Self-Love for All Ages

Before we moved I went through my old magazines and ripped out pages with images and phrases for my inspiration board. One quote in particular resonated with me, and I tore it out to thumbtack to my board:

"Look in the mirror every day and start telling yourself that you love and approve of yourself." Tiffany Haddish said it. And many seemingly self-assured, successful women are echoing the same sentiment. The credo reminded me of encouraging words by motivational author Louise Hay, wellness influencer Melissa Wood and writer Jen Sincero. All (and countless others) have touted the benefits of affirmations.

Louise Hay in particular is famous for her affirmations. Front and center on her website is: "I am comfortable looking in the mirror, saying, 'I love you, I really love you.'"

These are new words to live by for me. I may be a self-assured, grown up woman but I'm full of self-doubt at times. I want to raise my girls to be more self-assured. I wish for them to  be unwavering in their self-esteem and self-love. Often Liv and I talk about what we're grateful for. It's so gratifying to hear her say that she is grateful for herself. Now I just need to practice what I preach. I've been faking it till I make it, trying to lead by example. 

The other night as Liv brushed her teeth I looked in the mirror and started singing about how I love myself. Liv was eager to join in and insisted on climbing up on the sink lip, her worn-in ballet slippers gripping the counter, her princess skirt swaying. We looked at ourselves in the mirror and sang about how we love ourselves. 

Do affirmations feel ridiculous at first? Yes, absolutely. But so do most things we do with our kids. So might as well model self-love.

AES