We say the world needs more love, but what do we really understand about it? 

When we say the world, I think we’re actually referring to ourselves. Mother Earth doesn’t need love; she already loves us by providing resources to survive. 

Many of us live a rat race lifestyle where it’s considered normal to drown ourselves in work, but forgo loving ourselves – let alone embodying love. This way of living, in fact, only makes us ignore the art of loving ourselves. We may also think it’s impossible to balance life and self-love practice, but it’s not. 

Let me share a simple technique which doesn’t take up much of our time, nor disrupt our lives. Regardless of duration or if you’re not yet in love with yourself, it can be done anytime and anywhere. Just “fake it until you make it” with the exercise below. 

Get into a comfortable position (lotus pose, chair-seated pose, etc.) and close your eyes. Take a deep breath, hold it for around five counts, then exhale. Once you’re relaxed, try saying “I love myself,” in your head over and over (remember to continue breathing). As you’re saying it, inject happy feelings as much as you can into “love”, and let your five senses experience the energy current filling your heart space. 

Pay attention to how and what you’re feeling throughout this inner-monologue. It’s alright if thoughts pass by, just watch them go and continue to focus on the affirmation. If other emotions like sadness come up, pay attention to them, and gently ask why. Use all your senses, including intuition, to tune into it. Journaling isn’t necessary, but it’s really up to you if you want to record your self-loving process! 

You can also change “I love myself,” to other affirmations such as “I am beautiful”. After doing this exercise, look out for the changes in yourself. It could be feeling more confident or improved self-acceptance. If you constantly practise it, you could see the changes even quicker! 

I hope this brings you one step closer to fulfilling the goal of loving yourself more!