5 Steps to Self Love and Sweet Vanilla Lavender Smoothie Recipe

“No matter how hard one searched one could not find anyone in the Universe more deserving of love than oneself.”

 ~Buddha

(A drawing I did in Kindergarden)

My friend Jillian and I had a really interesting conversation about self love the other night. We were pondering- at what point did we start not loving ourselves fully and how did this happen? I have noticed that I often judge myself, my actions, my thoughts, and my body image especially, whether I'm 140lbs or 100lbs, I don't think I've ever looked in the mirror and been pleased with the whole package. And this is silly because I KNOW that I am perfect and exactly where I need to be in this moment... so why do these thoughts still pop in my head? 

I don't know exactly how or when this started for me but looking back at this drawing from kindergarden I do know that at one point I honestly loved myself, so I must be able to get back there. I have been on a journey of self-discovery over the past year, obsessed with self-growth books and quotes, cleaning up my diet and relationships with others, meditation and breathwork, past-life analysis, even travelling solo to Sedona on a spiritual journey... anything positive and explorative where I can get to know myself better on all levels, mind, body, spirit. We have to know oneself to truly love oneself, all of our blessings and gifts as well as our flaws. It's a little harder than I thought it would be, it seems like such a simple concept....to love oneself. So why is it so difficult?...  

I have found that there are many factors, my limiting beliefs, past experiences, and the EGO to name a few. From time-to-time the Ego twerps in and tells me that I am being conceited, 'Who do you think you are?' 'Do you think your better than others?'  I have felt guilty, as I have pulled away from some of my friends and isolated myself at times. But I am striving to dedicate myself to to an honest self-evatluation with a goal of self-acceptance, recognizing both my blessings AND my flaws, acknowledging and working on both equally. Working on both, I reassure myself that I am not being conceited and that I should probably let go of what others may think of me anyways. The more I love myself and my decisions the less it matters what others think of them. 

I'm nowhere near complete and total self love, but I'm working on it. Everyday. This is what I have learned and been working on so far:

1.  Focus on your positive attributes. Release any judgements or negative thoughts you may have about your mind, body, or spirit, finding any way you can to fall in love with yourself. *Example: you can't look in the mirror and say I am the perfect weight if you don't believe it. The twerps in your head 'yeah right' and you believe you are lying to yourself. But you CAN choose to focus on things that you do love about yourself and believe to be true, like 'I have beautiful eyes.' And be grateful for your beautiful eyes that can see the beauty in this world. Focusing on these positives help lead you towards the goal of total self love. 

2.  Know that you are here for a reason. Each one of us was put on Earth for our own individual reason. No one else can do what you are meant to do, or be as amazing as you are. So rock it! If you don't know your purpose - follow your passions, what makes you happy, what makes you loose track of time - this will lead you to your purpose. You don't have to be able to articulate it or put it into a sentence,  just know that what you are doing makes you happy and you are on the right path.  

3. Accept and love others.  Someone who cannot accept and love themselves will find it challenging to accept and love others fully and sincerely. We are all One. We are not separate from anyone or anything else. The process of loving yourself includes knowing and feeling yourself as One with all 'others', and loving all 'others'.  Be aware of where you place judgements upon the people in your life as it is a reflection of something you may fear or need to work on within yourself. At the same time don't be too hard on yourself for these thoughts/feelings of judgement - simply take note of your thoughts and direct them inward to see where you may need work on your personal journey. 

4.  Self-forgiveness.  We all know that we should forgive others but what about ourselves? It can be one of the hardest tasks to truly forgive oneself and let go. But know that you are perfect and exactly where you need to be right now in this moment. All things have led you here to be your best self and if you are facing a challenge/crisis, know that within every challenge lies opportunity to grow and expand. Think about what you may consider to be past mistakes and find the good, the lesson within and that will help you let go, forgive and move on.  

5.  Ask yourself: What would someone that loves them self do? 

I got this from a video by Ask Teal and it has been an amazing tool. It has helped me in all sorts of situations- dealing with food, relationships and life in general. Asking what would someone that loves them self do is the easy part - following through with the answer from your inner guidance may take some practice, buy hey, you've got to start somewhere right?!

Check out Ask Teal's video on how to lose weight here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzJiMp-P_lY

Sweet Vanilla Lavender Smoothie

I was so excited to find lavender growing at the lake, so I brought a bunch home. The lavender pairs really well the vanilla in this heavenly smoothie. It was my first time using dried lavender in a recipe and I am very pleased with the aromatic taste. Lavender is good for relieving anxiety and stress, and can be beneficial to the respiratory tract in particular coughs, colds, and influenza. 

Sweet Vanilla Lavender Smoothie
Ingredients:
3 bananas
1-2 frozen bananas
1/2 cup of filtered water
1/2 tsp vanilla powder
1 tsp dried lavender leaves

*Blend all ingredients together and enjoy sipping your sweet, relaxing smoothie. 

**Optional, you can also add frozen blueberries but I find they slightly overpower the taste of the lavender.

Thanks for reading lovelies!

Lots of love and fresh squeezed hugs,

Naturally Ashley

www.naturallyashley.com
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