Ask Others, Trust Yourself by Elisa Balabram

Cape May 2013

Body Gratitude Meditation

Take some time today to do a body gratitude meditation. During this time, make sure to practice self-love: keep your mind clear of any self-judgment you may carry towards any part of your body; put those thoughts on hold, at least for this meditation.

It may take five to ten minutes, and it requires you to lie down on your back, and start simply by breathing deeply, and imagining that you are in your favorite place in nature. Then, focus your attention on your feet, send love to them and thank them for the part they play in your life. Then, move on to your legs, send them loving energy and thank them. Keep going until you have taken at least a moment to thank and send love to all parts of your body. If

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Eat Mindfully

Today’s self-love challenge requires you to eat mindfully.

My version of eating mindfully includes choosing what we eat wisely, and before eating, setting an intention that the food we are about to eat will nourish our body and provide the nutrients it needs. It also requires that we do not eat watching TV or in front of the computer, but that we sit down and eat peacefully with intention and without interruption.

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Laughter with Friends

Today’s self-love challenge is an addition to the "day 3" challenge – laughter. Today’s challenge asks that you actually invite family and/or friends to laugh together. Each person can share a joke, show a video or tell a funny story. If you can’t meet anyone in person, maybe you could exchange jokes on the phone or via Skype.

My little sister and I always find things to laugh about and sometimes we just remind each other of old stories. A few years ago when she was visiting, we had dinner at a Japanese restaurant by my house. When it came time for dessert, we decided to try mochi ice cream. Neither of us had ever tried it before and we ordered the green tea flavor. After we ordered it and before it came, I told her “I don’t really like green tea.” And

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Get Your Body Moving

Today’s self-love challenge is for you to move your body, even if it’s only a 5-minute activity. The goal today is not necessarily to get in shape or healthy, (although of course it won’t hurt either), but to practice even deeper self-love. When deciding how you are going to create your body movement today, think of the exercises and movements that create the most joy for you. Make sure to choose something fun. If you already have a daily exercise routine, think of something that you don’t usually do, but that you love doing and go for it.

Here are some suggestions:

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Remind Yourself to Breathe Deeply

The self-love challenge today is to remind yourself to breathe deeply every time you remember. I have learned to practice taking a few deep breaths when I’m going through stressful situations, or when I can’t stop the mind chatter. I just take a few deep breaths, at least three, and it helps me to reconnect to myself and to refocus. It is simple and yet, it always makes a difference.

When I’m going through situations that I know deep breathing could help, I make a point to have a few reminders:  I write “breathe” on a post-it and leave it on my computer monitor; and I schedule a reminder on my iPhone that alerts me every other hour with the word “breathe”. If you need reminders, post a note on your computer screen, or set up an alarm, so that you can take a few moments to breathe deeply today.

Let me know if you needed the reminders and if reminding yourself to breathe deeply made a difference in your day.

Connect with your heart 

Today’s self-love challenge requires that you take some time to go inward. I recorded this meditation in case you would like additional guidance. Before listening to the meditation, set the intention that the answer will come to you with ease.

Click here to listen: Meditation

If you prefer not to listen to the guided meditation, take a few deep breaths, connect with your heart space, and then ask your Higher Self, "What can I do today as part of my self-love daily practice?" Or "How Can I Practice Self-love today?" Don’t think too much, write down the first thing that comes to mind, and then schedule some time today to do it. If you are not sure of the answer, how would like to treat yourself today?

Feel free to post what came up for you here, we can all use inspiration from each other!

Give Someone a Compliment

The self-love challenge today is to compliment someone else. It can be someone you know or a stranger, you choose. When complimenting someone make sure to:

• Speak from the heart and really mean it, it makes a huge difference.
• Be specific. Here are some suggestions: “This report is the most thorough to date, I like how you incorporated what we discussed last week.” “You have really grown since I met you, and you are so much grounded and calm, it feels wonderful to be near you.” “You are so talented and creative; your artwork touched my heart and inspired me to create as well.”
• Be authentic – and say something that is truthful but not necessarily expected.

By giving someone a compliment, you will receive it back by knowing that you brighten their day. Make sure to carry this warmth feeling of making a difference in someone's life, for the rest of the day.

Let me know how you feel after you give someone a compliment.

Listen to Uplifting Music

Congratulations on making to day 7 of the self-love challenge! If you are joining us today, you can catch up by reading the previous posts here.

Today during your commute, or when you have a break, take time to listen to songs that are uplifting. You could search for your favorite musicians on Youtube.com, or organize a folder on iTunes of your favorite and most loving songs, and then let it play on repeat for a little while. I recommend that you choose songs that are really uplifting and empowering. Here are two songs by two wonderful musicians that I enjoy listening to and singing along as part of my self-love practice:

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Amazon July 2006

Unplug for Two Hours

Today’s challenge may require some effort from some of us going through the self-love challenge.

In 2006 I had the opportunity to visit my sister when she was living in Amazonas. We stayed three days in a lodge in the Amazon jungle with no Wi-Fi, no cell phone connection, no TV or contact to the outside world. It took a little while to adjust but it turned out to be an incredible opportunity to be fully present and to enjoy the majestic and beautiful rain forest. Granted that it was before social media, but I think we both could have handled a few days without it. I had never seen so many shades of green in my life.

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Treat yourself to…

Today is day 5 of the self-love challenge. Have you experienced any shifts so far? Have you been able to commit to one self-love activity each day? When you feel like there is no time to practice one of the daily suggestions, I suggest going back to the day 1 challenge, and hugging yourself for one minute. It is only one minute, and it can make a huge difference in your day.

What would you like to treat yourself to? What’s something that you plan to do when there is a special occasion that you could actually do it for yourself today? How about getting a massage, taking a bath, getting your nails done at a nice spa, meditating, or even simply taking a nap? If you need to reach out for help, (someone to babysit, or look out for the business, or anything else you are scheduled to do today, or order lunch),  so that you can have the time for yourself, ask for help! and take an hour today to take care of yourself and treat you to something special.

Let us know what you choose to treat yourself to today.