3 Ways to Practice Self Love

What’s self love got to do with it? A whole lot let me tell you. As much as I love my moments of self care and wellness, self love is more important. I feel like self care is a result of the self love you already have and nourishing it and maintaining it can be done with self care, but self love is what changes you and what makes a difference in your life. Self love is beyond the surface, it’s at the core of who you are.

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I like to break it down into 3 sections. Mind, body and soul. That said lets get into 3 ways to practice self love.

3 Ways to Practice Self Love

The MIND

Self love falls into the mindset category just as much as it falls into Body and Soul. Now that I’m older and now that I have a grip on my thoughts and all that stems from it, it irritates me to think about how much of our lack of, self love, self esteem, confidence and the like comes from a poor mindset. We are conditioned so easily and look at so much as standard that those things we consume tend to alter and change how we feel about ourselves. Some of us have experienced traumas that have caused our mindset to be changed as a result, but even the worst of traumas don’t have to prevent us from showing ourselves self love. We all need love, we all desire love no matter what we say about it. We were made to love, not just others, but ourselves as well. If we don’t show ourselves self love, how can we show love to others? Below I’ve included some affirmations, journal prompts and habits you can create to nourish your mind.

Affirmations

  • I belong here
  • I am loved
  • I am worthy of love
  • I am wanted
  • I am worthy of a great life
  • I attract opportunities
  • I am a positive light
  • I love myself
  • I am enough
  • I release negative self talk
  • I accept positive self talk

Journal Prompts

It’s no secret I love journaling and writing and anything that keeps me writing on paper so of course I had to share some journal prompts to boost your self love. Wherever you are on your journey with journaling, don’t take it so seriously, in the sense like don’t make it this thing that causes you tense up and be up tight. No one is reading your journal, but you; use journaling as a resource to release and be honest with yourself. Take it seriously in the aspect of being truthful with yourself, but don’t make it a chore.

  • What is the biggest reason you don’t love or feel love toward yourself?
  • How many days can you go without criticizing yourself?
  • Write a list of loving acts you have done for yourself?
  • Write a list of loving acts you would like to do for yourself?
  • Are there any familial beliefs, that you’ve taken on, causing you to avoid self love?
  • Is there something that you keep focusing on that happened a long time ago?
  • What is your favorite thing to do to treat yourself?
  • When do you feel most in love with yourself?

Things to Nourish

Nourishing your mindset and changing the thought behind certain things is a great way to practice self love. Something as simple as buying yourself flowers instead of waiting for that perfect moment where they come to you, has the power to change how you feel about yourself. If you believe you deserve flowers on all occasions, once a week or whatever the case, you’re taking steps to rewire your brain and your thought process around that. Don’t take those little things you do for granted. Below is a quick list of things you can do to nourish your mind.

  • Write yourself a love letter (current self, future self or both)
  • Buy yourself flowers
  • Make a gratitude list
  • Read a new book in your favorite genre
  • Take a break from social media
  • Get outside into nature

Now that we have the mind in progress let’s get into self love for the Body.

The BODY

Self love for the body for me looks like using scrub gloves instead of a regular wash cloth. It looks like luxury body wash and creating an ambiance when I’m needing a space of peace. Self love for the body looks like drinking water and taking vitamins; creating a habit of consistency around the things I actually need daily. Since we got our dog now 2 years ago, I always think to myself, “wow what would we be doing without her?” I know we would still work out some sort of way, but a dog definitely shakes up your whole routine, she wants to be up at 6:30 daily, so we’re up at 6:30 or earlier, but I appreciate those little things because it gets my body into a routine. Below are some ways you can practice self love when it comes to your body.

Of course this is a short list and your body may need things differently, but more self love comes from spending time with your mind and your body, becoming more familiar and in tune instead of avoiding it. Last but certainly not least, lets get into your soul.

The SOUL

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life – Proverbs 4:23

I think of my soul when I see this scripture. Our heart is where the issues of life flow and these are the things that ultimately alter how we go about life, how we interact with people and the like. Self love is a learning process. This is where the internal work comes into play. Reading devotionals, meditating on scriptures, spending time with like minded individuals and the like will definitely help nourish your soul, this is the part that has to take place without me. Journaling prompts and the like shared above help you open up and discover how you’re really feeling inside. The Bible tells us that God knows our heart and whenever I hear that it convicts me, not from a place of “what does God know about me?” because he knows everything, but it convicts me and reminds me to keep my heart in a place that is pleasing to God yes, but serving it’s purpose through me on earth.

If you really want to see the inner workings of self love, spend time with God. Spend time sitting with what’s in your heart beyond the insta-quotes and what we share on social media. This is your life and you should love yourself fully. I want that peace for you and I hope you believe that you are deserving of it. A short list of things you can do for your soul to practice more self love:

  • Create custom affirmations (what specifics do you need to affirm in your life)
  • Meditate on scripture
  • Make a list of 10 things you love about yourself (longer if you would like)
  • Practice being present in whatever moment you are in, avoid the practice of rushing to the next thing
  • Pick some new devotionals to read

I hope this post has been helpful for you; posts like these remind me of my own journey. It’s so hard to imagine that I lived life a certain way mentally or had times where I didn’t love myself. Thinking about that now seems impossible, but a lot of us have gone through these moments.

What ways have you practiced more self love? Did it increase since the pandemic started?

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