Keeping up not just with the Kardashians, but also with modern times can be a whirlwind of emotions. With phones beeping constantly, news spreading instantaneously, choices popping up relentlessly and causing indecisiveness, daily life can be a daunting task on its own. “What a best time to be alive!”, as they say. And yet, with all these endless distractions and obligations that we find ourselves trapped in, we, women, end up losing track of ourselves. We feel that freedom, which is essential to our existence, is out of our reach. Work, friends, social media, kids, parties, online business, world crisis — we are bombarded left and right yet our mind and body could only absorb so much.

This Independence Day, we not only celebrate the heroes who fought hard for our rights, but also celebrate us women in all our glory — skin marks, body weight, mood swings and other insecurities that make us humans. We celebrate our right to simply feel good about ourselves. We stop seeking validation from others. We allow ourselves to break free from everything and everyone else to gain a deeper understanding of who we are. We aim to love ourselves more because it is a way for us to feel free, be in tune with our soul and help us become better individuals.

In today’s immensely complex world, self love can never be more of a necessity. Here are a few of my tips on how you, too, can get back on your feet and regain control of a life centered on purpose, mindfulness, and happiness:

Stop the habit of checking your phone once you wake up
As the saying goes, “you are what you eat”, hence, we should be more aware of what we feed our minds. Studies say that spending too much time on social media can be physically, mentally and emotionally harmful. So instead of feeding our minds with junk first thing in the morning, we should nourish it through practicing self meditation — emptying the mind and simply being in the moment.

Look at the mirror and smile at what you see
Learn to love your own because no one can love you as much as yourself. Ignore society’s perception of beauty and embrace your imperfections for this will make you confident and thus, beautiful.

Explore more with what makes you stay up all night for
Yes, money makes the world go around. Who is there to fool? But it is not what makes your world go around. It is your passion, your purpose. Having money is the key to endless experiences, but would not necessarily give you genuine happiness. Do more and create more until you know what it is that makes you feel alive.

Spend time with friends who are real
Just like learning how to feed your mind, you should be wary of where you feed your energy to, and likewise, where you draw it from. Friends are essential to having a good life. Spend time with those who make you laugh until your stomach hurts, tell you frankly what you are doing wrong, listen to you when you’re going through something and accept you for who you really are.

Reward yourself after a hard day
There are good times. There are bad times. It is the cycle of life. Sometimes there are days that are just too painful that we often find ourselves being pushed to our limits. Therefore, it is a good practice to pat yourself on the back for conquering difficulties and reward yourself with something you deserve whether it be a new set of fine jewelry or weekend at the spa.

Saying no if you don’t want to
If you want to live the best life possible, you have to know what you want. It is imperative that you create a list of goals and priorities that could motivate you to reach where you want to be. So whenever your friends invite you to a late night out but you know within yourself that you have work to finish, then learn to say no. A fear of missing out is an increasingly common condition that is plaguing today’s society. With the rise of social media, majority are pressured to do things just for the sake of, but not for their own sake.

Remember, self love is the truest form of freedom. Don’t let anyone or anything else take that away from you.

Xx,
Suki