Read Our Latest Blogs on Self Love - OWL Venice✨

Last week, we asked our Instagram community to tell us if they committed to loving themselves better in 2020. It came as no surprise that we received a bunch of responses from people who wanted to show themselves more kindness and care this year! Want to get on board? It’s never too late to join us!

Self-Love vs. Self-Care

Lately it seems like we hear the terms ‘self-love’ and ‘self-care’ daily. But what do they actually mean? While they may seem interchangeable, self-love and self-care are actually quite different... but equally important. 

Let’s start with self-love.

While the phrase ‘self-love’ might sound egotistic and rooted in vanity, it’s actually an essential part of living a balanced life! Without it, you’re more likely to fall into unhealthy romantic relationships, one-sided friendships, and get taken advantage of in the workplace. The reason for this is simple: People who haven’t learned to love themselves don’t have an understanding of their inherent value and are more likely to settle for less than they deserve.

Self-love is a deep, psychological understanding of your worth that can’t be achieved through superficial means like getting a new haircut or gaining more Instagram followers. A person can’t learn to love themselves overnight, and it’s often more difficult than most people realize. The process of developing self-love typically comes with some struggle, a lot of patience, and plenty of self-care.

What is self-care?

Like self-love, self-care is also far more complicated than most people realize. When many people think of self-care, their minds often jump to pampering practices like massages or mani/pedis. While these stereotypes aren’t completely off-base, they only describe ways we can care for our physical bodies. In reality, self-care is much more holistic than that. Self-care practices should also care for our mental and spiritual selves.

Self-care is a necessary part of maintaining life’s balance. It gives us a chance to recharge and nurture ourselves so we can be our very best! The practice of self-care also allows us to tune in with our needs and desires. Through this process of getting to know ourselves, we can develop deeper self-love.

We’ve been reflecting on both of these practices here at OWL Venice and looking for ways we can love and care for ourselves while encouraging others to do the same! Here are some of the ways we’ve been pursuing self-love and self-care this year.

5 Daily Self-Love Practices

1. Be kind to yourself.

Showing yourself kindness is something you can practice every single day. If you’re struggling to understand something, be patient with yourself and use it as an opportunity to learn. If you make a mistake, show yourself some grace. No one is perfect. Speaking kind words to yourself will not only boost your happiness, it’ll increase your self-esteem and improve your relationships.

2. Advocate for yourself.

Stop being your own worst critic! When the negative, discouraging voice in your head starts getting louder, silence it with self-love. The next time you notice you’re speaking hurtful words to yourself, imagine what a loved one would say to you instead. 

3. Invest in yourself.

Quality time is one of the five love languages, so it should come as no surprise that in order to practice self-love, you have to dedicate time to yourself! Set aside time each day to do something uplifting like caring for your skin, reading, journaling, or watching a funny video. Then use this as fuel to uplift others in return. 

4. Make exciting plans.

It’s inevitable that you will experience difficult days, weeks, months, or even years. This is part of being human! Remember that it’s easier to get through the hard times in life if you have something to look forward to. Want to improve your self-love today? Book a plane ticket, schedule a weekend getaway, set a coffee date with a friend, or research a new hobby.

5. Set boundaries.

To set necessary boundaries, you have to understand when to say no. Protect your time and energy by turning down opportunities or invitations you don’t have space for. Say no to spending time with people that don’t uplift you. Say no to anything that saps you of energy or leaves you feeling negatively about yourself!

5 Daily Self-Care Practices

1. Eat nourishing food.

Eating a diet of nutritious foods doesn’t only improve your physical health, it also nourishes your mental and emotional health. It’s important to understand that no two bodies are the same and there’s no one right way to eat! Tune in with your own body and notice when you’re feeling energized and happy. Before long, you’ll start pinpointing which foods are best for you. 

Here at OWL, we’re getting to know which foods are best for us with the OWL Reset. Along with its gut health benefits, this program also encourages us to connect with our bodies and improve our relationships with food.

2. Move your body.

Just like there’s no one right diet, there’s no one best way to exercise. Give yourself the freedom to explore different forms of movement so you can find something you truly love. Don’t let fitness trends influence you — Stay grounded in a movement routine that you genuinely look forward to, and you’ll be more likely to return to it over and over. Remember: Exercise should be enjoyable and leave you feeling energized!

3. Destress.

Carve out time to decompress. Stress can take a toll on our physical, emotional, and mental health, so it’s important to work relaxation into our daily regimens. Meditate, take a bath, read a book, journal, pamper yourself, or create art. Better yet: Do any of these activities while sipping on our Chicken Bone Broth Elixir and Beef Bone Broth Elixir, which contain healing herbs known to alleviate anxiety. Win, win!

4. Sleep

It’s impossible to properly care for yourself if you aren’t getting enough sleep. Sleep is our bodies’ opportunity to recharge! It improves digestion, heals the body, sharpens the mind, and improves the mood. Without it, all the other methods of self-care you practice won’t go as far! Want to guarantee you’ll get a good nights sleep? Make sure you wind down your day in a way that encourages a good night’s rest. Read all about that HERE.

5. Reach out to a friend.

One of the best ways to nourish your spirit is to connect with a loved one. Whether you see a friend or family member in person or simply reach out through text, exchanging words with someone that cares about you is an important part of self-care. It will support and encourage you, and provide the opportunity for you to positively impact others!

Because we’ve made a commitment to self-love this year, we’re excited to announce an upcoming self-love workshop at the OWL HQ! Here’s all you need to know:

SELF-LOVE WORKSHOP WITH GABRIELLE ORTEGA
Saturday, February 15

All too often we seek love from others, before looking within ourselves.

It's time to turn that focus inward.

Self-love allows us to step into living as our Highest Self with wholehearted compassion and radical acceptance, empowering us to realize our dreams and change our lives.

In this interactive workshop, participants will learn practical skills to help them in their self-love journey.

This self-love gathering will help you become aware of your own unique needs, obstacles, and aspirations while increasing your happiness, fulfillment, well-being, and of course, your love for yourself and others.

Through fun-filled activities, vibrant discussions, and meaningful reflections you will leave knowing exactly how to begin cultivating your own self-love.

This workshop will be taught by the Owner and Founder of OM Therapy | Coaching, Gabrielle Ortega, M.A. Gabrielle is a mental health coach, educator, and advocate.

All participants will receive a complimentary copy of the Positive Mindset Workbook and goodie bags filled with self-love goodies from our sponsors!

Light refreshments will be served.

Advanced registration required. Sign up HERE!

We're looking forward to seeing you soon!

In health,
The OWL Fam