Loving Ourselves: 3 Ways To Love Yourself Better
One of the things we often miss in our day to day lives is investing in ourselves (self-care). Whether married or single. Kids or no kids. We get so busy we unconsciously neglect ourselves. Often stressed by the high expectations, demands, and pressures of those around us. When we properly love ourselves we can properly love our neighbors as Jesus Commands (Matthew 22:37-39).
Here are a few ways to better love yourself.
Invest In Your Health
I am a strong supporter of healthy eating, exercise, and regularly scheduled doctor visits. Why?, because I used to be a Hypochondriac (the person that believes they suffer from every symptom of every sickness or illness). I always thought I needed to go to the doctor for every little thing. But I’ve been delivered! Praise Jesus!
Taking care of our physical health increases energy, improves memory, balances our hormones, and even reduces the risks of suffering some of the silent diseases that are secondary to poor dieting and the lack of exercise like diabetes, heart attacks, and strokes.
As an athlete, exercising has never been an issue for me, but when I stopped competing as an athlete, I got lazy. I began to pay for it, with a lower immune system, I felt drained of energy all the time and had to invest in a new wardrobe. One day I saw a picture of me and barely recognized myself. From that day forward, I decided to intentionally invest in my health. I started with drinking water (my body weight/2 = the number of ounces to drink a day) and walking 30 minutes a day five times a week. I also changed my eating habits and started eating healthier meals.
When you decide to invest in your health, please note: everyone’s body is different, so do some research. Get a trainer or a nutritionist before you start exercising, so you will know your baseline and where to start in the training process. You want to ease your way into properly dieting and exercising. Most importantly, visit your doctor before making any decisions to start a diet or exercise.
Invest In Resting
One of the most important observances God asks of us is to observe the Sabbath - a day of rest and worship of God (Exodus 34:21 & Isaiah 56:2). In the Old Testament, the Sabbath was an observance of how God created the Heavens and Earth and all that is in it in six days and then rested on the sixth day (Genesis 1-2:3).
Some people observe the Sabbath on Saturday, while others see Saturday as the only day they have to do anything non-work related. Well, I have some great news! You do not have to observe the Sabbath on a Saturday. Your Sabbath can be on a Wednesday. The Sabbath is a day of resting in God. So if your only day to rest and relax is Wednesday, honor the Lord on that day. Relax and bask in His presence, read a book, read the Bible, pray, draw, paint, listen to music. Rest!
Now I know it is not as easy as it sounds. You can always start with a few hours and work your way up to a full day of rest. When I first started observing the Sabbath, I would rest and dedicate a few hours to just relaxing and basking in the Lord’s presence. After a while, I learned how to completely reset and be ready to go for the next six days.
Invest In Joy
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22) The enemy likes to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). One of the things the enemy likes to steal is our joy. So how do we keep from our joy being removed? Figure out what brings you joy and make time to do it.
For example, one of the things that brings me great joy is hanging out with my family. I currently live in a city with several relatives, but one family member in particular hosts Sunday dinners at her house and I get to hang out with my cousins and laugh all night!
So find out what brings you joy and do it! Now, if smoking weed and drinking brings you joy, no offense, but you gotta get out more. There is a whole world out there full of life, fun, and some incredible people. Expand your horizons and live!
While there are many ways to invest in yourself, I pray this week's post helped you consider some ideas on how to love yourself better. When we love ourselves better we are able to love our neighbors.
Be Encouraged!
