31 Days to Radical Self-Love!

If someone asked you right now to look into a mirror and say “I love myself” out loud, would it make you feel uncomfortable? Maybe a bit squirmy?

The other night, as I tucked our five- and seven-year old boys into their bunk beds, I asked them to say it out loud: “I love myself.”

They had ABSOLUTELY no problem with this direction. In fact, they kind of reveled in it.

The younger one, in particular, wiggled his body around his bed like he was rolling in a pile of money.

“I love myself! I love myself! I love myself!”

I don’t know many women who would revel in it like a five-year-old.

The aforementioned five-year-old. Doing some more reveling.

You know how it is: we grow, and life challenges our self-concepts. We begin to think that being mature means being aware of our faults. We start letting negative thoughts about ourselves creep in, we start comparing ourselves to every other person (and I mean every. other. person.) who crosses our paths, and left unchecked, those thoughts become the story inside our heads.

In my case, I like myself. I take care of myself. But saying I love myself? Like wholehearted, unadulterated, rolling-in-a-pile-of-money type of love? That’s not quite as easy.

I’m too conscious of how often I stand in my own way. Too aware of my issues, like my tendency toward depression and my special talent for going crazy hormonal one-third of the month. 🙂

I know many of you are right there with me. I know, because posts like this one and this one circulate on social media. If a simple concept like NOT calling yourself a bad mom, a bad friend, a bad person can strike a chord, then I think most of us are in need of more self-love.

I also know because when I’m feeling down, I text my friend who is an amazing writer and a spiritual giant but completely gets my struggle to not feel enough.

I know because one of my closest friends (the cutest little dance teacher you ever saw) is on this journey with me. We cheer each other on whenever we get together.

So let’s do this. A month of radical self-love. The “I love myself!” five-year-old brand of love that will let us go big on our love for others.

What you can look forward to

• Interviews with women who radiate self-acceptance
• Quotes to scrawl across your mirror, your desktop wallpaper, your forehead
• Practical exercises to help you grow your self-love, from meditation for newbies to self-care practices for busy women
• And plenty of reminders about why all of this matters!

We need this. I need this. Our daughters need this.

I hope you’ll join me for the ride and share with your friends and get pumped about spreading the (self-) love. The easiest ways to follow is on Facebook, or if you’d like the digest version, I’ll be sending out a highlight reel of the series to my (quarterly) newsletter subscribers at the end of the month. So, sign up here for that!

Update! Feel free to get caught up by reading the following posts!

The I Love Myself Exercise

Liked & Linked: Reads to Help You Love Yourself & Others

What Lies Within Us / Free iPhone Wallpaper

Knowing Your Shame Triggers

Negative Thought Download: An Exercise for More Self-Love

A Tiny Step on the Long Road to Self-Love

Have You Heard of WomanCode?

7 Quotes for When You Need to Care Less about What Other People Think

This is Our Motherhood

3 Meditation Practices for Busy Women

An Energy that Won’t Be Bottled Up: Why Self-Love Matters

*24 Self-Care Practices for Mothers*

When Is Self-Love Self-ISH?

This Is My Pillow and That Is Yours

What 3 Feelings Do You Want to Be Dominant in Your Life?

Daily Therapeutic Rituals

How to Detangle Productivity and Your Self-Worth

Books to Inspire a Kinder Inner Voice

Discover Your “Why”