31-Day Self-Love Diet Writing Challenge — Press Page

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Who and What Is the Love Warrior Community

Founded by mother-daughter team Michelle Minero, MFT and Emelina Minero in 2011, the Love Warrior Community is an online community that uses creative expression (writing, music, videos, image, and art) to foster healing, self-love, body love, and emotional awareness. Our Motto is “Love yourself. Love your body. Love the world.” (lovewarriorcommunity.com)

Michelle is a licensed marriage and family therapist. She created an intensive outpatient eating disorder program in 2000, founded nonprofit Eating Disorder Recovery Support Inc (EDRS) in 2005, is the author of Self-Love Diet: The Only Diet That Works, and is co-creator of the e-course, Building the Foundation for Self-Love. She believes full recovery is possible and spreads the message of the importance of self-love, spirituality, and creativity to anyone who will listen. Her dream is to see a world filled with people who love themselves and their bodies.

Emelina is a self-love, LGBT, and mental health advocate. A former journalist, interviewing people from Katherine Heigl to Alexis Bledel, with a social media and editing background, Emelina currently works for education nonprofit Edutopia, part of the George Lucas Educational Foundation. She is a past board member of Eating Disorder Recovery Support, Inc. (EDRS), co-creator of the e-course, Building the Foundation for Self-Love, and she believes in the validity and diversity of the human experience. “How do you put a label on being human? You don’t. You open your heart and listen.”

What is the 31-Day Self-Love Diet Writing Challenge?

The 31-Day Self-Love Diet Writing Challenge is a global, online event during the month of January that encourages people to develop a self-love practice through daily Self-Love Diet (SLD) writing prompts.

“Self-Love Diet” means regularly offering yourself love, and it stems from Michelle’s book, Self-Love Diet: The Only Diet That Works, which was written inspired by her own self-love journey, as well as her work with her clients in recovery from eating disorders.

There are seven paths to the Self-Love Diet: exploring your relationship with your spirit, body, mind, emotions, relationships, culture, and the world.

A diet of regularly offering yourself love is something that can benefit everyone, and it’s Michelle and Emelina’s goal to make self-love goal viral!

This January marks the 6th Annual 31-Day Self-Love Diet Writing Challenge. 100 people submitted over 500 self-love posts last January from the U.S., Australia, the U.K., El Salvador, Canada, and Thailand. These numbers don’t include people who participated offline instead, writing in journals. Many people also share their writing with their friends, family, or therapists in-person.

The 31-Day SLD Writing Challenge is a free event hosted on a public FB event page where many people share their writing and leave supportive comments to others’. This year, we are adding a low-fee ($25) private FB group for those who want more anonymity in the sharing process; those who join the private FB group will have access year-round with continued monthly and weekly SLD writing prompts. There will be two private FB groups: One for mental health professionals, and one for the general public.

Self-Love Diet Writing Prompts

These are the titles to each prompt:

Day 1: Write a Self-Love Prayer, Letter, or Manifesto
Day 2: What Would Love Do?
Day 3: Connect with Your Soul or Authentic Self
Day 4: Write a Body Love Letter
Day 5: Become Aware of, Confront, and Change Your Critical Thought Patterns
Day 6: Compile a List of Self-Love Actions, and Do One of them Today
Day 7: Identify Your Feelings
Day 8: Foster Gratitude
Day 9: Allow Yourself to Feel
Day 10: Write a Body Forgiveness Letter
Day 11: Deep Breathing
Day 12: What Does Self-Love Mean to You?
Day 13: Develop Your Inner Observer
Day 14: Confront Your Thoughts
Day 15: Replace Your Critical Thoughts
Day 16: Apologize to Yourself
Day 17: Commit to Change
Day 18: Express Gratitude in Your Relationships
Day 19: Bring Curiosity Into Your Relationships
Day 20: Seeing What You Don’t Like in Others Is an Invitation to Look Within
Day 21: Speak Your Truth
Day 22: The Power of Nature
Day 23: Face Your Fears
Day 24: Become Aware of Media, and Cultivate a Positive Culture
Day 25: How Does Your Self-Love Diet Practice Impact Your Personal Culture?
Day 26: Be with Silence
Day 27: Which Self-Love Diet Tool Are You Going to Use Today?
Day 28: Thoughts, Feelings, Actions Loop
Day 29: Ask for Support
Day 30: Reflection
Day 31: Create Your Self-Love Diet Practice Map

