#28daysofselflovechallenge

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Self Love Challenge, Day 28: Choose positive thoughts.

by Liv | Feb 28, 2015 |

Choose positive thoughts.

Today, this month, and every day moving forward.

—

Yesterday was my mother’s birthday, and she gave me some advice, as mother’s do, but she also unknowingly reiterated + reaffirmed today’s final #28daysofselflovechallenge challenge. While we sometimes have different language for some of the same ideas, we seemed to be on the exact same page with this one.  (Which – phew – assures me I’m growing in the right direction; so thank you, Mom.)

What it came down to? Choose positive thoughts.  Our thoughts are energy.  Let’s use ours for the better, shall we?  Let’s actively work to encourage loving + compassionate internal monologues… every day.

Choosing to focus on the positive in life is a real practice, so keep that in mind. It may not be easy all the time, but what use is spending your precious life focusing on the inevitable negative.  (I say inevitable because life happens… Sometimes it’s good + sometimes it’s not so good, and it is our job to learn how to balance + find our equilibrium.)

One way to do that is by choosing to fill your consciousness with positivity.  (Hint: You’re already doing the work by reading this and committing to the self love challenge.)

As we move on from our February self love marathon, we encourage you to continue this practice of positive self love, care, + discovery.  And remember, the 28-Day Self Love Challenge list can be used year round.  It is a tool to guide you through + to your own unique, beautiful, authentic life, not a strict set of tasks to be done at specific times.  Allow it to grow + evolve as is natural for you.  (Feel free to do what I’ve done and print it out + stick it somewhere you’ll see it often.  Those little glances could inspire you to give yourself a little love when you need it most.)

As for right now, keep on rockin’ at being you, and we’ll be back soon with more here at Renaissante!  Thanks for being here + sharing in this journey with us.

xo

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Self Love Challenge, Day 27: Write yourself a love letter.

by Jenn | Feb 27, 2015 |

Write yourself a love letter.

On our penultimate day of the challenge, we wrap the month up on a sweet note. Address yourself in the second person and let the love pour out. You can even imagine you’re writing to someone else you truly love for the first few lines to get it flowing.

Use a beautiful pen and beautiful paper, if you can. Or use a chewed up pencil on a cocktail napkin, I don’t care.

Sing your praises– don’t be shy about complimenting the letter recipient. Offer blessings of compassion, clarity, sweetness, truth, empowerment, unbridled joy. Celebrate you on the page.

Give, give, give– go to the extremes of your love-giving capacity. “I love you and I’ll say it until my face turns blue.”

If you’re not much of a writer, you can just write out a page, fed with a fire of true intention, “I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you…”

And if you feel this statement still isn’t true– if you don’t believe you love yourself yet, “I want to love you, I want to love you, I want to love you…”

Or “I want to want to love you.”

Make it a written prayer to your higher self.

Or write yourself (your inner child) a letter of apology. “I’m so sorry I’ve neglected your needs and dreams all of these years. Please forgive me, I will strive to treat you rightly.”

Give yourself to this exercise; it will not lead you astray.

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Self Love Challenge, Day 26: Pick some flowers.

by Liv | Feb 26, 2015 |

Pick some flowers.

"Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature." | {Gerard De Nerval}

If you haven’t noticed yet, we kind of love all things floral here at Renaissante. Whether in person, in print, or dreamt of during our loveliest daydreams, flowers seem to be an essential factor in our pursuit of beautiful, authentic lives.

So today, we challenge you to get outside + pick a few flowers – for yourself, for a loved one, for a stranger perhaps?  And if you do, we would absolutely love to see the gems you come across!  (Feel free to share photos or descriptions in the comment section below.)

*I feel compelled to mention that when we’re picking flowers, we are plucking them from their natural habitat, so I encourage us all to keep this in mind while we are enjoying + benefiting from this practice.  A few are fine, of course, and what you deem acceptable all depends on your ideas of sustainability, balance, + our relationship with the world that we are a part of.  All I’m really saying is let’s express some gratitude today + everyday.  ;)

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Self Love Challenge, Day 25: Tell yourself “I love you.”

by Jenn | Feb 25, 2015 |

Look yourself in the mirror and tell yourself “I love you.” And mean it.

It doesn’t seem like a big deal at first glance. It might be super easy for some. It might make some of us laugh or scoff; I know I did.

The first time I ever tried this, I couldn’t bear to look myself in the eyes, it was terribly awkward. When I finally did, I laughed hysterically out of nervousness for a full minute.

