Self love is the foundation upon which all other love is built.  The more you love yourself and practice self care, the more you are able to love others and feel loved. Self care improves immunity, increases positive thinking and reduces stress, depression and anxiety.  These emotional responses to self care are reflected in our physical health as well.  Here are some easy ways to practice self care in daily routine.

Tell yourself something positive every morning.  

Start your morning with a positive thought or mantra. The first few moments you wake can set the tone for your entire day. It can be something as simple as “woohoo, I’m alive again today!” You can work on self esteem issues you may struggle with and your morning mantra can be, “I am beautiful, I am loved”.
Whatever it is that makes you feel good, say it to yourself every morning. Say it several times and really mean it. It’s amazing what the mind can do and telling yourself positive thoughts can truly transform your emotions and get you off to a good start. 

Fuel your body with healthy food.

Start your day off with a healthy breakfast.  Avoid sugary carbs such as doughnuts, pancakes and sweetened cereals.  Try a smoothie, it's quick and delicious and easy to add dark leafy greens which are packed with nutrients shown to improve circulation and skin. Add nutritional supplements like mushroom powder, seeds and dried superfoods.

Pamper yourself with natural skin care products.

Establish a healthy skin care routine.  Start your day off right by cleansing your skin and moisturizing with natural products made with real ingredients you can feel good about using on your skin.  Healthy skin care products can make you feel beautiful inside and out.

Surround yourself with those who love and encourage you.

Surround yourself with people who support, live and encourage you. Let go of those who are negative and selfish. Those you spend your time with can influence your mood. When you surround yourself with positive people, you’re more likely to feel positive yourself.

Take a walk. 

It can be soul soothing and absorb a little nature and fresh air while getting your blood flowing and toning muscles.  Walking has been shown to boost your mood and improve your energy level.

Let go of your mistakes and flaws.  

Be kind to yourself.  It's easy to allow your mind to race about mistakes you've made or your perceived flaws. Forgive yourself for any mistakes and let go of negative feelings.  Forgiveness allows you to foster your self esteem and confidence.

Take time for yourself 

It's important to allow yourself time to be alone or at peace with something that's not work and not demanding or stressful. Get out in nature, even if it's sitting in your backyard with your dog or spend 20 minutes in the bath with no interruptions.

Take a bath 

Take a warm bath with fragrant oils or a fragrant bath bomb. Taking a bath not only relaxes the body, it relaxes and soothes the mind. Using essential oils or pampering yourself with a fizzy bath bomb and natural soap adds a therapeutic element to the experience.

Drink a cup of hot herbal tea before bed.

There's something special about holding a warm cup and smelling the herbal concoction in the rising steam.  With so many great herbal tea blends, it's easy to find a therapeutic tea for any issue such as stress, sleep or detoxifying.  Make it a nightly routine.

Be grateful.  

It's easy to feel stressed about things that aren't going your way in life but there's always something to be grateful for.  Practice the grateful ABC's by naming one thing you're thankful for with each letter of the alphabet.