Your love language is how you perceive love. You may have heard the term in reference to relationships, but what about self-love? Strengthen your recovery by forming a stronger bond with yourself. Commit to practicing one act of your love language each day.
Words of Affirmation
If your love language is words of affirmation, you need to hear how you feel about yourself. Recite mantras each morning that help you look inward and realize just how strong you are. Daily affirmations can help you reframe your train of thought, decrease negative self-talk, and improve confidence – all while expressing self-love.
Gifts
In order to feel loved, you need to receive tokens of appreciation. It is essential for you to periodically treat yourself to something you love in order to commemorate your accomplishments and practice self-care. Consider making it a monthly goal to snag something on your wish list, enjoy the item, and reflect on why you deserve it.
Acts of Service
As a person who sees kind acts as an expression of love, you literally need to do favors for yourself. In other words, do things to achieve a final result that’s important to you. Cook yourself a gourmet meal, do your laundry, redecorate your home – these are all acts of service that will make you feel warm and fuzzy.
Quality Time
Spending quality time with yourself is what you need to warm your heart. Try scheduling weekly “me-nights,” where you do all of your favorite things. Want to see a new movie out in theaters? Take yourself out on a date and go watch the flick. Want to feel pampered? Do an extensive skincare routine, complete with a luxurious face mask. Make time for yourself, and keep your plans!
Physical Touch
You see love through your sense of touch. Have you ever considered giving yourself a hug? If not, you should start. First off, you’ll get the self-love and compassion you need from yourself. Plus, studies show that hugging yourself can actually soothe you, because self-embracing causes a release of oxytocin in the brain. Calm and loved? That’s a win-win.
By habitually expressing self-love, you affirm to yourself that you will always be worth recovery. And you remind yourself of your perseverance and strength. That introspection is something to be proud of!
If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, Mountainside can help.
Click here or call (888) 833-4676 to speak with one of our addiction treatment experts.