We all know the 5 love languages, right? Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, and Physical Touch. But what about the 5 self-care love languages? I'm talking about the things we can do for ourselves to show ourselves a little love. Here are the 5 self-care love languages and how you can practice them monthly.
Words of Affirmation: Write yourself a love letter. Seriously. Get out a piece of paper and a pen and write yourself a letter expressing all the things you love about yourself. Include things like "You're an amazing mother," "You're so beautiful," "You're so smart," and "You're such a hard worker." Whatever you want to say to yourself, say it in this letter. Then, read it to yourself every day. You'll be surprised at how good it feels to hear those words coming from your own mouth.
Acts of Service: Give yourself a break! If there's something you really don't want to do, outsource it or just don't do it at all. Sometimes, the best act of service we can do for ourselves is to just let things go.
Receiving Gifts: Buy yourself something special that you've been wanting but haven't allowed yourself to get. It doesn't have to be expensive; it could be something as simple as a new book or a new pair of earrings. Just make sure it's something that brings you joy.
Quality Time: Take some time for yourself every day to just relax and do nothing. This is probably my favorite self-care activity because it's so easy to do but so hard to find the time for. Set aside 20 minutes every day to just sit in silence and do nothing. You can meditate, pray, or just breathe deeply and clear your mind. It's amazing how refreshed you'll feel after just 20 minutes of quality time with yourself.
Physical Touch: Give yourself a hug! It sounds silly, but sometimes we forget to show ourselves physical affection. So when you're feeling down or stressed out, give yourself a big ol' hug and tell yourself everything is going to be okay.
Self-care is so important but it's often one of the first things to go when we get busy. If you're struggling to find time for self-care, try incorporating some of these self-care love languages into your monthly routine. A little bit of self-love goes a long way!