If there’s one thing we can be sure of, it’s that small daily actions lead to larger personal victories. We’re beginning a new year and we wanted to share 3 acts of self love to help you start your day off on the right foot. 

Incorporate a daily morning skincare regimen

 By now, most of us are familiar with the advice to include a daily skincare routine. Taking time in the morning to cleanse, hydrate and protect your skin will keep you looking and feeling your best.

 Use a gentle cleanser, serum, and day moisturizer that will keep your skin hydrated to avoid premature signs of aging like wrinkles, hyperpigmentation and fine lines. Always follow with a product containing SPF to avoid UV damage and protect skin from bluelight.   

Start your day by journaling for 5-minutes

 Journaling is a simple mindfulness practice that may help you prioritize your goals and increase feelings of gratitude to improve your overall sense of well-being. Haikal Blog offers 3 prompts that makes 5-minute journaling very easy:

1. I am grateful for…
2. What would make today great?
3. Daily affirmations

Using these prompts allows you to quickly write or type how you’re feeling and sets the tone for a positive day. 

Repeat affirmations to help you stay mindful throughout the day

Positive thinking is key to living a joyful life. Affirmations, which can also be referred to as mantras, have been used in Ayurvedic practices for thousands of years as a way to incorporate mindfulness to help create emotional and mental balance. Affirmations can help with boosting self-esteem and self-acceptance, releasing blocks around finance, and increasing focus and motivation. 

Repeating empowering statements is a simple concept and there is ongoing research that suggests that this practice can help you make powerful changes through your subconscious mind. A 2016 study showed that practicing positive affirmations actually had the ability to change and strengthen neural pathways. By repeating affirmations related to areas you want to improve, you can heighten your chances of making quantifiable change in your daily life. 

Here are 5 steps to help you create affirmations that will work for you:

1. Identify an area in your life you would like to see improvement in 
2. Use the first person. A very common way to begin an affirmation is “I am” as in, “I am worthy” or “I am capable.” However, if this feels like too much, you can start with “I believe.”
3. Make sure that the statement is positive. Researchers believe that our subconscious doesn’t interpret language in the same way our conscious mind does. For example, saying something like “ I don’t want to lose,” your subconscious mind would focus on the losing aspect of the phrase. “I am a winner” or “I believe I will win”  would be a better way to phrase your affirmation.
4. Use the present tense and envision yourself already having what it is that you want. Try to put yourself in the mental space of how it feels to have reached the goal or feeling you are trying to achieve.
5. Make sure the affirmation aligns with your morals and values.