Share This Article
“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do and liking how you do it,” this quote by Maya Angelou speaks volumes, especially now. Practicing self-love can be challenging for many of us, even more challenging when times are tough for everyone, like they are now. It’s hard to find the positivity in all the negativity, however the best place to start is with yourself. It’s not about being self-absorbed or narcissistic, it’s about getting in touch with ourselves, our well-being and our happiness.
Clere, a long-time advocate and supporter of self-love, and strong, independent women, understands that self-love, the purest form of love, should be celebrated, always, and the best time to start is now, during Women’s Month.
Su-Marie Annandale, Clere brand manager, shares some valuable tips to help you practice self-love from today:
Start each day by telling yourself something positive. It could be how well you handled a situation, or how good your hair looks today, anything that will make you smile will help get your day started on a positive note.
Move your body every day, even if it’s just a five-minute dance session in the living room, and learn to love the skin you’re in. Learning to love the skin you’re in sometimes needs a little outside help; Clere’s Triple Glycerine formulation is all the help you need. It offers three times the Glycerine for the intense moisture your skin will love, in Rich Musk lotion and crème and, Cocoa Butter, Lanolin & Glycerine and Smoothing Avocado Milk lotions variants.
Surround yourself with people who love and encourage you. Let them remind you just how amazing you are.
Stop the comparisons. There is no one on this planet like you, so you cannot fairly compare yourself to someone else. The only person you should compare yourself to is you.
Celebrate your wins no matter how big or small. Pat yourself on the back and be proud of what you have achieved.
Realise that beauty cannot be defined. It is what you see it as. Even super models aren’t perfect in real life. As actress Tracee Ellis Ross says, “I need to see my own beauty and to continue to be reminded that I am enough, that I am worthy of love without effort, that I am beautiful, that the texture of my hair and that the shape of my curves, the size of my lips, the colour of my skin, and the feelings that I have are all worthy and okay.”
Follow your passion. You know that thing that gets you so excited but scares you at the same time, the thing you really want to do but have convinced yourself it won’t work. You should do just that.
Be patient but persistent. Self-love is ever evolving. It’s something that needs to be practiced daily but can take a lifetime to master. So be kind and support yourself through the hard times.
Treat others with love and respect. It makes us feel better about ourselves when we treat others the way we want to be treated. That doesn’t mean everybody will always repay the favour, but that’s their problem not yours.
Reach out to family, friends, a therapist, whoever you need to help you through the tough times. You are not expected to go through them alone.
Learn to say ‘no.’ Saying no sometimes doesn’t make you a bad person, it makes you a smart person.
Write it down. Is your head swimming with so many thoughts you feel as if you’re drowning? Write them all down on a piece of paper, no matter how crazy, mean, sad, or terrifying they are. Keep it in a journal, tear it up, burn it, whatever you need to do to let them go.
Turn off and inwards. Grab a cup of tea or coffee and sit down for a few minutes on your own. No TV or distractions, just you. Think about the wonderful things that are happening in your life right now, what your big dreams are and how you can make them happen.
Be realistic. There is no person on this earth that is happy every single moment of every single day. We are all human. We make mistakes, we feel emotions (good and bad) and this is okay. Allow yourself to be human.
“Where there is a woman there is magic.” — Ntozake Shange
Clere’s range of lotions and crèmes offer four unique formulations (Tissue Oil and Pure Glycerine, Triple Glycerine, Pure Glycerine Crème and Glycerine Gel), all available in different fragrances and catering to the different skin needs of each consumer. These are Cocoa Butter, Tropical Coconut, Lanolin & Glycerine, Avocado Milk, Powder Fresh, Rich Musk, Vanilla Honey Cream and Berries & Cream.
All four Clere skincare formulations provide 48-hour moisturisation and contain Vitamins E & A. The Clere range of crèmes and lotions are available at all leading retailers at a cost of R34.99 and R21.99, respectively.