Everyone is striving to be happy, but the million-dollar question is, “What makes people happy?” You might be in a well paying job earning a lot of money but little time to pursue activities that you enjoy as your work responsibilities take over your life. You might ask yourself, “Am I happy giving away my time to make other people richer for a pay check?” This is a question that I hear often from people that are looking to change their life. So many people are stuck in soul destroying jobs, trading their time for money and even though they are earning a high salary they don’t have the time to do what they love. They spend their days in the office attending pointless meetings that make no sense. Then there is the long commute to and from work and they arrive home late too exhausted to spend time with their families. I have heard this many times and it reminds me of when I used to work in the city surrounded by high earners and no one was happy, in fact everyone looked stressed and unhappy with their life. I used to be the only person with a smile on my face and I felt out of place as I realised that I was wasting my time and the best years of my life in soul destroying environments for a pay check. I’m so grateful that I didn’t lose my soul, and I’m now doing what I love and helping other people improve their lives. Perhaps you are not yet ready to kiss your 9 to 5 soul-crushing job goodbye (in a polite way of course) but let’s be honest and say your 7 to 8 job for most people as this can include travelling to and from work!
The reason I believe in self-love is because my life changed when I started to look at ways to listen to my body and what my heart was telling me. We are constantly giving our time to people that don’t deserve it and when we find the courage to say ‘NO’ an inner shift starts to happen. When you decide to put yourself first and believe that you deserve more than what people are giving you at the moment, (not in an arrogant way) you start vibrating on a different level. Your external reality can start to change when you work on self-love. The inner love you feel for yourself can transform your world and what is no longer meant for you will naturally leave your life. The negative people, situations can no longer stay as you are evolving, your energy is changing. The changes won’t happen overnight but it all starts with YOU, that is why I believe self-love is so important as I’ve seen the changes in my own life!
These are my 7 ways to focus on a self-love routine that worked for me while I was working in a soul-crushing job! I hope these self-love tips can help you too while you figure out how to move forward from your current situation:
1. Journal
Schedule time to write in your journal about your day. Write 3 things that you love about yourself and explore your feelings. If there was a situation at work, write that in your journal and imagine the situation or problem resolving itself. Write about all the negative situations during the day and the positive that you experienced. Look at how you can turn those negative situations into a positive in your life and realise that everything is temporary and working out for your highest good.
2. Walk in nature
Step outside and connect with nature without thinking about your problems at work.
Focus on your breath and listen to your favourite relaxing music while you walk. Breath and think about all the beauty that surrounds you, notice the trees, the ground beneath you and how nature allows everything to change naturally. Nothing is forced, everything grows in its own time and space. Imagine that your life is flowing in a beautiful direction and everything in your life is happening as it should be, just like in nature, you are flourishing and changing and moving forward and creating your beautiful life.
3. Book a massage
Self-love activities don’t need to involve spending money, however, if you are working in a soul-crushing job and you are spending so many hours sitting in a chair, a massage can help heal your body in so many ways. Just some of the benefits of having a massage can include relaxing muscle tension, help to calm the nervous system and improve circulation.
4. Exercise
Find an exercise that you enjoy and include movement in your schedule every day. Try and exercise at least 30 minutes every day. Exercise can be an important part of your self-love routine as it helps to improve mood and reduce anxiety and everyone knows how levels of stress can increase with the impact of a soul-crushing job. Regular exercise can help you sleep better as many people lie awake at night thinking of all the tasks they need to complete the following day. Our self-love is constantly increasing by doing activities that we enjoy and raising our energy and vibration.
5. Cook healthy meals
When you are working in a soul-crushing job your energy can be depleted as stress and anxiety levels rise. Look after your health by avoiding junk food and sugar. Cook your favourite healthy meals and fill your plate with lots of vegetables. Include foods that are high in magnesium such as spinach and Swiss chard to reduce anxiety and help you sleep.
6. Get enough sleep
This is my favourite self-love routine as I love sleep and I make sure I get enough sleep. If your job is making you exhausted and your stress and anxiety levels are high, make sure that you get enough sleep, the recommended hours of sleep is 7-9 hours per night. There is no need to feel like a zombie in the mornings from lack of sleep, the good news is that you can make some changes to your routine. Switch off your phone and all social media at least half an hour before you sleep to help your mind relax and get into the routine that now is the time to sleep. Some people don’t need 7 hours of sleep every night, however I don’t believe in waking up at 5am in the morning as I’m a night owl and more productive at night! Listen to your body and do what feels best for you!
7. Meditation
This is another one of my favourite self-love routines as I practice meditation daily. It helps to relax my monkey mind as thinking into the future is something I try hard to avoid. Thinking of how the future will turn out can be a waste of time and energy as no one can predict what will happen in the next second or minute.. The aim is always to stay in the present moment. I know I’m a work in progress and not perfect but the aim is to always try and improve and develop my knowledge! You don’t have to be a monk or a yogi to start a meditation practice, you just need yourself and 10 or 15 minutes to start. If you are having trouble sleeping and thinking about your toxic job then practicing meditation 10 minutes before you sleep can help you to relax the thoughts that are constantly occupying your mind. Find a quiet space and turn off all electrical equipment and whatever might interrupt you during your meditation. Focus on your breath and slowly breathe in and out slowly. Observe your thoughts and don’t try to stop thinking, gently guide yourself back to focus on your breath. It can seem difficult at first, but it can get easier with time as you develop your practice. Most of all, learn to let things go as when you are constantly thinking about the events in your mind it builds up stress and anxiety in your body.
Final thoughts
I hope this blog post has given you some inspiration to start a self-love routine and you can use my list as a guide when you need a little support. A self-love routine is something that is personal and different for each person so it’s important to find a practice that works for you. It is ALWAYS YOUR choice what you decide to do and how to live your life, nobody can tell you what to do. It’s your body and your rules.
I still continue to practice my self-love routine every day as I have included it into my daily schedule and takes priority over my other tasks no matter how busy I am during the day!
“If you have the ability to love, love yourself first.”
-Charles Bukowski