“I would like to be known as an intelligent woman, a courageous woman, a loving woman, a woman who teaches by being” – Maya Angelou
Over the years, I have developed a passion for women’s health. As I learn more about my own body, mind and soul, I am inspired to support other women on their journey towards embracing their health and wellness.
Truthfully, it’s a bit of a rabbit hole. Women’s health is complicated. As women, we are complex creatures – between our emotions, bodies and minds, it’s hard to achieve balance. But sometimes we get in our heads and we make it more complicated than it already is. If you’re struggling with your health, or you find that you can’t get motivated to create healthy habits, the answer may be very simple.
All you need is love.
Love is the foundation and core of women’s health – specifically, love for one’s self. We are constantly reminded that we aren’t good enough the way we are. For example, we need to lose those 10 pounds, or we need to get botox injections to relieve those pesky wrinkles. We need to be sensitive, but strong; kind, but assertive. No wonder we’re all so confused, anxious, stressed and unbalanced. We’re expected to be something we’re not, or we’re expected to be two different people all of the time. We’re never told that it’s okay to be ourselves, as we are, right now.
We don’t know who we are, or who we need to be.
Love is the very core of being a healthy woman, or a healthy person in general. You and I both need more love in our lives in order to achieve optimal health. We need love for our:
- Mind: the beautiful and complex space in your head that processes, thinks, and feels.
- Insecurities: they are only insecurities because you perceive them to be, not because they’re a flaw.
- Body: exactly as your body is right now, because it provides the vessel for life and is essential to your existence.
- Soul: you are unique, one-of-a-kind, and without you there’s a void in this world.
The one thing many of us are missing in this life is love.
And I’m not talking about a romantic-partner-type-love. I’m talking love for ourselves. Your love for yourself. My love for myself. The key to women’s health is self-love.
Without love, all we have is pain, sadness, frustration, insecurity, failure and stress; but none of these feelings are healthy when they’re constant. Love brings out happiness, support, encouragement, enlightenment, and balance. We thrive on these feelings and we all need more of them in our lives. To really, truly embrace health, women must love themselves first.
How do we bring more self-love into our life?
1 | Take a moment and write down 20 things that you love about yourself – physical, emotional, and spiritual. Keep the list of 20 things with you and refer to it when you’re feeling inadequate, sad, and not enough.
2 | Integrate more self-care into your life. I talk more about self-care in this post, where I explore why self-care is so important and 7 different self-care practices. If you would like to learn how meditation might help, check out this post.
3 | Explore positive affirmations. Keep them posted in key places where you may need a reminder, like on your mirror or as the background on your computer or phone.
4 | Remove those things that make you feel crappy. Throw out your scale and get rid of those pants from 10 years ago that you dream to fit into. It’s not about losing weight to feel good again, rather it’s about feeling good as you are today, and then allowing yourself permission to be healthy. If that means losing weight in a healthy way, bonus!
5 | Surround yourself with supportive friends who love you as you. Because when you’re with them you’ll be reminded how awesome you are. They will bring out the best in you, and you’ll leave feeling amazing in your skin. In addition to positive affirmations, these living, breathing humans will serve as a reminder of your beauty.
6 | Talk to someone if you need to. Oftentimes our lack of self-love comes from some deeply rooted experiences and beliefs that we hold. I know this to be true, from experience, and I have never been ashamed of speaking to a professional about mental or emotional blocks that might be holding me back. It takes time to find the right person to trust, but once you find them their insight is gold. Never let your fear of judgement stand in the way of finally being happy and healthy.
