time, I found a relaxing bath a couple of times a week worked wonders for my mind, body, and spirit. I continue this self-care practice today. It relaxes my mind and closes out my busy day. Some ideas are: A hot bath with Lavender salts and your favorite Essential Oils while listening to calming music. Meditate: There is a wonderful free App called Insight Timer with hundreds of meditations, courses, and teachers that cover every subject matter you could imagine. Twenty minutes on the App nourishes my body, mind, and spirit daily. Exercise. There are daily programs and classes for just about anything that helps the body to keep fit. I take Zumba, Cardio, Bolyx, and Osteo.

Four hours a week and the occasional walk do wonders for my body, mind, and soul. Treat yourself to a Foot Reflexology or a Full Body Massage, both are very relaxing. Self-care and self-love mean, eating right, getting enough sleep at night, and keeping the body, mind, and emotions balanced. If you work on the computer for long hours, you may want to take “mini-breaks”’ to stretch. I like taking a quick walk around the block or a gardening break in the summer. Anything that keeps the body in motion. Remember: Motion is Lotion. Treat yourself to a Facial and watch that glow spread across your beautiful face. Hopefully, those suggestions are helpful. Wishing you much success in your Self-Love and Self-Care Journey. Do feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. I would love to hear what you do for your Self-Love and Self-Care

Sharon de Ryck Sharon deRyck is a Reiki Master, Transformational Mentor, Trauma Release Therapist, Writer, Animal Communicator/Teacher, Meditation Facilitator, Inspirational Speaker and Workshop Presenter. She offers her clients Intuitive Tarot and Soul Readings and is passionate about helping people embrace change to welcome new beginnings.


Website: sharonderyck.com


Email: reikimaster777@rogers.com