Letizia's Journey to Self-Love: A Personal Odyssey
An Introduction to Letizia's Story
Embarking on a journey to self-love is a deeply personal experience, marked by self-discovery and resilience. In a world often filled with external expectations and constant comparison, the journey to self-love is not an act of indulgence but a radical act of self-compassion and acceptance. It involves peeling back the layers of self-doubt and harmful societal conditioning to uncover the inherent worth and beauty within oneself. As we navigate this path of self-discovery, we confront the parts of ourselves that we may not want to see, embrace our strengths as well as our vulnerabilities, and nurture an unbreakable bond with the most important person in our lives – ourselves. Join me on this journey as we dig into my personal odyssey towards self-love.
Early Struggles and Self-Discovery
Societal and Internal Pressure
From a very young age, I internalized the pressure to conform to societal norms, striving to maintain an image of unwavering strength and independence while also seeking validation from others. This led me to abandon my own needs and push myself relentlessly in pursuit of what society considered to be “success”. Working in the highly stressful field of high-end event planning within the fast-paced luxury automotive industry only amplified this pressure, as I constantly strove to meet unrealistic standards. My body consistently begged me to rest, but I often refused in order to appear strong, when in reality, the strong thing would have been to love myself enough to honor what I needed.
Taking Initial Steps
It was only once I physically could not continue that I took the break I needed. Pushing myself too hard eventually caused me to develop an autoimmune disorder, which is when I began my journey towards nurturing myself better. While still working in the event world, I began incorporating more self-care activities, such as meditation, sound healing, hypnosis, tapping, and yoga into my daily routine. Although this was a great step, implementing these activities was not enough to counteract the toxicity of my extremely stressful career.
My Personal Breaking Point
I distinctly remember two month-long periods that were extremely draining, during which I was experienced constant dizziness, panic attacks, vertigo, and intense chest pain, causing me to put a full stop to my event planning work. My physical symptoms were a physical manifestation of the many years I neglected myself in order to fulfill outside demands and expectations. Although it was a very difficult period of my life, I am grateful for it as it forced me to learn to love myself while also creating a life that I love.
The Role of Self-Care in Letizia's Life
Learning to love myself meant learning to take care of myself, and consistent self-care is now an essential part of my life.
The Most Significant and Simplest Ways I Show Love to Myself Are:
Creating a stable sleep routine
Mouth breathing & Tongue Posture
Monitor my Heart rate Variability daily, with Oura Ring
Drinking 2-3 liters of water daily
Mindful eating a healthy nourishing anti-inflammatory diet (while of course allowing myself to indulge occasionally)
Spending time in nature
Taking time to cuddle with my dog, Zen
Removing myself from people and situations that do not serve me
Taking daily walks (early morning sun, mid-day, and sunset to regulate circadian rhythm)
Dry brushing and gua-sha daily
20 minutes of meditation each morning
40 minutes of Qi-Gong daily
10 minutes of self-hypnosis daily
15 minutes of coherent breathing daily
5 minutes of grounding daily
While exploring deeper into the wellness world I have also implemented a variety of different modalities to take my self-care to the next level.
Here Are Some Additional Ways to Practice Self-Care:
Sound healing (attending sound bath events as well as starting my own practice)
The Healy Device (for frequency therapy)
Infrared sauna therapy
Using an acupressure mat
Epsom salt baths
Acupuncture
Cryotherapy/Cold Therapy
Alphabiotics
Tapping/EFT Therapy (Emotional Freedom Techniques)
Hypnotherapy
Breathwork
Singing and dancing
Set up boundaries
Intermittent Fasting
Mirror work / Nude body healing
Read at least 2 books each month
Supplements that support sleep and digestion
Self-Love: A Daily Practice, Not a Destination
My personal self-care journey has revealed to me the deep importance of truly loving myself unconditionally. Through moments of introspection, self-compassion, and intentional self-care practices, I have come to understand that true fulfillment and happiness stem from within, not from external sources. As I continue along this lifelong journey of self-love, I encourage you to commit to taking time to implement more self-care into your daily life; you will be shocked at how much it will improve your relationship with yourself. May my experiences serve as a reminder that self-love is not a gift nor an indulgence; it is a necessity for living a fulfilling and purposeful life.
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