Hi, I am Fred, owner, and designer at LES.BASICS, Since I am in self-isolation as well as the rest of the world, I decided to take that time to pause my life and do a retrospection of what I truly want and where I want to head in the future.
“Your self-worth is determined by you. You don’t have to depend on someone to tell you who you are.” —Beyoncé
Here are my 4 steps that I wanted to share with you to help you go through your self-love journey in the comfort and safety of your home:
1. Update your BUCKET list.
Even in this ‘’safe stay at home’’ and self-isolation situation, it’s time to truly start living a life you love. Start off with an intention set; what hobby, activity, or skill do you want to have in your life? This could be something that’s always been on your bucket list, such as cooking healthy recipes or practicing yoga daily.
TIP: Imagine yourself five years from now. By identifying the ideal future version of yourself, you can begin to outline the plan and take baby steps towards achieving your dreams, no matter how small or big they are!
To love yourself comes from allowing yourself to pursue your passions and interests without putting them on hold in favor of work or other obligations. ( I have a tendency to do that a lot....)
Now it is the only time we have. It’s now or never!
2. Say NO to Bad vibes.
It’s time to begin treating yourself like you treat your loved ones. We often look in the mirror and think terrible things about ourselves; things we would NEVER say to people we love! So why is it any different when we are thinking about ourselves?!
To change this, it takes more than just telling yourself to “stop having negative thoughts”. We need to provide our brains with something else to use instead of negative thoughts and emotions.
TIP: Create a note on your phone ‘’YOU ARE’’ and start putting 2 positive thoughts or affirmations per day about yourself (your strength, what you love about your body, something you love about yourself, something you did in the day that made you smile ) you will see it will get easier day by day. If you feel putting more than 2 per day go ahead, you will never have enough good stuff to tell about yourself that’s for sure.
3. Practice ME time.
Self-care isn’t selfish. This one I have to admit I am starting to be pretty good at it. I really love taking care of myself (mentally and physically).
Since the self-isolation is basically staying at home practice a ritual of self-love in the morning (or night if you prefer). I call mine the spa time treatment, it can be a face mask at night with a glass of wine, a hair mask in the shower, doing your nails, body scrub, taking a long bath…name it
TIP: Few people to follow and share some love ( yes a little plug for girl empowerment and some support in those hard times) the amazing @pinklablonde angel to get the best hair tips (she even does hair challenge, don’t miss out) or the coolest @leartof salon in Montreal that offer many live videos theses days to cheer you and your hair up! And also @localb_mtl a personal favorite and dear friend of mine for the daily dose of hair support as well.
Also doing your nails can be very refreshing. My friend @gelcare made this all possible with @lemanoir by having the perfect nail kit at home check them out! (My favorite Color is Rose BB cream and Linen (yes very basic colors… any surprise here?).
+Best face mask for that Bali glow ;) from my beautiful friend @bali_glow oh and they ship worldwide.
4. BYEBYE social media and HELLO workout and meditation.
Social media for me can be fun, very useful and empowering by moments but also bring some days it brings me a little bit of anxiety and heaviness. So during those self-isolation times, I decided to prioritize myself and to put a limit on my social media use for my own benefit. I allowed myself only 20-30 minutes per day ( that time is mostly for the business) to post and organize the stories for Les.Basics. I practice those habits for 2 weeks now and find myself feeling much more focused, more positive and sure of myself and less distracted by everything people do out there. I can finally focus on what I want and what’s important for me throughout the day.
Also, at the end of the day, health is the most important aspect of being able to live life fully. And keeping your body healthy is foundational self-love and an important ‘’me time’’ time. Even small steps can be transformative if you start to integrate it into daily life!
TIP: I personally came up with a very easy and simple plan as I am pretty lazy when it comes to workouts…. So I decide this time to start small so it would be easier to stick to it. I decided to start my day with morning stretches, followed by a quick and easy 10 min glutes workout (I do it 3 times a week so far) and finishing by a 15 min meditation to set my intentions and my mood for the day. (I got myself the headspace application a year ago and never regret that expense even in those harder times like now where the budget can be tighter, do yourself a favor that app is as essential as your daily meal.)
Always remember that we all do our best. Start 1 step at a time to make sure to stick to it. You will notice a lighter weight on your shoulder and even more, motivation to kick start your day more step you integrate into your daily routine.
We’re in this together!
STAY SAFE
Fred
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