Loving Yourself Inside Out!

Heyy !

Welcome to day two of Don'tBurstMyBubble's Self-Love Week ! Yesterday we talked about what self-love actually is, why it's important and some common misconceptions about it. If you missed that then you can find it here :) Today I wanted to talk about little changes you can make to things like your diet, exercise regime and sleep routine to make you feel happier from the inside out !

Self-love is at least 50% an inside job involving things such as healthy eating. But this can go one of two ways. One is really positive and an act of self love and the other ..well, isn't ! It's really important you choose the right way and it's pretty easy to tell the difference.

Starting healthy eating should not start with you standing on the scales crying " Oh my gosh I hate myself , I'm fat and ugly and I'm never going to eat Chinese takeaway again " that's definitely not what we're taking about . You're worth way more than that . This should start with "I love and accept my body so I will give it the nutrients that it needs to stay healthy and perform at its best "

This is nothing to do with losing weight, that isn't what self-love is about. It's about accepting your body and allowing yourself to be happy, stop judging yourself and to see the beauty that I'm sure people often point out to you and almost as often you brush off. We're going to stop that because you deserve those compliments and you should feel like you can accept them :)

So how can you get there ? Here's a few tips !

Inside

Meditate ! It's a great way to increase mindfulness which means you'll be more aware of all the good little things in your day that could make you so happy, but regularly go unnoticed! There are some great free apps around for guided meditations .. especially if you're like me and have no idea what you're doing hehe :) Try "Calm" it's a great app where you can choose either 2, 5 or 10 minute guided meditations or a 7 Day's of Calm ! All for free :) You can also get extra meditation options if you pay each month .

If you can tempt yourself out of bed ( I know it's hard ) then you could try doing even just twenty minutes walking on the running machine to get you up and raring to go for the day ahead ! But, if you really can't drag yourself from under the warm haven of your duvet twenty minutes earlier, try doing a few stretches each morning like you would when warming up for the gym ! I guarantee you'll feel way more energised :)

Get LOTS of sleep ! It's super easy to find negativity in everything when you're tired and lets be honest grumpy. With barely enough energy to function, you're not going to be feeling at your best. I recently decided to start having early nights and scheduling about half an hour of wind down time before I sleep. I turn my phone off and read but you could colour, listen to calming music, whatever takes your fancy !

Up your water intake. We all know that we should be drinking around 8 glasses a day ... we also all know that we probably don't do that ;) Try increasing it a little at a time. At first make sure you drink two 500ml bottles or four glasses and then add a little more each day ! You'll be more hydrated, feel better physically, have better focus and it will help your skin stay healthy. What's not to love ?

Try to eat a lil bit healthier ! I always feel much better about myself when I know I'm giving my body the nutrients it needs :) I few of my go to favourites are stirfrys, stuffed peppers and pasta salad. If you'd like to see some recipes for healthy meals up on this blog then let me know in the comments ! It's something I'd love to try out doing ! On the same note, eat when you're hungry .. until you're full. Eating little and often is seriously underrated. It saves you from feeling hungry or bloated. Neither make you feel great about yourself :)

Outside

Cleanse, tone and moisturise your face each morning ! I always find it make me feel really refreshed and awake . It doesn't have to be expensive ( I used boots own range for years . They're always on 3 for two and they're only £1.50 each, making it £3.00 for a full set ) or if you're willing to splash out a little more; I recommend Liz Earle's Young Skin Try Me Kit for around £24.75 . It makes your skin feel super clean and soft. Plus, the moisturiser smells gorgeous !

Have a go to outfit that never fails to make you feel beautiful, for those days when you're feeling pretty crappy. For me this is a skater skirt and stripy top or my Lacy white top and Dark blue acid wash jeans.

What makes you feel good when you're feeling crappy ? How do you give yourself a confidence boost ? Do you have anymore ideas for how to feel good from the inside out ? Let me know in the comments !

I hope you're having a brilliant day and if not, I hope it gets better :) Check back tomorrow for lots of inspirational quotes all about self-love !

Stay Strong <3 Stay Smiley :)

Lots of love, Marianne xxx

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