How to Practice Self-Love

We see “Love Yourself” quotes & self-care tips daily from our social media feeds, but what does it really look like in practice?

Self-love is hard work—and it’s a journey. No matter where you are in your life right now, the important thing is you’re here to begin this journey to self-love overflow.

You can start by following these helpful tips on how to practice self-love.

We get it: most of us are raised to put others before ourselves. While it’s not something bad, it shouldn’t also be a deep-rooted habit that costs you your mental or emotional well-being.

At the end of the day or week, find the time to decompress, relax, and think about nothing but yourself.

You need this to refill your tank and get fueled for times you need to put others first. 

Do you like spending an entire Saturday morning in bed or camping during weekends?

Whatever it is, find what helps you decompress and make it a habit to do it regularly. Even if you’re a busy mom or a startup owner who works 12 hours a day, try to sneak in an hour or two of “me” time.

It may sound simple, but it can be hard to pull off, but with the right mindset & dedication, you can turn it into a habit that benefits you and your loved ones.

“Nobody’s perfect. Everyone makes mistakes.” You might have heard it too often since you were young.

But as you get older, you’ll likely feel the pressure to get things right all the time.

Here’s the thing, though: one of the greatest enemies of self-love is perfectionism. If you continue to beat yourself up over the littlest things, you might lose your sense of self-worth.

So cut yourself some slack! Allow yourself to make mistakes.

And when you do, don’t let your inner voice (or bully) insult you.

The world is already full of harsh words—don’t add yours to the mix.

Talk internally to yourself a bit more kindly. And try to look at your mistakes from a different perspective.

Maybe, you can learn from these blunders and use them to grow into a more confident and happier version of yourself. 

Like committing mistakes, feeling afraid is natural and human. It takes great effort not to hide from your fears—and understand them instead.

But it is a healthy exercise that can truly help you improve your mental health and love yourself a little more. Sit down for a minute and evaluate your fears.

You can write them down in a journal to fully process them.

It will help you gain clarity and even unmask issues that cause you a lot of anxiety.

Recognizing those issues is a huge step toward alleviating some, if not all, of your anxiety.

In today’s world of hustle and grind, you might feel like you need to get back up quickly after a failure or that little wins don’t matter as you always need to look at the big picture.

But here’s some advice: allow yourself to feel things fully. Embrace the pain, revel in joy, and never invalidate your emotions.

Like fear, joy and pain will help you understand yourself better.

You will be more aware of what you need in times of emotional distress or what truly makes you happy.

From there, you are likely to be better at practicing self-care & self-love. 

You will love yourself more when you take better care of your essential needs.

So if you feel overwhelmed by the concept of self-love, simply go back to the basics.

Nourish yourself through healthy habits & activities—from cooking balanced meals for yourself to ending your day with a good workout or hanging out with your favorite people in the world. 

Also, make room for new habits. Have you always wanted to try painting or knitting? How about taking a swimming class or joining group workout sessions?

It’s time to give yourself a chance to do what you enjoy doing or what you’ve been curious about.

Do stuff not because you have to or to get it done—but because you care about your happiness & well-being.

Harnessing the power of self-love doesn’t happen overnight. Remember, it isn’t just about having the ability to establish independence or withstand loneliness.

It’s more about being aware and accepting of your incompleteness & imperfections.

So as you try different forms of practicing self-love and fail at times, never forget to celebrate yourself.

Celebrate your growth from all the mistakes and victories.

You’d realize that you’ve come so far and grown so much. That, alone, is a reason to celebrate yourself.

Who says you’re allowed to celebrate yourself only on your birthday?