The Five Love Languages of Self Care
Content Courtesy of the Forever Young Podcast with Christiana Egi and Cherrie-Marie Chiu.
You may remember we talked about Dr. Chapman's Five Love Languages a few weeks ago right around Valentine's Day. On today’s episode of the Forever Young podcast, we discussed implementing the five love languages on our own, as a form of self-care. We always talk about focusing on ourselves on this podcast and what better way to do it than implementing the five love languages to your own relationship with yourself! Listen to the full podcast below or keep reading on to find out more:
“If you cannot love yourself, you cannot love another”.
You may have heard this quote before, or that you cannot harvest without planting first. Miracles don't just happen but there is a certain amount of work required on your end to make your dreams and goals a reality. The idea of implementing love languages in your own life can help you develop a positive mindset and allow you to have a more compassionate and open heart towards others.
It is always a good idea to develop deeper connections with ourselves, don't you think?
For those of our friends who missed that episode around Valentine's Day, about Dr. Gary Chapman's five love languages, we invite you to please circle back and take a listen. But here's a short recap. So the five love languages, are the five different ways that we express and receive love. They are, words of affirmation, quality, time receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch.
Let's dive right in on using the five love languages on ourselves. So the first love language is words of affirmation. Words of affirmation encourage, appreciate, and empathize with others. So how can we do this with ourselves?
Journaling can be one method of affirming oneself. Recording your wins, writing out what you are grateful for, or even doing verbal affirmations can allow you to see yourself in a more positive light. Journaling can help clear your head and also will enable you to think about different perspectives on your situation. Even using your faith and relationship with God can help balance and will allow you to feel complete. You must always have fuel in your tank before you give or share. If you are always down, encouraging or appreciating someone else can be hard. Start by looking into ways to affirm yourself and what feels most comfortable to you. Say it out loud because when you speak it, your mind hears it, the universe hears it and God hears it and blesses you for it. They always say your brain is listening so it really helps that you affirm yourself in that way.
The next love language is quality time. This love language is about spending uninterrupted time with one another while being focused and present with each other. This can be through conversation, maybe during mealtime. Spending quality time with yourself is so important, especially these days when we are tied to our phones and can get easily distracted. The best way to spend time with yourself is to set your phone aside and take part in an activity that doesn't require the use of technology or another person. This could be painting, doing a puzzle, and even self-care activities like taking a bath or doing a face mask.
Self-care can also come in the form of taking a class or putting more effort into a hobby. This could be an activity like pottery or hot yoga!
Another love language is acts of service. People who consider this their top love language may feel validated through the gestures and efforts of other people. It could be as simple as lending a helping hand, making breakfast or even just asking them to relax while you pamper them for the day. Anything that helps you help yourself would be a great act of service for yourself. An act of service for yourself can be structuring your day around finishing harder tasks first in order to get them out of the way. This can help you celebrate small wins and allows you to make the most of your day.
The next love language is gift-giving. Being intentional and thoughtful in the gifts you give someone who appreciates this love language will take you far. You can do this for yourself by buying yourself a treat every now and then or even playtime with your pets. There are many ways to gift yourself in ways that are intentional for you.
The last love language is physical touch. It is a non-verbal way of expressing our love and cares to others. If you listened to the previous podcast, Christiana and Cherrie discussed how we need to be cautious of this love language because not all people will appreciate physical touch - always ask for permission. Physical touch such as hugging can send a very encouraging message and is proven to help lift up one’s mood. All humans need physical touch as we are social beings, which makes it essential!
You can enjoy physical touch on your own by wrapping a blanket around yourself on a warm day, giving yourself an at-home facial or massage to relax, applying a hair mask, and more. It is important to take care of yourself through the love language of touch as it helps your blood flow and overall health as well! Next time you do a face or hair mask at home, be more intentional about how your touch is affecting your body.
It is always a great reminder to love ourselves and also to be able to give love to others. Many of the examples we discussed are simple and easy to implement. They don't have to be grand gestures but even the smallest gesture of buying yourself a nice coffee or going out in the day can be great ways to show yourself some love!
We sometimes pour so much into others that we forget to care for ourselves until we are completely drained. Remember to take time for yourself and for the things you enjoy doing. We cannot give to others from an empty cup, so make sure yours is full first!
The Forever Young podcast was created and produced by Christiana Egi and Cherrie Marie Chiu. Produced and engineered by Elisse Hill. The podcast represents our opinions and those of our guests. The content should not be taken as medical advice. It is for informational purposes only. Please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions. If you like our show, please tell your friends and leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. New episodes are available every other Wednesday. Have questions? Email us at ourforeveryoungpodcast@gmail.com.
