By Carl Ivory
Self love is exactly what it sounds like — loving yourself! You accept your flaws and weaknesses and hold high standards for your own well-being. Self love isn’t selfish, it’s necessary to ensure you won’t settle for anything less than you deserve.
Here are 10 tips for practicing self love:
1. Recognizing and Accepting Your Emotional State
Some days are great, some are rough (and that’s okay!). Part of self love means frequently checking in with your emotional state, recognizing your moods, and accepting them no matter what. (Basically, don’t say you’re “fine” when you’re clearly not.) Try not to dwell on being in a rut; rather, cut yourself some slack and think about how you can turn things around.
2. Taking Time for Yourself
Life can get a little crazy between work, social obligations, and relationships. How about taking a break to focus on yourself? You deserve (and need) time to relax and recharge. Try out some mindful activities like exercise, meditation, or journaling. Self-care is necessary to destress and keep yourself grounded.
3. Getting Enough Sleep
A good night’s sleep does wonders for your physical and mental well-being. It’s easy to stretch yourself thin and deprioritize those zzz’s, but making an effort to get yourself some rest can significantly improve your overall health.
4. Exercising
Self love means prioritizing your physical health, too. Luckily, no lengthy gym sessions are needed! (Unless that’s your thing, of course.) Try going for a walk, taking a few laps in the pool. Not interested? No problem —take the stairs instead of the elevator, park far away from the grocery store entrance, or hop off the bus a couple of spots early to get a walk in.
5. Eating Right
You can exercise all you want, but if your diet consists of mostly junk food, you’re bound to feel crummy. Eating right doesn’t just improve your physical health—it also boosts your mood and mental well-being.
6. Using Self-Talk
Self-talk refers to that inner voice inside your head—thoughts, feelings, worries, etc. What does it sound like? Is it mostly negative? Do you doubt yourself all the time? Self love thrives on positive self-talk. What are things you like about yourself? What are you proud of? Reminding yourself of these things on a daily basis can put you in a more positive frame of mind.
7. Challenging a Negative Story About Yourself
Why are you so hard on yourself? Does it stem from a single incident or repetitive events? If your internal monologue tries to tear down your self-esteem, think about where the thoughts are coming from. Practicing self love means you remind yourself of your good qualities so that you build yourself up, rather than put yourself down.
8. Forgiving Yourself
Making mistakes is part of life, and it’s so essential to forgive yourself and move on. Part of self love includes embracing self-compassion and reflecting on your actions with kindness, empathy, and support.
9. Committing to Self Love
Self love takes some serious commitment. After all, we have to undo the bad habits that cause us to be hard on ourselves. Patience and determination are key! Self love is always attainable through self-awareness, mindfulness, and dedication.
10. Committing to Learning More
There are always new ways to practice self care and self love, so why not learn about them? Read a book, download a new mindfulness app, or even seek out online forums that discuss self-care techniques.
As we all know, we’re often our own worst critics. By practicing self love, you help yourself move forward in a healthy way and give yourself the love and respect you deserve!
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