Testimonials

Veronika Noble

There is a strong community aspect to this event, and that is special. To have an alliance to work with to better love yourself is unique. It is both inspiring and validating. – Veronika Noble, MFT (Marriage and Family Therapist)

Donna-Ahlstrand-at-the-altar-table-2Following the prompts and committing to writing every day keeps me focused on what’s important. Sending my writing in to be posted on the Love Warrior Community online means I am not alone in this challenge. Other people see what I’m doing, thinking, experiencing, and I get to see other people’s journeys as well. – Donna Ahlstrand, Regional Coordinator of Gather the Women North Bay

Lindsey Wert

I enjoy that I can offer it [my self-love writing] to be seen by those in my life who might need some guidance or who I want to know me better. I love reading other people’s posts and seeing friends and colleagues’ journeys. Some of the people I have come in contact with over the years I am still in contact with. I have continued to participate each year because it expands my self-awareness, growth, focus on love for myself, and is a great way to start off the New Year. Michelle Minero is a supportive and lovely human being that invites everyone to expand self-love. Her open heart invites me to stay and continue and participate. – Lindsey Wert, MFT (Marriage and Family Therapist)

Read Some of the Self-Love Writing People Shared

“Beautiful Face” by By Kathryn Hulbert

My face is ugly. Who says? I say that. My family says that. The fact that I am not getting asked out on dates feels like that.
But what is ugly? Is ugly something I’d say to someone else? Is ugly how I would describe any of my friends? If a friend had an acne breakout and gained weight, would I love her any less? Would I start thinking of her as ugly?

Read the full self-love post here.

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“Today I stood naked in front of the mirror and said I LOVE YOU. To every part of me.”

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“I am going to continue writing self love posts. I think this has really helped a lot. I have found new strength that I didn’t know was there, and I have learned some things that still need work. I have learned that I am not alone, and that I can ask for help. I am grateful that I have found new friends this past year that see me for who I am, and help me move forward towards being healthier. I am committed to following this path of self love and am anxious to see where it leads me.”

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“Writing a love letter to myself today after being triggered by the question, “when did I start apologizing for my body?” I have apologized in many ways for being the size, gender and age I am. Not today…”

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“I have discovered that I have a fear of succeeding. It’s easier to rationalize not achieving goals when we don’t try, but it’s harder to accept when you work really hard and it doesn’t work out. I want to find a way to get past this. I feel there are a lot of things that I am holding back on, but I should be able to accomplish. I’m tired of looking at the ‘what ifs and not going for it. I am jumping, and I hope I can handle whatever comes.”

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“An Apology and an Ode: A Body Love Letter” by Stacey Lantz

I am deeply sorry for the amount of harm that I have put you through. I apologize for the self-harm behaviors through my adolescent years. For the marks that temporarily scarred wrists in the hopes that people would demand answers. I apologize for the poor eating behaviors that deprived it of nutrition and drastically needed calories. I apologize to my body for hiding it behind excuses, clothing, doors and a myriad of other things. I apologize for degrading it and being ashamed of it. I apologize for criticizing it and wrapping up so much of my self-esteem and self-worth in how it looked. I apologize for depriving my body of the love and light that it deserved for many years. I apologize for not recognizing the many strengths and beauty that it possessed all along

I have love for my body because of the many physical triumphs and feats we have done together over the years… I have learned to listen to my body and know when it is okay to push and when I need to let up. I am strong both because of the physical endurance I have but also because of my willingness to try and, quite possibly, to fail. My body allows for both and doesn’t judge me either way.

Read the full self-love post here.

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“I am aggressively pro me. I will not limit my options based on my insecurity.”

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“I Am Wise” by Ilce Perot

We are used to criticism. Criticism from: traditional family, the patriarchy, society and our minds. Yet, I am intelligent, beautiful, wise and created in God’s image.

Traditional family: Some of my most loving family members come from a culture where it is acceptable to point out imperfections. One of my traditional family members might say, don’t eat that — you are looking too fat. When I dialogue with such family members, it is clear that they do not attach a mean-spirited connotation with their statement, but are convinced that they are being helpful and protecting me from not realizing what is hurting me.

I too often took their statements personally, but now I know that when they say that I mentally say: I am intelligent, beautiful, wise and created in God’s image. They are concerned for me, and I choose to take their words as their own method of love and refuse to let them hurt me. I pray for those family members. I pray for an increase in compassion, politeness and courteousness.

After years of dialogue attempting to explain how their ways hurt others, I now know to love myself despite their ways. I choose to not let their words hurt me, but use it as a moment to love myself.

Read the full self-love post here.

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