How to love yourself MORE—

Be your own biggest cheerleader, you need your support.

I’ve trained myself now to notice when a thought or feeling has kinda been bothering me, and that's my cue to make time for myself. To hold space for the part of me that is feeling that way, AND the part of me that is avoiding it. The best way that I have found to hold space for my emotions is to be alone and ideally in a beautifully drawn bath. So when I finally own up to the fact that I am indeed feeling something, I make time to be with it.

I turn the water on super hot and gather my bath essentials-- a washcloth, a fluffy towel, and our chocolate sugar body scrub. I immerse myself in the steaming water and let out a huge sigh of relief. Of course, the voice in my head starts arguing with me about how I don't have time for this right now. I reassure her, homegirl is what I call her and say, “I know babe, but we have to take care of our emotions too.”

How To Love Yourself Unconditionally

I take the washcloth and dip it into the water, rubbing in between my toes, all the way up my body to the tension in my shoulders. Opening my jaw muscles and taking deep breaths, I rub my neck down with the cloth, feeling myself start to relax even more. Homegirl is still going with all her worries and fears for whether or not everything is going to get done today. I hug my body and hold her, saying-- “look at all the amazing things happening in our life right now, baby girl” I start listing off all my most recent gains and achievements.

She gives up, I feel my body fully drop into a state of total surrender, all this gentle reassurance for homegirl, is now worth it. I drain the water down to a “Japanese style bath” and open the package of chocolate scrub.

Love Yourself, And Love Your Body

I lovingly rub my entire body down from tip to toe with the sugary goodness. The treatment melts into my skin, I sit back and relax deeper into this glorious self-love space, allowing the scrub to work its nourishing magic on me and my beautiful skin. Now, from this place of content sumptuousness— I ask myself, “what am I feeling right now? What am I avoiding feeling that keeps trying to get my attention?”

The answer always comes, I have “known” what it was. I however, have been in resistance to feeling it, until now. Acknowledging it— I can now accept it, and the feeling shifts. This simple act of naming it and accepting it, surrenders my resistance to it. I vow to let it go, and as the water drains out of the tub I watch those feelings covered in chocolate swirl right down with it, trusting it’s done.

When I emerge from the bath-- my body feels amazingly hydrated, the pain in my shoulders has significantly lessened, and I feel energetically lighter from the emotional release! Expressing feelings while you do an invigorating scrub helps you move them physically out of your body and cells.

I share this with you in hopes that you too hold space for yourself in this way. Reassuring the voice of the mind, your homegirl, with love and encouragement. Often times just noticing her is all she needs— To be gentle and kind towards her like you would a small child. She is protecting you, with distractions so that you can unfortunately continue to ignore how you feel, because it hurts. Notice this same process that happens within you. Now that you have read this, it will be in your awareness and you will know what to do.

Next time, you will draw a healing bath, nurture your emotional self and lovingly accept that feeling. Acknowledging and expressing feelings is the only way to move them through you so they do not get stuck in your beautiful body:) You CAN free yourself of physical pain and mental anguish by simply indulging in this healing process.

Please comment below + share your thoughts, and pass it along to anyone you know who might benefit💗

Written with love by— Andrea Berset

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**This article is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice. This article is for informational purposes only, even if and to the extent that this article features the advice of physicians and medical practitioners.