Well, the holidays have come to a close and we have given all that we could to our loved ones. Whether we gave tangible gifts or gifts of presence, we have done all given gifts to others and it’s time we give some gifts to ourselves for the moment, don’t ya think?

Let’s take a moment as the year approaches its end and think about the ways we have served ourselves this past year. What have we done that has brought us joy? Is there something we can be doing better?

I wanna talk to you all today about gifts that we should be giving ourselves. If you already are great at giving yourselves these gifts, that is fantastic - keep doing so. If you read this list and think, “hmm, I could use some of that…” then that means you can use some of that, so start giving yourself what you need.

This 2021, let’s give ourselves the gifts of…

gratitude.

Start a self-love journal and at the end of each day write down three things that you are grateful for. Acknowledging the things and people in our lives that we appreciate helps us remember that we have so much to be thankful for, even on our low days when we may not think we do.

me-time.

This is how we protect our energy. I oftentimes hear people talking about toxic people and letting them go to protect our energy, but in reality, sometimes we need to carve out some me-time and let everyone go for an evening, a day, or a week. Whatever you need.

It is okay to say no to making plans. It is okay to say no without a reason - people do not always need to know what you are doing. Just because you don’t have formal plans does not mean you are available. Sometimes the plan is to sit and do nothing with yourself, and that’s okay.

Also, recharging is so necessary, especially for my introverts. I’m sure everyone had very busy holidays spending virtual quality time with friends and family and what seemed like back-to-back video chats and endless glasses of wine. Take some time for just you now.

mindfulness.

Meditating allows us to be present for ourselves. We are always offering up our energy and our presence to others and it is important to remember to schedule some time to do this for yourself, as well. Show up for you.

a healthy body.

How we treat our bodies is directly correlated to self-love. Take care of yourself! From what you put into your body to how you talk about your body to how many hours of sleep you give it - these are all important things we need to take into consideration. It’s not just exercising, although moving is also a key ingredient to a healthy body. But just remember it is all this other stuff, too. Be kind to your body, for it is the vessel that our soul needs to walk and change this Earth.

Also…holidays typically leave us very full of sugar and with high blood alcohol content. Time for a wee cleanse, perhaps.

self-confidence.

In your self-love journal at the end of each day you can also write three things that you are proud of for doing that today, and how you specifically made those happen.

For example, let’s say you set up a lovely video chat with a few of our friends - something as seemingly simple as that is something to be proud of, as you were responsible for connecting those lovely souls and without your organizational skills and desire to connect, that chat may never have happened. We do so many things we should be proud of everyday, but we only seem to celebrate the big ticket items, such as college graduations or big promotions at work… we tend to forget about other things that we should be proud of, and things that we deliver on a consistent basis. Go us!

Cheers to you all — may 2021 be full of self-love and joy.

In friendship,

~sage