Self love is the root of everything in our lives.
It can be the difference between a life you are obsessed with and a life that you hate.
If you don’t love yourself then there is a slim chance you can ever achieve genuine happiness and fulfillment.
Sure you can have short bursts of happiness in life without self love but if you want to live the life you’ve always wanted then self love is essential.
If you’ve been reading my content for awhile you probably already know what I’m about to say. Everything can be achieved with a little practice.
It’s going to take some time and effort but after a while it will feel natural.
In the meantime, I am going to explain what self love is, how to practice it, and give you a few exercises for self love you can start incorporating into your life.
What is Self Love?
From the words of Brain & Behavior, Self Love is a state of appreciation for oneself that grows from actions that support our physical, psychological and spiritual growth.
Self love is all about prioritizing what you want in life and realizing that you deserve everything good that happens to you.
Self love allows you to feel confident in your own skin and make decisions with only yourself in mind.
I know what you’re thinking, your thinking of self love is a selfish act.
That’s right.
Being selfish is a part of self love because it shows that you love yourself enough to make yourself the top priority in situations.
How Do You Practice Self Love?
You practice self love by doing things for yourself.
Simple as that. Start making decisions with one question in mind, “would that make me happy?”
If the answer is yes then do it.
Most people feel a sense of guilt when they are partaking in self love activities, but just remember it is essential if you want to get anywhere near a happy life.
I’m not saying you have to cut everyone off and you can’t do any favors for anyone, just don’t jeopardize your self care time and well being for anyone.
So now that you know how to practice self love I want to give you a few self love exercises to get you started.
Exercises For Self Love
Now I am going to get into my 20 simple exercises for self love so you can pick the ones you want to start adding into your life.
#1 Write a Letter to Yourself
Write yourself a letter of appreciation as if you were a dear friend.
Don’t be afraid to give yourself a compliment and reminisce on stories about your triumphs in life.
Write about all the good in your life from an outside perspective, it helps you appreciate yourself more.
#2 The Self Love Jar
This one is my favorite. Get yourself a mason jar or any type of empty jar.
Tear off a few scraps of paper and for an entire month you will write one thing you love about yourself on a scrap of paper and throw it in the jar.
Once the month is over you are going to take them all out and read them. Reading them helps you realize how many great qualities you have to offer the world.
After you read them you can either keep the jar or start over.
#3 Carve out Time For Yourself
Setting aside time for yourself is the ultimate self love exercise.
This alone time doesn’t even need to have a specific activity attached to it, just do whatever feels right in those moments.
It’s your time to listen to what your body is telling you to do.
If you are able to carve out time in your busy schedule for some alone time that shows you prioritize yourself.
#4 Say Affirmations
Affirmations are very empowering and have a positive affect on how you feel emotionally.
When you wake up every morning and say something like “I deserve everything good in the world” then you will start to believe it.
Affirmations have a way of aligning your thoughts, words, and actions.
So saying affirmations is a great exercise for self love because it puts you in the self love mindset.
#5 Quit Doing What You Hate
Unfortunately, there are numerous people doing things they hate on a day to day basis.
If this sounds like you then stop. If you really love yourself you wouldn’t be torturing yourself by doing something you hate on a regular.
Start practicing self love by cutting everything you hate out of your life. Realize that your happiness is the most important thing in your life.
If you want to read about how to restructure and reset your life so you can love it again then click this link.
#6 Start a Gratitude List About Yourself
Making a gratitude list is a great exercise for self love because you will come to realize how great you are and you will start to discover your worth.
The key to making this gratitude list is to center the list around yourself.
For example you would write something like, “I am thankful that I’m a great cook.”
After while you will realize you have several great qualities and it will be easier to accept that you are a high value person.
#7 Start Treating Your Body Like a Temple
Treat your body like it’s the only one you get.
Start thinking about your body more when making life decisions. Prioritize things like sleep, relaxation, exercise, and nutrition.
Caring for yourself physically is a part of self love because it’s the act of putting your body before other things in your life. If you want some good habits that you can focus on for your physical health check out this post.
#8 Plan a Trip To Your Favorite Local Spot
It’s important to get into the habit of treating yourself.
So pick one of your favorite places near you and stop by there.
This could be an ice cream shop, a lake, a restaurant, a store, whatever it is, treat yourself with a visit there.
#9 Eat one of Your Favorite Foods
I know I just went on this whole rant about treating your body like a temple but that doesn’t mean you need to deprive yourself of good food.
Everything in moderation. So every once in a while treat yourself to your favorite dish.
#10 Go to a Spa
Going to the spa is a great exercise for self love.
Make an appointment at your favorite spa and get pampered for the day. It is an amazing form of self care that you should indulge in every once in a while.
#11 Create a Morning Routine
Morning Routines are essential if you want to protect your sanity.
Morning routines are amazing because it allows for the first few moments of the day to be all about you. It helps you start your day off on the right foot.
No one likes getting out of bed and jumping straight into work mode. It just makes you sad to wake up.
So try creating a little morning ritual for yourself so you can love getting out of bed in the morning.
#12 Meditation
Meditation allows for your mind and body to fully relax.
Practicing meditation is one of the most common self love exercises because it’s simple and effective.
So every now and again I suggest meditating just so you can give your mind and body a break.
#13 Buy Yourself a Gift
A gift doesn’t have to be from someone else.
You can give yourself a gift to show yourself some appreciation. Gifts make us feel special and there is nothing wrong with rewarding yourself.
Show yourself some love and buy something you have been wanting for months.
#14 Digitally Detach
We live in a digital world.
Every app is created to hold our attention for as long as possible. Most people’s screen time is astronomically high which is understandable.
That’s why every once in a while it’s good to detach and give that time back to yourself.
You would be surprised how much time you would have for yourself if you put down your phone for a day.
#15 Take a day off
Take a day off from work.
Sometimes it feels like our lives are consumed by our jobs. Your lifestyle mantra is “live to work” instead of “work to live.”
It’s a good habit everyone now again to just take a day off to enjoy yourself. It helps you realize there is more to life than just working.
#16 Clean your space
Taking the time out of your day to care for your space is a form of self love.
It shows that you care about the comfortability of your environment. I promise a cleaner space will help you feel more at peace.
Show yourself some love and clean up your space so you can fully enjoy it.
#17 Spend Time with Loved Ones
Being around people that love you is a form of self love because you are allowing yourself to receive that outside love.
It is important to feel that type of love from others, so regularly spend time with your family and friends.
#18 Positive Self Talk
Our mind’s default setting is negativitvity.
Fortunately, it is possible to train your mind to think more positive thoughts. You can start by intentionally thinking nice thoughts about yourself.
If you constantly think nice thoughts about yourself it will eventually become a habit and it will have a positive impact on your mood.
#19 Celebrate your wins
You should be celebrating all of your wins. Big and small.
Most of the time in life we gloss over all of our small wins but every win deserves to be celebrated.
So make sure you focus on all your wins in life so you feel properly appreciated.
#20 Try Something New
Give yourself something new and exciting to try. You might just love it.
Trying something new is exciting and opens your mind up to a lot of different experiences.
The more you try, the more things you will find that you love. And if you love them so much you can add them to your self love routine.
Wrapping it Up
Hopefully now you feel ready to start your self love journey.
It’s hard when you first start out but I promise you will get the hang of it. Self love is important and if we don’t practice it we could end up in an emotionally toxic place.
So start practicing with these self love exercises.
You have to start getting more comfortable with focusing on yourself so you can create a life that you love.
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