Last Updated on September 6, 2024
Self-love. Treat it as it is – a form of love for yourself. It’s NOT about being self-absorbed or being a narcissist. Rather, it’s about acknowledging, respecting and getting in touch with yourself, your well-being and your happiness.
Loving yourself despite all your flaws and even when you make mistakes will push you through your limiting beliefs. When you love yourself, you learn how to love others without conditions and restrictions. Self-love requires mental, physical, emotional and spiritual conditioning.
It’s the kind of relationship that is skin deep. So, how can you practice and nurture self-love? Here are practical ways to do so:
Practice a self-love ritual.
Taking care of yourself is one way of practicing self-love. Make a conscious effort to pamper yourself even if you live a busy lifestyle. Have a quiet moment or a “me time” even just for 15 minutes. Use the time to indulge yourself and show your body appreciation for the work it does.
While you massage your feet, thank them for carrying you to where you need to go. As you moisturize your hands, thank them for helping you get things handled – literally and otherwise. Creating a ritual to show your gratitude to your body will make you stop taking it – and your life – for granted.
Surround yourself with the right people.
Even the strongest person needs someone to lean on. As much as you’d like to think you can do everything on your own, you simply can’t. There will come a time that you will need love, support, and help from others.
It’s important to have the right kind of people to push and encourage you not just when the going gets tough, but even on ordinary days when life is so busy you inadvertently put your needs in the back seat.
See the positive side.
This is always easier said than done, especially when you’re having a bad day or going through a tough time. A trick that works every time is to make a list of the good things you have right now. Think of what’s working for you at the moment, then put your answers on paper.
Once you see a visual representation of the positives in your life, it’ll make a big difference in your day. It also makes it easier to forgive yourself when you make a mistake.
Treat your body right.
Your body is your miraculous temple. When you treat it right, you do not only practice self-love, you also bring it energy to keep on moving. Be conscious of what you put into your body – not just food, but also makeup, tattoo or piercing. Don’t just aim to look good, but aim more to feel good.
Organize your things.
Cleaning out your closet is more therapeutic than you may think. It’s not just organizing your stuff and cleaning up your room.
It’s also about getting rid of the old to make room for the new. You may find yourself clinging to clothes or things that have a strong connection to a time when nothing good was happening or when you hit rock bottom.
While having a reminder of the dark times can push you to be better, letting go of tangible reminders will give you more peace of mind. It’s also a way of embracing the new you and ushering whatever the future holds.
Keep away from the green-eyed monster.
We’ll all been jealous before. It’s a human emotion that often creeps out of nowhere. At some point, jealousy can be healthy if you turn it around and make it a driving force to become better at what you do.
However, constant jealousy will lead you nowhere. It will, in fact, make you a miserable person because you’ll always feel that your life, or the way you live it, isn’t enough.
To avoid this from happening (and you should really avoid it), stop comparing yourself with others. Even if a person looks like s/he got it all, you never really know the hardships and problems s/he’s going through. Harboring jealousy will make you hate your life and other people who haven’t done anything bad to you.
So, when you feel the green-eyed monster is rearing its ugly head, take a step back, and deliberately focus on yourself.
Explore your inner self.
It has been said that faith is the foundation of self-love, regardless of your religion and beliefs. When you explore your inner self, you strengthen your faith into something that opens your mind, heart, and soul to the beauty of trust and love.
It also builds up your self-esteem and sharpens your intuition. When you explore your inner self, you delve deep into the raw emotions and thoughts, and that’s when you learn more about your true self.
Practicing self-love is a way of life. Here are some quotes to help you appreciate and love yourself more.
40 Beautiful Quotes about Self-Love
“The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely.” – C.G. Jung
“It took many years of vomiting up all the filth I’d been taught about myself, and half-believed, before I was able to walk on the earth as though I had a right to be here.” – James Baldwin
“When you’re different, sometimes you don’t see the millions of people who accept you for what you are. All you notice is the person who doesn’t.” – Jodi Picoult
“Do your thing and don’t care if they like it.” – Tina Fey
“I think the reward for conformity is that everyone likes you except yourself.” – Rita Mae Brown
“She held herself until the sobs of the child inside subsided entirely. I love you, she told herself. It will all be okay.” – H. Raven Rose
“The only person who can pull me down is myself, and I’m not going to let myself pull me down anymore.” – C. JoyBell C.
