I was at the gym, in the ladies locker room after teaching a class.
As I was gathering my stuff to go, I saw her staring at her reflection.
A lovely, accomplished woman I knew and deeply cared for was looking at herself in the mirror. Then, with pain and irritation in her voice, she looked into her own eyes and said:
"Oooohhhh, I just HATE you!"
It was several years ago, yet I still feel sadness and pain when I remember it.
How do you feel when you gaze upon yourself in the mirror?
As I shared last week, I want to build up my self-love muscle. And, today I'm adding a new exercise to strengthen it.
Wanna try it with me?
I learned this workout many years ago from the great teachings of Louise Hay...and it only takes one minute.
Here's how we're going to do it:
Stand in front of the mirror, look into your own eyes, take a deep breath and say
"I love you."
Too challenging? Try, "I am completely lovable" or "I am willing to let life love me today".
The mirror reflects back to us the feelings we have about ourselves. What do you see? Resistance? Or openness? Resentment or contentment? Do you see love and trust...or contempt and criticism?
The first few times I tried this exercise, it was a real challenge. Some days are still harder than others, but I feel myself getting stronger day by day.
When our self-love muscle is strong, everything in our life improves. We're happier, healthier, lighter, calmer, more grounded, confident and on purpose.
And self love activates a more profound level of self care.
True self care means treating yourself like someone you love.
I have spent the last couple of years building a foundation to strengthen my own self-love muscle and help you learn how to do so, too. This mirror exercise is a great place to start.
This week, try to give yourself at least 5 minutes of gratitude, appreciation and self care every day. 5 minutes of doing nothing. 5 minutes of getting grounded. Take a walk, a strut or a stroll. Breathe. Belt it out. Do something you love. Speak kindly to yourself. You're worth 5 minutes of your own love and attention.
Share with me how you feel about this mirror exercise. I sincerely want to know.