Today is Day 23 of my 31 Days of Self-Love posts to celebrate Self-Love Month with suggestions for jumpstarting your own self-love.

It doesn’t matter what the world throws at you. Things at work are frenetic. Your romantic partner is driving you crazy. Your kids are getting into trouble. The weather is miserable. Your mother is demanding your attention and calling you all day long. Eeeeee….. Stress builds and builds. Do you LET all these things affect your mood and perspective of how good life is? Unless you consciously choose a different direction, stress will beat you up!

Take a break and let go of all the negative thoughts. You CAN if you CHOOSE to.

Stress in large quantities hurts you. It’s been proven over and over. Yes, stress in moderation can be okay, even good. That’s why people like me function better on tight deadlines. But high doses of ongoing stress can damage you, both mentally and physically. Studies show that 90% of doctor visits are for health issues caused by stress–indigestion, ulcers, heart attacks, insomnia, depression, etc.

Allowing stress to go unchecked is VERY unloving to you! Doing something to relieve it, even temporarily, says, “I love me!”

When you feel stressed, stop and do some deep breathing, even for just a minute. It can calm you down. If you do it for 30 seconds several times a day you can do some good for your body. List your blessings and smile as you think about them. Find things that make you happy and focus on them instead of on problems. Enjoy just looking at the sunshine or watching the rain fall. Visualize a place that makes you happy.

If you meditate, do so. Meditation includes the deep breathing that’s critical for fast relaxation. It can clear your mind and slow you and your body down. If you don’t normally do it, try a meditation from Orin’s Meditation Room. The site has many good resources, some free, including a good assortment very short–3-5 minutes–meditations for a whole variety of things. When I feel stressed (or tired or worried), I say, “I love me” by choosing one and taking a short break. It helps me get back on track.

Find something that reduces your stress and do it regularly. Give yourself the gift of a more relaxed you, which will translate into a healthier body and attitude. It’s YOUR choice–let stress control you or YOU take control of the stress so it doesn’t take over your life. Less stress leaves more room to be happy.

Take the self-love challenge and get my book, How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways for free at http://howdoiloveme.com. And you can post your loving acts HERE to reinforce your intention to love yourself.

Please leave comments under my posts so we can stay connected.