Why You Shouldn't Love Yourself Later (+ 10 Actions to Start Now)

I can't believe Thanksgiving is already here! It's crazy how fast this year has gone!

And every year, it comes back to this last month and a half. Family. Togetherness. Celebration. Love.

Wellllll, let's not throw out that last one so lightly. Love for your family and friends is covered, but when it comes to yourself, you might not be so liberal with your affections.

Around this time of year it becomes increasingly apparent just how you feel about yourself. For many of us, food is the first numbing agent we reach for when any kind of stress or emotion threatens to shake us into feeling. With goodies that come but once a year, what better excuse do we have to throw every act of self-care we've worked so hard to establish by the wayside?

And forget working out. I mean, there are gifts to buy, cookies to make, cards to write and parties to get to! There's no time for moving your body.

See how easy it is to argue against your wellbeing?

In this time of celebration, when there are so many opportunities to be grateful, it seems the one thing we can’t add to that list is self-love.

I don’t think we prioritize it highly enough. It’s too easy to negotiate that love away to another sector of our gratitude list. After all, it's the season of giving, not of keeping. We'll get to it one day... right?

Loving yourself should not be left to the list that includes “make a dentist appointment” and “clean out your garage.” It should be up there with “go to work,” “eat food,” “breathe air,” and it should be just as consistent.

And it's not selfish, either. Loving yourself makes you a more present, caring, alive person for others.

You’re here because you’ve opened your eyes to the fact that another way of living is possible. Maybe you identify with the story, maybe you’ve tasted the beginnings of change, maybe you’re just on the brink of even thinking about taking that step.

Wherever you are is perfect. You’re not behind. You’re not lacking crucial information that "they" have.

Give yourself a break. You’re in one of two places: either doing the best you can with what you have, or you have only to make that decision to start doing it. That’s all you can do. You don't have to spend any more of your days "earning" it.

This week when many of us celebrate the American Thanksgiving, use it as an excuse to recycle some of that love you were going to dole out to others right back into your very worthy self.

Eat until you’re full. Allow yourself the delights of the season until you’ve honestly had enough. Breathe between bites. Feel the warmth of the food, of the people, of the season. Experience it.

Move your body because it feels good–because it feels wrong not to. Because you build up energy every day just by being and without an outlet, it morphs you into a being of a different color.

You don't have to "work all that food off," in fact I suggest you put those kinds of thoughts in a little bag and burn them as soon as that Yule Log comes out.

Moving and eating well are acts of self-love, not a punishment.

It doesn’t have to be difficult, this “loving yourself” thing. It’s as simple as deciding you’re through hating yourself and accepting who you are as is.

This season, feel the love. Here are 10 ways to do it starting now:

1. Look in the mirror and find 3 things you love about yourself every morning. They're there.
2. Keep a movement journal. Write down your workouts and how you felt during and after them. Watch how workouts get easier and more fun the more consistent you become.
3. Take 15 full minutes to eat a meal. Put down your fork while you're chewing. Breathe. Drink some water. Pay attention to how it tastes. Try to discern between the ingredients in each bite.
4. Walk outside and notice 3 beautiful things you didn't notice the last time you walked or drove that route.
5. Write down something new that you're grateful for every day. Sit and revel in them for a couple minutes after you're done.
6. Meditate. Even if you hate it. Sit and focus on a self-love mantra for 10 minutes (ex: "I am enough" or "I am radiant").
7. Wear your good clothes to work. Stop saving them for an "occasion." Life is an occasion.
8. Feel your feelings. If you're unhappy, look at the source and take action. If you can't control it, find a way to accept and move forward.
9. Ask for help. There are people in your life who want to be there for you, but you have to let them in.
10. Accept your curves, your birthmarks, your straight hips, your small boobs, your broad shoulders, your athletic thighs, your funky toes, your signs of aging, your awkwardness, your nerdiness, your know-it-all tendencies, your love for K-pop, your everything. It's here. You're in it. You deserve to be happy and loved in every form. No more waiting.

One of those list items will work for you. Take it and use it right now and into the last month of the year. You deserve to give a little love to yourself this season.Stay strong,Amy