Self-love may have become a popular trend over the last couple of years, but it's not just a fad. More and more people are realizing the importance of accepting and truly loving themselves, yet it's still not common knowledge or practice.
If you want to reap the life-changing benefits of self-love but don't know how or where to start, these tips will show you practical ways to practice self-love in a way that works for you.
What is Self Love?
Self-love is, as its name implies, loving yourself. It means different things to everyone, but most can agree that it's a state of understanding and meeting your own needs in an effort to prioritize your own wellbeing and happiness.
Loving yourself doesn't mean being selfish or putting yourself on a pedestal. It just means that you care about your happiness and the relationship with yourself matters, too.
20 Life-Changing Ways to Practice Self Love Every Day
Like any relationship, self-love and appreciation grow with intentional actions and practices. If you want to prioritize your wellbeing and happiness, you'll need to work on your self-love on a regular basis.
1. Refuse to Compare Yourself
Comparison prevents you from truly accepting yourself and is downright toxic to any relationship.
Next time you notice you're comparing yourself to someone else, try replacing that comparison with an affirmation like "I am enough as I am" or a specific compliment about yourself that you genuinely believe.
2. Set Boundaries
Sometimes the best way you can show yourself love and respect is by setting boundaries with people in your life.
They don't necessarily need to be toxic for you to set boundaries, either. If there's someone that continues to take advantage of you or is just exhausting to be around, it's probably in your best interest to set limits with them.
If you're new to setting and enforcing boundaries, start small and build from there.
Say no when you normally say yes to things that you don't want to do. Stop taking things personally. Refrain from taking on other people's problems, and so forth.
3. Prioritize Your Mental, Physical, and Emotional Health
When you truly love and care for someone, you look out for their needs on all fronts, including their mental, physical, and emotional health.
It's no different when it comes to self-love.
Make it a priority to check in with yourself daily and do things that make you feel your best.
4. Go After Your Goals
If you have a goal that you've been putting on the sidelines for whatever reason, one of the best ways to show yourself love is to prioritize that goal.
Everyone has passions and dreams that they want to see to fruition and you should be cheering yourself on to achieve those goals just like you would a friend.
5. Accept and Learn From Your Mistakes
Regret and resentment drown out love and growth in every relationship, including the one with yourself.
If you're struggling to move on from your mistakes, try these tips for dealing with regret so you can finally move on.
Forgiving yourself is one of the most life-changing acts of self-love, so don't put it off any longer.
6. Compliment Yourself
Just like you compliment those you love, you should be complimenting yourself, too.
Even just recognizing one attribute a day can do wonders for building your self-esteem and building a stronger connection with yourself.
If you're not used to complimenting yourself, start with something simple like the color of your eyes or how you completed a task that you weren't sure you could do.
7. Reframe Your Limiting Beliefs
Limiting beliefs keep you from truly living your best life and becoming your best self.
Next time a thought comes up that limits you or makes you feel negatively about yourself, show yourself love by reframing it into something positive and helpful.
8. Be Around People Who Are Good For You
People that really love you will show you how to love yourself and help you be your happiest, healthiest self.
If the people in your life don't uplift you or have your best interests at heart, it's time to find those that do and surround yourself with them on a regular basis.
9. Celebrate Yourself
You should make it a point to celebrate yourself at least once a day no matter how small or big the accomplishment.
Celebrating yourself isn't just a way to practice self-love. It's a great way to build your confidence and rewrite any limiting beliefs you may have, all of which will make you happier and healthier over time.
10. Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
Allowing yourself to reach your fullest potential is one of the most impactful things you can do for yourself, but in order to do that, you will need to step out of your comfort zone.
You don't need to do anything huge or life-altering, like skydiving or traveling abroad.
Doing something seemingly insignificant like changing up the way you dress or singing on karaoke night can be ways that you can slowly step out of your comfort zone.
11. Let Others Take Care of You
One of the greatest ways you can show yourself love is by letting others take care of you.
Even if it's just paying for your coffee or bringing you soup when you're sick, allowing yourself to be loved and cared for in some way on a regular basis can make a big difference in how you care for yourself, too.
12. Find Ways to Relieve Stress
With everything vying for your attention, finding ways to relieve stress is one way you can show yourself even more love.
There are many healthy ways to relieve stress and it might take some time to find the ones that work best for you but it's worth prioritizing.
13. Seek to Truly Understand Yourself
Part of being in a relationship with someone is making an effort to understand and get to know them, and the same applies to yourself.
You can understand yourself better in little ways every day so that you are able to better recognize and meet your needs. Start with something simple like journal prompts for self-discovery, which is easy and realistic to do on a regular basis.
14. Meet Your Basic Needs Without Guilt
Making your basic needs non-negotiable even when it's inconvenient for others shows you are committed to yourself and willing to do what it takes to maintain your overall well-being.
No matter how small they seem, your basic needs on a physical, mental, and emotional level need to be met daily. It all adds up and matters more than you may think.
15. Accept and Appreciate Your Unique Traits
Everyone has their own unique traits that they're not a big fan of but they're what makes them who they are. While it can be difficult, one of the best ways to practice self-love is to accept and appreciate your own uniqueness.
Even the most awkward and rare things about you are worth noticing and appreciating.
Next time you want to degrade something about yourself, be thankful for it instead and choose to look for the good in it.
16. Indulge Yourself
Finding simple ways to indulge yourself is another way to show some self-love. Chances are that you enjoy spoiling your friends, family, and partner to some extent, but you should also spoil yourself.
You don't need to go overboard or spend a lot of money on this for it to make a big difference in your life. A simple dessert or bubble bath can sometimes be all that is needed for giving yourself something extra.
17. Find a Hobby
Life is better with a hobby and finding the right one can help you enjoy yourself more while also building your confidence.
Try some stress-relieving hobbies or something you've been interested in that you just haven't done yet and do it consistently.
18. Form Better Habits
One of the best ways you can practice self-love is by forming better habits that make you happier and healthier while ditching the bad ones that just hold you back in life.
Start with one for right now and work at it every day.
19. Be Present
If you're like most people you are too busy and overwhelmed to be present with yourself for a few minutes every day. Being present in the moment is one of the best gifts you can give yourself, though.
Instead of constantly thinking about what someone needs from you or checking off something else on your to-do list, practice being present and soaking up some alone time or quality time with your loved ones. You'll stress less and be much happier if you practice being present every day.
20. Be Patient
Showing yourself love and appreciation grows in increments and doesn't happen overnight. Be patient with yourself, especially if self-love doesn't come naturally to you and is something that you aren't used to.
Practicing self-love is important to building a strong connection with yourself and boosting your self-worth, and there are many ways you can do it on a daily basis. Start with the ideas that excite you most and are the most important to you.
Over time you will find even more ways to love and appreciate yourself as you discover yourself and see how doing so positively impacts your life.