Visualization for loving yourself
Sit or lie down comfortably and focus on your breathing for several quiet moments until the waves of thoughts subside.
See an image of yourself as a baby, also sitting or lying down as you are now, inside you. Visualize you as a baby beaming a smile of pure love out to the world. Allow the feeling of unconditional love for this baby to build up inside you as you gaze at yourself as a baby.
Now focus on that feeling of love that you are directing towards the baby and allow the image of your baby self to fade until you see only yourself as you currently are. Hold that feeling of love and continue to direct it inwards at your present self for a while.
Next, take a deep breath and this time visualize an image of yourself as a small toddler sitting or lying down inside you. Once again allow the feeling of love for this child to build up inside you, allow the image to fade, and continue directing that loving feeling inwards towards yourself.
Continue to choose an older age and repeat the steps above until you reach an age where unconditional love does not come easily like it did for the infant.
At what age does it become difficult for you to feel unconditional love for your younger self and subsequently you? Ten? Fifteen? Thirty-five?
At whichever age self-criticism or judgements start to creep in, stop and go back to the last age where it was easy for you to feel unconditional love and build up that feeling inside of you again.
End this visualization on this positive note.
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After you are finished, take some time and work on forgiving whatever failings or faults you feel you have at that final age. Show compassion for yourself. The next time you do this visualization, see if you find it easier to feel love for that version of yourself. When you can, move on to an older age.
Eventually, you want to be able to feel unconditional love for yourself just as you are without warming up with baby you.