Unconditional Self-love

We constantly hear about unconditional love in partnerships, but what about unconditional Self love? Why don’t we talk about that as much, because it’s certainly damn important. Loving and worshipping yourself and your own body is a crucial part of being able to love someone else. 

 So, we are here to help you incorporate some essential rituals into your daily life to practice body positivity (*even if you have to set a reminder on your phone*):

Here’s what we suggest:

• Giving yourself a massage - get familiar with all your curves, bumps, freckles, marks and scars.
• Exercise for health and self-esteem, not just weight.
• Say or write positive affirmations in the mirror and read them everyday.
• Put on your favourite underwear...not for anyone else, just for you.
• Unfollow social media accounts that don’t make you feel good about yourself. Comparison is the enemy of happiness.
• Explore self-pleasure with your Ilo Wellness products, and tell your friends about your experience. Promoting self-pleasure for someone else can be equally as rewarding as doing it for yourself.
• Say three things you love about yourself every morning, or every night before going to bed.

 As always, we took it to our boss Instagram community and asked you all how you practice body positivity. These are some of the gems we gathered:

“Naked yoga and dancing.”

Exercising naked has been proven to promote feelings of joy and confidence associated with your body. It may feel weird at first, but once you’re in the zone  you release your inhibitions and can connect with yourself entirely in that moment.

"MASTURBATING! Feel yourself all over"

Masturbating connect us within by fostering self-awareness, self-acceptance, and a deeper understanding of our bodies and desires. I love your vibrators, especially the Ilo Wellness Cuvre. I can really tap into different pleasure points. 

“Nourishing yourself with lots of tea, veggies & chocolate.”  

It’s all about balance! Feeding your body vital nutrients is equally as important as allowing yourself to enjoy your favourite ice-cream or chocolate when you feel like it, without post punishment or self-loathing.

“Being naked with other women who are all kinds of beautiful shapes and sizes.”

Appreciating how different bodies are is the first step to treasuring your own. You may have a physical attribute that someone else admires or desires, and vise versa. Sometimes it’s easier to recognise beauty in others, so explicitly take the time to appreciate your unique traits (and do this with friends).

“Making sure every time I look in the mirror I find something I love, even on a bad day.”

This is so powerful. Body positivity is also about recognising that we won’t feel like a superstar every day, and that’s ok. Naturally with time, our bodies evolve - we’re talking spouts of hormonal acne, new spots of cellulite, stretch marks….you get the jist. However unwanted these changes may be, we owe it to ourselves to embrace them with an open heart.

“Not giving a f*ck about standards and expectations.”

Preach it to the choir. Societal expectations and standards are the source of so much negative body image, and social media spreads this like wildfire. We are here to tell you that you are exceptional exactly as you are - lumps, bumps, dimples, wrinkles, rolls, flaps, scars... all of it! You do you.  

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If you’ve learnt anything from this, it’s that body positivity isn’t something that always comes easily. It can come and go. It’s not static. Like all the things worth having, it can be a difficult journey...but one that is ever so rewarding. Stick at it. 

Ilo Wellness x

Written by Margaux Dalgleish