what is self love and how to achieve it
Self love is an appreciation of who you truly are. It involves knowing your worth and value, while treating yourself with kindness and empathy.
It requires you having your best interest at heart and taking the necessary steps to ensure your happiness and satisfaction with your life.
Self love isn’t linear, and it may take time to get to a place where you truly love yourself, especially if you have insecurities and trauma.
I have so many self love tips for you as you embark on your journey to self love, so let’s start with some of the benefits of achieving self love.
Benefits of self love
Self love has many benefits. It can increase your mood and happiness levels, especially if you have depression or anxiety related to low self worth.
You may experience greater motivation and inspiration as you work toward bettering yourself and making your life more enjoyable and something you’re proud of.
Working on your self love can improve your physical health and lead to a healthier lifestyle as you make transitions to love your body and inner self by incorporating healthier practices.
It can lead to a higher self esteem and increased confidence as you work on loving the parts of you that you previously hadn’t and learn to embrace your insecurities.
Self love can lead to better relationships and friendships as you embrace the people around you who have your best interest at heart and eliminate the ones who don’t treat you well, are toxic, cause you stress and sadness, etc.
Self love examples
Self love doesn’t always have to be bubble baths and solo dates.
There are several examples of self love that may look different to you, depending on what makes you happy and how you achieve satisfaction with yourself.
Some self love examples include:
Being comfortable (or dare I say, happy) going places on your own and enjoying your own company
Trusting your intuition and not seeking others’ validation constantly
Treating and applauding yourself for milestones and achievements
Standing up for yourself in uncomfortable situations or when you feel disrespected
Saying “no” when you want to
Accepting and owning your past even when you’re not proud of it
Complimenting yourself and giving yourself positive affirmations
Daily habits to improve self love
I love finding new ways to show myself love and appreciation, which can include adopting daily habits to keep myself intentional about increasing my self love.
It can take time to get where you want to be in your self love journey, so taking it day by day can help.
Starting the morning by journaling is such a sweet way to start your morning and pour out your heart onto a cute notebook or a digital format.
When I start my day this way, I feel so light and free. All the things I’ve been worrying about seem to disappear, and I can focus on ways I want to grow and become a better person.
I like to make sure I move my body. Going outside and getting some fresh air is helpful. Or doing an at-home workout.
Being outside or getting exercise is good for your mental health. Maybe you need the vitamin D or to get the endorphins kicked into gear.
Nourishing your body and providing it with things it will love is another example of how to practice self love and care daily.
Make sure to drink water and eat throughout the day. It’s fuel, and it’s so easy to forget about it when you’re not doing well or feeling down in any way.
Keep reading more daily habits here.
Setting self love intentions
If there’s one thing I’ve learned on my self love journey, it’s that the journey is linear and messy. There are things about myself I am always learning, and I’m constantly finding ways I want to improve on as a woman.
When it feels overwhelming and complicated, breaking up your self love journey into monthly intentions can be helpful.
What do you want to achieve in the upcoming 30 days? What self love activities do you want to partake in? What goals do you have for yourself this month?
The foundation for setting intentions is finding and devoting your personal time to planning what you want to achieve over the next 30 days.
Find a quiet space away from your family, friends, coworkers, etc. Set the mood with a candle and a cup of coffee, while making sure you’re in the right mood.
In our self love 90 day planner, we give space for you to do a weekly and monthly recap.
It’s important for me to reflect on what I’m grateful for, how I can improve, what the week/month taught me, how I’m proud of myself, etc.
I have a million things I want to work on to improve myself and my personal relationship.
But I also know that it can be overwhelming and exhausting to be confronted with such a big list. It’s important to break your issues and goals down to bite sized intentions you can work with!
Once you have a main theme to focus on, it’s more than okay to add mini goals. Our self love journal allows space for you to choose personal, self love, health and work goals.
Positive affirmations for self love
Positive affirmations are key to showing yourself internal love. We all have doubts and insecurities, and speaking kind, sweet words to yourself can help keep those negative thoughts at bay.
When you're feeling down or self conscious, keep these positive affirmations in mind to help you promote self love:
I am worthy of love, even on the days I don't feel like it.
I trust my voice, my power, and my presence.
The only validation I need is my own.
Even when I have bad days, I am still worthy of love.
I do not have to explain or justify my boundaries.
Protecting my peace is not selfish.
I am allowed to walk away from anything that doesn’t nourish me.
I don't fear rejection because I am already enough for myself.
my body is my home, and I will treat it with love.
I choose progress over perfection.
My healing is not linear, and that’s okay.
I show up for myself, even on the hardest days.
The right people will see my light and never ask me to dim it.
I choose to pour into myself first, so my cup overflows.
My love story starts with me.
