21 Self-Love Microbreaks To Carry Into The New Year

It's always important to ask for help from others—and in 2022 we've all needed that extra support. Yet your most consistent, reliable source of support comes from yourself. A little (or a lot) overwhelmed these days? Microbreaks are just the ticket to show up for yourself in powerful ways each day.

Whether it's a memoir written by one of your heroes or a spiritual book that changed your life, hold the book between your palms for a minute and silently ask for a supportive message. Open the book and see what words your eye lands on first.

Music is an amazing emotional conductor. It can help you process and get in touch with whatever you're feeling. Listen to something celebratory when you're on top of the world, or listen to something comforting or emotionally deep when you've been feeling grief about your life or something happening in the world.

Find a quiet moment alone, place your hand on your physical heart to connect with your energetic heart, and take some mindful breaths. Ask yourself silently, What do I need emotionally today? Your intuition can answer you in thoughts, words, feelings, or images.

This was made famous by the late, great Louise Hay. Pause in front of the bathroom mirror and smile at yourself, playfully wink at yourself, or tell yourself, "I love you."

It's natural that the negative feedback sticks out, so make a point of savoring the compliments that come in email or text form...or even in an online review. If someone gave you a verbal compliment recently, take a few minutes to remember what they said and explore how it makes you feel. We often rush by compliments about ourselves too quickly.

Nod or wave at neighbors you pass on a walk, tell someone—like your barista or grocery store cashier—a sincere thank you for showing up this year, text a friend that you love them, or compliment someone on their contribution to a Zoom work call. It could make their day, and taking the focus off of yourself can actually be a loving break.

This was the inspiration for my page-a-day A Year of Self-Love Calendar. It offers a self-love affirmation and a manageable action step for each day of 2023.

With more people working, studying, or just staying at home, folks forget how much their appearance can affect their energy. Grab your favorite pair of earrings, do your hair in a favorite style, or put on your favorite T-shirt—even if it's "only" you who will see.

Taking good care of your physical body, after all, is one of the most loving things you can do for yourself.

Make or use a natural one with essential oils, and then walk around your space, spraying aromatherapy in the air for a few minutes. See if you notice a difference—like lighter energy or less stagnant energy in your space—afterward!

Start with three sentences about something you are grateful for. Then write three lines explaining what you need help with. Watch for synchronicities in the hours and days that follow as answers.

Connecting with nature—whether it's watching the snow fall outside your office window or standing beneath a tree in your backyard—is incredibly restorative to the human spirit.

A quick hit of inspiration can positively influence your mood all day.

Hold your pose of choice for a few minutes. Try gently stretching and moving your body into poses that aren't your standard modus operandi (standing behind a counter all day, sitting at a desk all day, bending down to pick up after kids all day).

If you've had a thought repeatedly running through your mind that is overly negative, revise it to a best-case scenario thought or even a most-likely-case scenario thought. The worst rarely happens, and if it does, you will meet the challenge.

Don't wait for kudos from someone else. Write your accomplishment—"I nailed that deadline!" or just "I made it through 2022!"—on a stickie and put it on the fridge where you can see it.

Love yourself enough to get real with yourself about a difficult situation in your life. Run your truth through your heart filter to make sure it's honest and loving since we all tend to be too hard on ourselves. Say it to yourself as you would to a good friend, and give yourself a hug afterward.

Pick from a deck that is introspective and empowering. Sit with the message and discern its special meaning for your life right now.

Donate a very small or very large amount to an organization working for racial justice and equality, working to conserve the environment, or working to assist folks unemployed and underemployed by the COVID pandemic. This important act will make you feel more connected, so it's a loving gift to yourself as well.

Forgiveness is a process and doesn't happen all at once. Think of what you're upset with yourself about, and get a mental image or feeling or thought that represents or triggers this issue. Then work with a mantra like, "I'm starting to forgive myself for that," or "I'm open to being able to forgive myself for that." Begin with an infraction that seems smaller, and work your way up to bigger issues.

Wondering where to start? Ask your intuition for a number between 1 and 21. You might see the number as an image in your mind, hear the number as a voice in your mind, or have a number pop into your mind as a thought. That number could correspond to a self-love microbreak that would be particularly nourishing for you right now.