Self-Care For When You Think You Don't Love Yourself

                        "Take time to do what makes your soul happy" - Unknown

My relationship with myself has been in toxic in the past. I've had my ups and downs. There have been times where I've just self-sabotaged and ignored everything good in my life.

When I was down I refused to see anything positive and thought I didn't have any care for myself. It was later on that I realised that I was in fact taking care of myself in little ways. These little ways came disguised as everyday, mundane tasks but really they were helping me get out of depression.

Here are some of the things I was doing that I didn't recognise as part of my self-care routine:

1). Sleeping for 8 hours: Getting a full 8 hours of sleep. It didn't matter really what time I slept, I still maintained exactly 8 hours of sleep. I didn't sleep less or more. Unknowingly I was ensuring that my experienced a good quality of sleep.

2). Waking Up: Ahhh, to experience the beginning of a new day. Waking up is a choice sometimes, only because you could also choose to stay in bed and keep sleeping.  This choice can cause one to become more optimistic and begin to see positivity in the mundane. For me, I only looked forward to a new sunrise. It was something that made me feel happier and I realised had something to look forward to.

3). Completing Chores: Now look, I know that not everybody enjoys doing the dishes, but if you pop on a show at the same time or music it really helps you get immersed and before you know it, the whole house is sparkling clean.

4). Getting ready: It doesn't have to be everyday, but making the active decision to get dressed, do your skincare and even some makeup is a great way to take care of your health. It ensures that you're clean and prepped for activities. Whenever I felt low, just getting ready was something that lifted me up. I was ready to face my challenges and be kinder to myself. 

5). Food: Eating is caring for your body. Yes I delved into binge eating when I was at my lowest, however it was also one of the things that helped me come back to myself and thus I made the decision to watch what I eat and care for myself. There are so many delicious dishes that are healthy! I love knowing that. 

6). Movies/TV show: People often disagree with this one, however I believe that there are tv shows that can touch your heart and motivate you in ways that you could never imagine. 'Cobra Kai' and 'Stranger Things' are both shows that helped me have faith in humanity. They really made me appreciate everyone in my life.

7). Talking to  Friends and Family: I often take those dear to me for granted. It was when I was depressed I found that there is no greater love than when a friend checks up on you. I really didn't realise that sharing the tiniest details allows people to care for you, to look out for you. It was a blessing to be able to feel the love from the people around me.

I hope that these things can remind you of the great things in life. Also, let me know if without knowing you've been performing these self-care tasks, because I sure as hell didn't know.
Self-care is anything you do to take care of yourself. It doesn't have to just be exercise and skincare. It's so much more complex than that. 
And if you're feeling low or hav any self-resentment, please talk to someone and PLEASE be kind to yourself. If you're not doing anything to care for yourself, then maybe this list can be something to guide you. Whatever situation you may be in, never forget to take care of yourself.

Love,
Imaan xx