6 Easy Steps to Practicing Self-Love in the Summer

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Welcome back to a new post!

This week I wanted to talk about how to practice self-love in the summer. I got inspired to do this because I recently got my first ever tattoo (took me long enough), and it was a quote I find myself having to repeat a lot: “You owe yourself the love you so freely give to others”.

We’re all really great at being kind, supportive, and empathetic to friends and family, but why can’t we do the same for ourselves, especially during difficult times? Why is self-love so difficult?

In an effort to improve my self-love, I got that quote tatted to remind myself that maybe if I treated myself how I treated others, I’d be a lot better off.

So in the spirit of loving ourselves, I wanted to touch on body insecurity, body confidence, and overall self-love in the summertime and how to make sure you stay body positive.

What is self-love?

This is actually a great question.  Is self-love the same as self-compassion, self-kindness, self-esteem, confidence, or body positivity? What are their differences? Can you use them interchangeably?

There are definitely a lot of words floating around in the community that seem to be used as if they mean the same thing, but these terms are all different.

Self-love is the act of being able to accept and love yourself for who you are.

Think of it as loving a romantic partner. Yes, they might have flaws and things you don’t like but at the end of the day, you thoroughly and wholeheartedly love them and wish the best for them. Self-love is doing that with yourself.

Self-compassion and self-kindness have to do with being patient, gentle, and kind to yourself in moments of failure or difficulty. Again, just as you would with loved ones around you.

Self-esteem, confidence, and body positivity have to do with being happy and proud of how you look physically, regardless of what society expects of you.

Why is self-love in the summer so important?

Raise your hand if you’ve ever heard of a “summer body”?

And raise your hand if you’ve ever tried to obtain said summer body every single summer only to fall into a pit of despair when you couldn’t achieve it because it’s not possible to lose that much weight in a healthy manner?

Let me guess, you raised your hand.

Every springtime, ads start blasting us with new programs, diets, teas, and pills to help us achieve our summer bodies. We’re constantly being fed that our bodies are not good enough and that we need to improve them.

But this is all just a marketing scheme to keep you feeling upset about your body so that you’ll give all these companies money to “fix you” so you can be summer-ready.

And so the self-hating cycle begins where you think the way you are is not sufficient, so you start trying to improve it only to come out the same but much more depressed.

And this cycle doesn’t just end when summer is over. It continues on into the winter where big sweaters can hide some of the guilt you feel, but it doesn’t go away.

This cycle can lead to eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and so much more.

That is why it’s so important to work extra hard on your self-love in the summer. So without further ado, here are my top tips for practicing self-love in the summer!

1. Stay away from triggering media

You know all those “Insta baddies” you follow that use Facetune and Photoshop to achieve their beautiful pictures? Unfollow them.

You know all those family members that constantly nag you to lose weight? Don’t follow them or talk to them.

All those beauty magazines in the waiting room at the doctor? Ignore them.

Those ads you keep getting? Keep on scrollin’.

One of the main reasons so many people have body issues in the summer is because of media and what the media presents to us as beautiful. And as much as we like to think we don’t get impacted, we actually do.

By getting rid of the source of these ideals, you’re giving yourself the opportunity to not have to interact with this type of negative media.

*just as a little side note here, I’m not hating on skinny, tanned, toned models. I think they are absolutely beautiful and I don’t stand for skinny-shaming just as much as I don’t stand for fat-shaming. I just want to point out that these models are all we see as they are considered the normal and the ideal, which can negatively impact people who do not look like that*

2. Find inspiring, body-positive media

Instead of following people that trigger your self-hatred, instead, follow people that inspire you, make you feel good, and impact you in a positive way.

There are many body-positive blogs and influencers out there that are posting content that doesn’t promote any of these fads or beauty standards.

There are also many workout channels that discourage unhealthy eating habits and instead promote a balanced, healthy lifestyle.

So depending on what you wanna see on your feed or recommendations, do some research and find some positive people to follow!

3. Journal for self-love in the summer

I always talk about journaling but the reason I do is because it’s so amazing.

Taking some time to journal specifically for self-love can be a great way to connect to yourself, take some time to reflect, and improve your thought patterns and behaviors.

By writing instead of just thinking to yourself, the connection becomes stronger in your brain and it also allows you to look back and see patterns.

You can either do this on your own with a blank journal or by using a guided journal.

Alternatively, if you want to use a blank journal but need some inspiration, you can read my post on journal prompts for self-love.

4. Make a list of all your good traits

Whenever you’re in a good, positive mood, I want you to sit yourself down and make a list of everything that’s great about you.

These things can be physical or not. It could be your beautiful smile or how contagious your laugh is. It can be absolutely anything you like about yourself!

The reason I want you to do this when you’re in a good mood is that you’ll be more likely to name more things vs if you’re in a tired or bad mood.

You can decorate this list or keep it clean and simple, it’s totally up to you so make it your own! And it’s okay if you can’t finish the list all at once. Feel free to take as long as you need to complete your list.

But once you’ve finished it, I want you to set it aside.

The next time that you’re going into a downward spiral of self-hate, I want you to pull the list out and read it over.

Read it over once. Read it over twice. Read it over a hundred times. Read it over as many times as you need until you start pulling yourself out of that rut.

And of course, you’re going to want to rip this list up and reject it, but continue reading it.

Let this list remind you that yes, you don’t feel good about yourself RIGHT NOW, but that you yourself know that you have great qualities about you. You know this because you wrote it down!

And of course, this might not make you automatically feel any better, but reminding yourself that there are amazing things about you even if you can’t see them at that moment is really important for practicing self-love.

5. Surround yourself with positive people

Growing up, I was constantly being reminded by those around me of my weight, how I looked, how I DIDN’T look, and all of that took a huge toll on me.

Now that I’m older, I have become much more particular about who I surround myself with.

I’ve found that by being around people that are body-positive and are always supportive and kind towards myself and others, I’ve become much happier and more comfortable in my own skin.

Who you surround yourself with truly makes a difference as we’re pack animals and we thrive on praise from our pack.

So make sure to only be around people who inspire you, and help you to grow into the happiest and best version of yourself.

6. Start your morning on a positive note

Have you ever woken up and from the moment you opened your eyelids you felt like a chicken with its head cut off running around? Everything is going wrong and you feel like a mess.

How good are you going to feel about yourself at that moment? Yeah, not great.

So it’s really important to start your day on a mindful and good note so that you can set yourself up for success.

You can do this in SO many ways. You could meditate, do yoga, set aside some time to read, change your alarm to a song you love, make yourself a nice breakfast, and so, so, so much more!

Personally, I always like doing yoga in the morning and getting ready to songs that inspire me and make me feel happy and confident.

One of my favorites to get ready to is Juice by Lizzo. If that song is playing, you best bet I’m gonna have an amazing day and feel super confident!

So find what it is for you that will help you to feel extra good in the morning. Not only will it help improve your self-love, but it’s an act of self-care!

Summery

See what I did there? Instead of doing summAry I did summEry cause we’re talking about summer. Ha! Wow, I’m so funny.

Either way, summer can be a really hard time for dealing with body image and trying to not let ourselves fall into a hole of self-hatred.

I hope all of these tips have been helpful and may have inspired you to practice self-love in the summer more. If they have, I hope they make your summer that much more enjoyable.

Now, these have been my top tips, but do you have any? Let me know in the comments below!

All my love,

T