Then I broke down and cried, violently, and released many (though not all) layers between me and my love for self. It was much harder, much more embarrassing, and much more rewarding than I thought was possible.

Some suggestions:

Try this as you’re washing up and getting ready for bed. Take a deep breath and look at yourself in the eyes in a mirror, with both feet planted on the floor whether your sitting or standing. Notice the first thoughts that float to the surface of your mind, if they’re positive or critical. Consciously choose to release judgement.

Take another deep breath and say your name… “I love you.” Slow, steady, clear, and true.

Take a moment to reflect, then take a couple of slow breaths. Repeat your name “I love you,” as many times as you need to have it feel as real as possible.

If you feel compelled, take a few minutes to journal about what came up for you.

Optionally, you can think about three things you love about yourself and say them aloud to your visage. Consider finding one thing you love about your face as well.

Congratulate yourself! It actually takes beaucoup de courage to do this, no matter who or where you are in life.

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Self Love Challenge, Day 24: Make a list of things you are good at.

by Liv | Feb 24, 2015 |

Make a list of things you are good at.

This one is pretty straightforward.  Just like your list of accomplishments, today’s challenge is to list out all the things you’re good at, all those things at which you just rock!

It may sound simple, but sometimes humility can masquerade as writer’s block.  Try tackling these questions if you’re having a bit of trouble beginning your list:

What are your strengths?

Your passions?

What skill-sets do you possess that are unique to you?

What are some things that you gravitate toward, simply because they seem to come ‘second-nature?’

What do you find yourself doing when you are the most at peace?  (…even if the activity itself isn’t quite so tranquil.  This can be an active sort of peace for some of us.)

We all have specific strengths that are unique to each of us.  The trouble, sometimes, is figuring out what those are – and it can be a tediously long process, especially when our culture seems to shame many of us when we try to celebrate ourselves.  This act of listing out our positive attributes helps to foster not only positive self talk, but also positive energy moving forward through everything you do.

And remember, this is an activity just for you, so try not to be too shy.  It’s okay to toot your own horn sometimes, so to speak.  You are a magnificent being.  Remember, “It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.  And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”

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Self Love Challenge, Day 23: Give yourself some room

by Jenn | Feb 23, 2015 |

Give yourself some room.

I mean all sorts of room: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual… in your living space, your headspace, your closet, your desktop, your inbox, your schedule. If you are someone (like me) who says or lives I don’t have time to take care of myself, I’ve come to understand– no one will give you the time; you’re going to have to make the room.

Some suggestions:

This month, I’ve been talking a lot about adding new and exciting this to your calendar, but perhaps there is a day or a week coming up you can clear to make sure you are spending time with yourself. If there is a day that you are faced with choosing between pushing through (and risking your health and sanity) or taking a break from your slew of appointments, consider the latter option seriously.

Take three deep breaths every time you have a chance– before you wake up, before going to bed, on public transit, right after you’ve finished parking or just as you get into your car, before a meeting, after a test… When you think you need to rush off to the next engagement, give yourself some space. Begin to build your buffer.

Consider looking into your closet and evaluating what to keep and what to let go of. Your closet (and your possessions in general) could be filled with things only things that you truly love, bringing a sense of ease to getting dressed and sacredness to your relationship with the material.

Play a game with yourself– every time you leave your room or the house, consider taking with you five things (it can be big or little, significant or superficial.

Clean up your desktop.

Set filters for your email and unsubscribe from websites that you don’t pay attention to– you can start with three! Unroll.me is a service that can help clean up and condense your email life.

This includes wiggle room– be nice to yourself. Next time the critical voice rears its head, consider turning down the volume and offering yourself some compassion instead.

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Self Love Challenge, Day 22: Soak up some sunshine.

by Liv | Feb 22, 2015 |

Soak up some sunshine.

This may be a bit easier for us West Coast folks at the moment, but just keep in mind that we can all benefit from catching a few rays.

“Atapa Snana is the yogic phrase for the healing science of sun bathing,” which I think is a beautiful term.  (It reminds me of the Japanese term for forest bathing – shinrin-yoku – and I’d like to practice both of these together more often, as it already is one of my favorite + most grounding activities; I had just never known specific terminology for soaking up the sunshine while taking a hike through the forest.)

