realizations on practicing self-love

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Last week, one of my professors did a really cool thing. No, she didn't give us extra credit; she gave us a gift.

The gift of inspiration.

I'm not sure whether she noticed the energy in our class was lacking, or if her intuition told her we were in desperate need of motivation since final exams are quickly approaching...

But she gave us exactly what we needed.

At the beginning of class I had a group project to present, and O.M.G. was I nervous. It ended up going better than expected, and my classmates all reacted to our presentation positively, but I was still super anxious even after I finished presenting. Once class ended, I assumed our professor was going to release us, as per usual, but instead she walked around the room with a stack of cards. Confused, we each chose a card as she passed by. On each card was a positive affirmation, as well as a meditation on the flip-side.

'I AM good enough.'

On the back, there was more writing.

'There is no need to struggle to be better.'

'No need? Personal growth is so important!' I thought. But I read on.

'All I need to do is love myself more today than yesterday...'

'I already love myself, this is irrelevant advice,' I argued.

'...and treat myself as someone who is deeply loved.'

'Hmm. That's interesting actually,' I began to wonder.

I sat with this for a couple moments, trying to decipher how in the world I could apply this to my life.

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After a while, this meditation forced me to come to terms with something.

I've always stressed the importance of self-care, but I'm having some difficulty actually enacting it in my daily life. Practicing what I preach isn't easy.

Self-love is tricky — it isn't just a state of mind, y'all. Self-love is a way of life, a physical practice, a political statement. Adopting a mindset of self-love is the first step...but the next step is to create routines & habits which turn self-love into action. A mindset of self-love should be converted into daily physical practices.

But as a college student, that's the last thing on my mind, and quite frankly, if self-care is on the backburner for you too... I don't blame ya.

I'm constantly busy with classes and extracurricular activities. Anyone who works and/or goes to college knows it's tough to carve out time for self-care. Every. Single. Day. We live in a capitalist society where productivity is vital — nobody can afford to slow down. Nobody's got the time.

But anyway. My point?

This meditation card helped me realize something about self-care. It doesn't have to mean baking cookies or doing a facemask every night. It can be as simple as incorporating one small thing into your daily routine that you already have to make time for anyway.

Self-love simply requires caring for yourself in small yet impactful ways. "Self-care rituals" shouldn't prevent you from being productive. They should actually propel you forward & prepare you for success, not distract you from important obligations. The act of self-love encompasses working hard to achieve your goals, while simultaneously giving yourself grace, and taking care of yourself to promote your overall wellbeing.

If you're like me and you feel as if you're running on fumes just trying to get through the week, maybe it's worth placing more importance on small acts of self-love to boost your energy & motivation levels.

Vow to love yourself a little more today than you did yesterday.

And then do it.

The act of deeply loving yourself will fuel all aspects of your life. It will propel you forward. Struggling — on the other hand — will not.

Treat yourself with deep love like you deserve so that your mind, body, and soul will reap the benefits. You will feel nourished & prepared to tackle anything life throws your way ☺

Stay tuned — I'll be sharing a list of ways you can start nourishing your mind, body, & soul!

Until next time -

♥, CAROLINE

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