“When a woman becomes her own best friend life is easier.” – Diane Von Furstenberg
“Don’t sacrifice yourself too much, because if you sacrifice too much there’s nothing else you can give and nobody will care for you.” – Karl Lagerfeld
“Looking back you realize that a very special person passed briefly through your life and that person was you. It is not too late to become that person again.” – Robert Brault
“One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself.” – Shannon L. Alder
“The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself.” – Steve Maraboli
“Your time is way too valuable to be wasting on people that can’t accept who you are.” – Turcois Ominek
“The only real conflict you will ever have in your life won’t be with others, but with yourself.” – Shannon L. Alder
“If you have the ability to love, love yourself first.” – Charles Bukowski
“Once you embrace your value, talents and strengths, it neutralizes when others think less of you.” – Rob Liano
“I am my own experiment. I am my own work of art.” – Madonna
“Tell the world you are one-of-a-kind creation who came here to experience wonder and spread joy. Expect to be accommodated.” – Victoria Moran
“Document the moments you feel most in love with yourself – what you’re wearing, who you’re around, what you’re doing. Recreate and repeat.” – Warsan Shire
“Self love is an ocean and your heart is a vessel. Make it full, and any excess will spill over into the lives of the people you hold dear. But you must come first.” – Beau Taplin
“It’s all about falling in love with yourself and sharing that love with someone who appreciates you, rather than looking for love to compensate for a self love deficit.” – Eartha Kitt
“When we fulfill our function, which is to truly love ourselves and share love with others, then true happiness sets in.” – Gabrielle Bernstein
“I am so beautiful, sometimes people weep when they see me. And it has nothing to do with what I look like really, it is just that I gave myself the power to say that I am beautiful, and if I could do that, maybe there is hope for them too. And the great divide between the beautiful and the ugly will cease to be. Because we are all what we choose.” – Margaret Cho
“We can’t be so desperate for love that we forget where we can always find it; within.” – Alexandra Elle
“How you love yourself is how you teach others to love you.” – Rupi Kaur
“Do not expect to receive the love from someone else you do not give yourself.” – Gloria Jean Watkins, (a.k.a. bell hooks)
“People who love themselves come across as very loving, generous and kind; they express their self-confidence through humility, forgiveness and inclusiveness.” – Sanaya Roman
“We are at our most powerful the moment we no longer need to be powerful.” – Eric Micha’el Leventhal
“I can do this…I can start over. I can save my own life and I’m never going to be alone as long as I have stars to wish on and people to still love.” – Jennifer Elisabeth
“Self-love is a good thing but self-awareness is more important. You need to once in a while go ‘Uh, I’m kind of an asshole.” – Louis C.K.
“Letting ourselves be forgiven is one of the most difficult healings we will undertake. And one of the most fruitful.” – Stephen Levine
“Allow yourself to enjoy each happy moment in your life.” – Steve Maraboli
“Stop trying to be less of who you are. Let this time in your life cut you open and drain all of the things that are holding you back.” – Jennifer Elisabeth
“This is the only face and body you’re ever going to get, so be comfortable and happy in it. Own it. Own every aspect of who you are and present it to the world with the utmost pride.” – Connor Franta
“Celebrate who you are in your deepest heart. Love yourself and the world will love you.” – Amy Leigh Mercree
“Lighten up on yourself. No one is perfect. Gently accept your humanness.” – Deborah Day
“Don’t doubt yourself, that’s what haters are for.” – Turcois Ominek
“Wildflower; pick up your pretty little head, It will get easier, your dreams are not dead.” – Nikki Rowe
“You’ll never know who you are unless you shed who you pretend to be.” – Vironika Tugaleva
“Stay true to yourself. An original is worth more than a copy.” – Suzy Kassem