Sunshine (in healthy doses) is essential for our well-being, physical health, and sanity.  Many of the other blogs + articles I came across discussing similar topics mention how Western discourse tends to focus on the negative effects of extreme, prolonged, + irresponsible sun exposure – which yes, can cause some pretty severe problems.  However, with that in mind, I’d suggest that we also have an issue with encouraging holistic, balanced solutions + lifestyles in general.  (It’s all about balance, y’all.) Plants need the sun to grow, and so do we.

Some benefits of soakin’ up the sun (thanks in large part to the Vitamin D it provides)?

Immune system support

Strengthening of bones + teeth

Helpful for fighting acne + preventing breakouts

Cancer fighting properties

Support against dementia + memory loss

“Essential for decreasing symptoms of asthma“

(plus many, many more…)

So, whenever you can, take yourself outside and let yourself sit beneath the sunshine.  Let it wash over you, let the warmth engulf your whole being, and take a deep breath, practicing gratitude for simply being alive + present in the moment.

Happy sun bathing, beautiful creatures! (Feel free to let us know where your favorite sunny spot is!)

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Self Love Challenge, Day 21: Take yourself on an artist’s date.

by Liv | Feb 21, 2015 |

Take yourself on an artist’s date.

One of the most daunting + also most rewarding experiences of my life has been learning, not only how to be alone, but how to enjoy it + at this point crave the solitude.  The second most difficult but ultimately most fulfilling activity I’ve found (thanks so much to Jenn’s introduction + articulation) is taking myself on what we call “artist’s dates.”

First of all, when do we take ourselves on dates? try to woo ourselves? strive to be the type of person we’d want to fall in love with?  And secondly, when do we allow ourselves space + time to just be creative? to soak up the world around us, bit by unique, awe-inspiring bit? Let alone, alone? with our thoughts? letting the creativity + pleasure of the situation be of the utmost importance?

If your answer is anything like mine, the answer has far too often been… um… never?

Calling myself an artist still feels a bit foreign on my tongue, but I feel the significance of its truth at my core and know it simply is, and I had better own it + learn to cultivate this part of me.  That being said, I understand that not everyone identifies as an artist, but that doesn’t mean that any one of us is not.  Everyone is an artist in some form or another.  Whatever it is that you are good at, pulled to do, driven by, etc., you are an artist in that craft or skill.  So take yourself on an artist’s date and allow yourself to be fully engaged, present, + inspired by the beautiful experience you’ve created by and for yourself to enjoy – because you deserve to.

If you don’t quite know what it is that moves you (yet) here are some suggestions to get those creative juices flowing:

Take a walk around your neighborhood.  (Sure, some of us may feel as though we do this fairly often.  If you’re like me, and you reside with canine companions, you may do this seemingly all the time.  This time, I suggest taking a legitimate stroll – like a meandering, slow walk around the block, down the lane, whatever…  Use all your senses.  Literally stop to smell the flowers, notice the minute details, listen for sounds you’ve never heard before…)

Check out [at] your local coffee shop.  (I include the “at” in brackets as to encourage you to potentially leave your laptop at home this trip.  Bring a journal, a book, a sketchpad… whatever it is that sparks that creative bug in you.  And I know, I know, some of us – many of us – exist in cyberspace 99% of the time, and our creativity seems fueled by and/or strictly bound to that realm…  I still encourage you to try.  If you’re a blogger, handwrite a blog post.  If you’re a photographer, bring your camera and not your phone.  If you’re a graphic designer, bring along some paper and your choice of writing/drawing implement.  Do it “old school” this time around.  Soak up the sights and the sounds of your environment.  Let them inspire you.)

Take yourself somewhere you’ve never been but have been wanting to explore.  (Yes, exploring untapped domains might be a tad intimidating, especially alone.  Some of us thrive off of this kind of adventure; others – like myself, sometimes – may feel as though a nice hole would be preferable to navigating any new space on our own.  It is truly different for each of us, but one thing is certain, when we – gently – ask ourselves to step beyond our assumed boundaries, we often find ourselves capable of much more than we had ever dreamed.  Check out that new shop you’ve been wanting to stop by, follow that path that you always wonder about but never venture down.  In that new experience, you are building a relationship with yourself and solidifying a foundation of trust + comfort with the person closest to you… you.)

And if you’re the type of person who has already pinpointed their passions, spend a day cultivating whatever it is that you enjoy + that fulfills you.  Allow yourself freedom for expression, reminders of gratitude, and space for compassion (especially with yourself, because yes, we can be our own worst critics).

Enjoy!