How to Practice Self Love

If you struggle to appreciate yourself, you’re not alone. Nearly 85% of people worldwide struggle with their self-esteem. This can lead to unhappiness and loneliness.

It can be a hard truth to swallow to learn that you truly are the only person who will have your back 100% of the time. Learning to love yourself is the best way to ensure that you have someone on your side for the rest of your life.

If you’re unsure how to practice self love, keep reading for some of the best tips and tricks to help you realize how special and loved you are.

Find Yourself

If you don’t have a sense of self, it can be challenging to have self-esteem. After all, if you don’t know who you are, you can’t find the parts of yourself you value and appreciate.

One of the best ways to rediscover yourself is to visualize your ideal life. This can help you narrow down the aspects of life that are essential to you and incorporate them into your daily routine.

Similarly, you’ll want to sit down and truly think about the aspect of yourself you want to work on. This can be difficult, as no one likes to think about the negative parts of themselves. However, you’ll be able to reframe these negative thoughts into positive changes.

Once you think about the area of your life you want to reframe, you can think about the parts of your personality that you value about yourself. This can help you feel your absolute best, as you’ll grow to appreciate your positive qualities.

Fuel Your Body

One of the most challenging changes for many people is their diet. Those who may not love themselves because of their body often struggle with what they eat, as there is societal pressure to look a certain way.

Think of your body like a car. A car can only drive if it has gas! Your body can only support your lifestyle if you fuel your body with the necessary nutrients.

When thinking about your diet, keeping the necessary food groups in mind is crucial to feeling your best. You’ll want to ensure you consume all of the essential proteins, carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables to help support yourself.

Eating is a great way to treat yourself, fuel your body, and enjoy your life. Not only can you bond with friends over food, but you can also explore the world by trying different dishes right from your kitchen.

Practice Gratitude

If you’re looking to reap the benefits of self-love, practicing gratitude is a great place to start. This is a great way to help incorporate positivity into your life.

Starting a gratitude journal is one of the best ways to help reframe your mindset and help you appreciate yourself much more. You’ll want to list at least five things daily that you are grateful for, with one of them being something about yourself that you love.

Adding this to your daily routine is a great way to feel more positive. You can start your day by listing your gratitude to start your day off on a good note, or you can jot down the happy things that happened throughout the day before bed to reflect on your blessings.

Let Go of Expectations

As mentioned before, societal pressures can be immense. Whether you think you should look, dress, or act a certain way, you’ll want to let go of these expectations and embrace your individuality.

Sticking true to yourself is one of the best ways to practice self-love. If you keep pretending to be someone you’re not, you’re only going to feel unsatisfied with your life.

Though it can be challenging to go against the grain, you’ll want to focus on yourself. This includes setting boundaries that others may not like but that benefit you and ensure that you feel your best.

For example, if you’re stressed at work, saying “no” to additional projects can be difficult. However, you’ll find relief in knowing that you won’t be stressed out trying to please everyone.

Talk to Professionals

If you’re unsure how to be kind to yourself, one of the most effective ways is to talk to a mental health professional. You may feel like you don’t have problems severe enough to warrant confiding in someone, but everyone can benefit from getting their feelings off their chest.

Though talking to a therapist can be intimidating, talking to a professional is a great way to feel better about yourself. You won’t feel laden with emotions and heavy feelings, as you can get them off of your chest.

A therapist can help validate feelings that you may feel negatively about while also providing exercises to help you focus on improving self-esteem and self-love.

Practice Self-Care

Self-care has a strange stigma surrounding it. Many assume that a self-care or mental health day is full of bubble baths and pizza. However, this isn’t all this practice is.

Self-care is one of the best ways to learn how to love yourself, as you’ll spend time thinking about yourself and your needs. When you put yourself first, you’ll find that you fall in love more and more with who you are.

Practicing self-care consistently is crucial, as it ensures that you’ll feel your best. You can dedicate one day per week or a set amount of time every day to practicing self-care.

Some of the most common self-care practices include getting a massage, going to the gym, cleaning, and reading. Though cleaning may not seem like an act of self-care, taking care of your home is crucial to feeling your best.

Move Your Body

Much like fueling your body can help you feel your best, getting active is a great way to fall in love with yourself.

Living a sedentary lifestyle can leave you feeling weak or frail. However, getting your blood pumping is a great way to change your perception of yourself. Working out can help you focus on yourself, feel stronger, and look great.

You don’t have to sign up for a pricey gym membership or invest in expensive home equipment. Instead, simple activities like walking, hiking, yoga, and running can help you feel amazing.

Not only will you look and feel great, but you’ll also find yourself practicing self-discipline. Improving this skill by working out when you may not feel up to it can help give you another personality point that you’re grateful for.

Get Creative

Another great way to learn how to accept yourself is to explore your creative side. This will help you find ways to express your personality and spend time focusing on the things that you love.

Great ways to explore your creative side include writing, whether this is short stories, poetry, or in a journal, and more traditional forms of art. From painting and drawing to sculpting and creating jewelry, you can take time to yourself.

You also don’t have to have the best art supplies in order to create. You can easily work with what you have, as what you design is more important to love yourself than the final product.

Practice Mindfulness

Finally, if you want to love yourself more, practicing mindfulness is a great way to focus on your life. Mindfulness is all about living in the moment and paying attention to how you feel in different situations.

One of the best ways to live in the moment is to focus on one thing at a time. Though it can be easy to take on multiple tasks at once, concentrating on one thing at a time can help you recenter and stay on task.

Similarly, you can spend more time with those who make you happy. It can be challenging to push yourself to go out when you’re feeling bad about yourself, but surrounding yourself with people who bring out the best in you can help you appreciate yourself more.