Self love is the new black!

So I feel like my last post was a bit of a downer. Especially as I set it to post on Mothers Day - awks! I had totally forgotten about Mothers Day when I scheduled the post!!

Today, I saw this post on MindBodyGreen about learning to love your body. And this comes just days after my Mum gave me a magazine article about being kind to yourself (which I'm yet to read).

So Universe, I get it, I am starting to listening to you. I will read the articles, take the advice on board, and take action.

I am sick of not loving myself enough. It has been such a long time since I fully accepted myself and been happy with the way I am... it was a magical few years between 17 and 20.

Mostly in the time since then, I have liked myself. Usually enough, sometimes barely enough. But loving myself? Surely that's what husbands are for!? (I'm joking!!)

So I'm ready to change, ready to be a woman comfortable in her own skin - stretch marks and all... well, maybe not the stretch marks just yet.

The MindBodyGreen post had a few suggested positive affirmations to help on the journey of self love. I have printed them off and I'm going to put them next to my bed to be the last words I see at night, and the first words I see in the morning....

• I am enough
• I am beautiful
• I am unique
• I love and respect my body (also, my mind and spirit!)
• I am more than my body
• My body is a safe, happy place
• I reject artificial standards of beauty that do not serve me
• I love myself unconditionally
• I see the beauty in all living things

To be honest, that last one has never a problem for me. But the rest is going to be hard to feel comfortable with for a while.

In the meantime, to counteract the negative feeling I was left with after my last post, here are a list of things I love about myself:

• I love the shape of my feet and how cute they look when I get a pedicure
• I love my legs
• Mr M loves my bum, so I guess that I can love that too.
• My biceps are pretty alright too.
• I love my big heart, and how open I am to loving people and letting them in.
• I love that my smile always reaches my eyes. I don't usually fake smile - if it's not for real then I just won't smile, full stop. Oh unless it's small talk stuff and I'm being polite... but even then, I think I'm pretty genuine about my smile.
• I love my eyebrows - I have had a number of beauticians in the past tell me how lovely they are, and my Mum is totes jealous of them! :)
• I love my personality, I'm usually bubbly and always ready to see the positive side of things (unless it relates to me.... but I'm going to change that!!)

Huh. I actually already feel a bit better.
I did NOT see that coming! :)

So Ladies, and Gentlemen!, tell me what you love about yourself. It can be something small, it can be something big. It can be something physical or a part of your personality.

What do you LOVE about being you??

Just to fill you in...

Wooooah. Life has been a bit naff these last few months.

No, not true. Life has been very blessed these last few months; full of happy chaos and laughter.

I am the one who has been a bit naff.

About three months ago, I suddenly realised that I was hovering on the brink of depression, again.

The signs were all there: a general lack of interest in my appearance, lethargy, procrastination (although that is pretty much a permanent character flaw!), overly focussing on things outside of my control, road rage (basically shouting at those people who should never have been granted a drivers license - you know the ones I'm talking about), weeping at ads on TV...

And with the advantage of hindsight, I could see that I had been there for a while, at least two or three months before I noticed anything. 

About two months ago, I thought I was getting better. I thought I was keeping my head above the water... but really I was just doing an amazingly awesome job of fooling myself.

So now I'm in self repair mode. 

Whilst I’m not out of the woods yet – not by a long shot! – I am using the skills that I have learnt from previous counselling sessions to fight my way back to being my usual joyful self. 

Challenging unhelpful thoughts as they arise, trying to see the positives in daily life. Not always easy when my mind seems drawn to anger and the more maudlin side of things...

Anyway. Just wanted to touch base, see who's out there and let you know what was going in my world. It's not a great barrel of laughs at the moment, but I'm sure (I hope!) it's on the improve.

Watch this space! :)

What's been happening with you?