Jasmine, 23 and a Mindless Academy graduate, began her self-love journey through her internship. Having participated in the Self Love Journaling sessions, Jasmine realised that she could action these changes within her own life.
‘I wanted to carry that on in my own way so that’s why I started my Instagram page. The goal of it is for me to document the way I’d love myself like a best friend. So being really understanding, trying not to beat myself up when things go wrong and just knowing how to put my own well-being first,
‘I don’t put pressure on myself to update it regularly, it’s just when I feel like I’ve got an update to share or if there’s something specific that I’d like to talk about,
‘It’s been really nice as well to build a community of like-minded people who feel like they would like to do the same thing,
‘I had a comment the other day from a girl saying that she’d been feeling the same way recently and she’d not really known how to put it into words. It was really nice to hear that other people have similar experiences.’
Having left university, Jasmine entered the world of work, wherein she first noticed signs of burnout. She describes that she struggled with a lot of things across the board, which ultimately made her realise that she needed to prioritise her own well-being.
‘I always had a tendency to put other people’s needs before my own. I wanted to stop doing that and recognise what my own needs were.’
Since starting the account, Jasmine says her relationship with herself has changed drastically. She explains that learning how to say no to people and acknowledging burnout before it happens has massively helped.
Image Credit: Jasmine Stainton
Reflecting on the changes made, Jasmine found that exercise, healthier food choices, and satisfying enjoyable hobbies were among those that made the most difference.
‘It’s a bit cliché but you can’t have relationships with anyone else if your relationship with yourself isn’t good.’
Jasmine has been in a relationship for almost four years and believes that self-love can still manifest within them. She says: ‘My partner’s been very good at supporting me to put myself first because he’s a big believer in putting himself first. We always make sure to check in with each other. We’re very good at communicating when one another needs some alone time,
‘I think it’s very important, in a relationship especially, that you have that love for yourself first. It’s easy to rely on each other.’
Jasmine found that although most people practice self-love on their own, she was successful in her journey with her partner. Despite that, self-love was something she had struggled with in previous relationships, and when she was single, so she added an emphasis on the fact that everyone’s journeys are different.
Starting the account just 15 months ago, Jasmine has found that documenting her journey has helped to hold her accountable. “I am guilty of starting something and then struggling to commit to it,” she says. “Once I make a post and say, ‘this is what I’m going to do’, I feel like I have to follow through with it, so it’s helped me to not fall back into old habits.”
Across the internet, resources stress the importance of routine in line with healthy habits such as self-love. Jasmine makes sure that her routine is flexible so as to not put any pressure on herself. One of the biggest commitments she has made is versatility in her job role. She recognises that she is very fortunate to have the option but reiterates just how pivotal this has been to her journey.
“Getting active always makes me feel better,” she adds. “I like to allocate an evening to do what I want. If that’s watching a movie, then I’ll do that. If it’s doing a face mask and getting in the bath, then I’ll do that.”
Jasmine reflects on her previous job roles, stating that she’d often find it hard to switch off. Not only was she spending her working hours in the role, but she’s come home feeling as though she was still in that environment.
In closing, Jasmine offered advice to those who want to embark on their own self-love journey. “Reducing your expectations on yourself,” is a brilliant place to start, she says. “Sometimes just getting through the day is enough… making time for yourself to do things that you enjoy and learning when to say no.”
Lead image credit: Jasmine Stainton