How to love yourself and your body by Vance Romane
- Slow down your life. Take time out to eat slowly, chew well and really taste your food to enjoy it more. This will aid digestion and help to lose weight. When you chew your food thoroughly, your hunger is more easily satisfied with less food.
- Take a time out for yourself every day to meditate quietly in a comfortable place. Close your eyes, relax your body step by step and focus on your long, slow, deep breaths … in through your nose and out through your mouth. Imagine your breath as a color that is relaxing for you or simply focus upon a single word such as relax, calm, peaceful.
- Enjoy a sound, restful and rejuvenating sleep each day. Take 5-10 long, slow, deep breaths when ready for sleep, in through your nose and out through your mouth. One at a time, imagine the various parts of your body relaxing, letting go, like all the bones have left your body, as if you are melting down. Have a long sleep to allow your body to renew.
- Your special time. Take some time each day as “me time” to do whatever makes you feel good. Sometimes I make something special to eat like fried banana with cinnamon, applesauce, homemade ice cream from mangos; rum balls from dates; having tea as I watch the ocean waves; read a book; watch an interesting documentary; exercise; a walk in nature. What appeals to you as a special “me time”?
- Gratitude. Be thankful for everything that you have. Do your legs work, your ears, your eyes? Do you have enough clothing for your needs? A bed to sleep in and enough food? A roof over your head? Are there people to talk to? Do you have a good amount of freedom in your country to do what you want to do? Many people do not enjoy some of these. If there are no airplanes flying over your head and dropping bombs, consider yourself fortunate. When you go to sleep and when you wake up, take a few seconds to think about how fortunate you are and for what you are blessed with in your life.
- Loving yourself: Are you patient, nurturing and loving to yourself? Are you as kind to yourself in words, thoughts and deeds as you are to others? Do you do unto yourself as you do unto others? Are you loving and kind to yourself with the daily thoughts you have going through your mind. Is your glass of life half full or half empty? Do you affirm uplifting thoughts to yourself to raise yourself up with encouragement? Mistakes, failures are only learning experiences to do far better in the future. Each is a step closer to success, the realization of a worthy goal. Focus upon thoughts of what you can do, not what you cannot do. Fortunately, we are all different and special with unique talents and abilities. Are you competitive with your partner or complimentary? Touch each part of your body, think about what it does for you and thank that part of your body for helping you throughout your life.
- Mirror: When brushing your teeth, applying make up or shaving in front of the mirror, stare deeply into the pupils of your eyes. As you do that, affirm several times: “I love myself. I am a good person. I love myself.” Do this at least once per day.
- Mind, body, spirit: Love yourself first and be in top shape in mind, body and spirit. Help yourself before others. When you are feeling healthy mentally, physically and emotionally, you have far more energy to give of yourself to help others … true happiness comes from helping others. When you help others, you can enjoy the pleasure of giving and uplifting others. In this way, you help yourself to love yourself; you forget your problems and feel joy and happiness. Looking after your mind, body and spirit is loving yourself.
- Back to nature: Be in awe with the sky, clouds, sun, rainbows, moon and stars above. Be joyful with the birds, animal friends, flowers, plants, trees, mountains, the breezes, oceans, sights, sounds and scents around you. Let the future and present fall behind you. Be present in the now and really feel alive in the magical beauty and sunshine that surrounds you. Be present and aware of the movement of your body. Sharpen your awareness to pick up the magic, the wonder and the miracles that are everywhere around you and you will find them. Want it, believe it, expect it. What you focus your mental energy upon is drawn towards you.
Mind Power Energy? When you are seated behind people, stare at the back one person’s head, at the level where the ear lobes are. Focus and concentrate on this one single thought as you stare where their brain is located. Think over and over: “Turn around, turn around, turn around.” Please let me know the results of your experiment.
Much of our life today is the result of past choices, work or lack of work, self-talk and attitudes from the past. Our future will be the result of the influences of those with whom we spend the most time, our choices, our work or lack of work, our self-talk and attitudes that we program in our mind today.
Press On
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” Calvin Coolidge, 30th U. S. President