When you love and accept yourself, you become unstoppable. The power of self-love is unmatched. In this post you’ll learn what self-love is exactly, the benefits of it and ways to practice it today.
What is it?
Self-love is the concept of fully loving and accepting yourself. Self-love consists of meeting your needs and prioritizing your well-being and happiness. When you have love and appreciation for yourself, it leads to more peace and satisfaction. When you have self-love you choose yourself first and that’s a good thing.
Having self-love does not make you selfish. In fact, I’d argue that people who think that are the ones that need to prioritize themselves the most. Self-love is a necessary thing. Imagine if everyone encompassed it and in turn met all their needs and were happier. The world would be a better place.
The benefits of self-love
Self-love is full of power because when you love and appreciate yourself on a deep level, you don’t seek validation from others. The most important person in your life is yourself. You entered this world alone and you’ll take your last breath alone. Therefore, the most vital relationship there is is with yourself.
Self-love is so powerful because it enhances your life. When you truly love yourself, it leads to respecting yourself too. For example, someone who has always fought with herself and put herself down is more likely to not prioritize herself. She won’t go out of her way to have a healthy body or set boundaries as opposed to someone that loves herself.
When you have self-love your life changes because you make sure you are treating yourself right. You’ll choose the healthier option because you love your body and want to feel well, you won’t settle for a mediocre relationship because you know you are a catch. The list goes on.
Having grace
First, I want to acknowledge that developing a deep and compassionate love for yourself might not be easy at first and that’s okay. Some of us grew up with a lack of support whether that was financial, parental or emotional. Some of us may have grown up witnessing our loved ones putting themselves down and that became a “normal” thing to do. Even worse, some people grew up being put down by their own parents or loved ones and those words make a negative lasting impact.
If I asked you to write down every time someone around you criticizes themselves, you’d be surprised at how many people do that. It’s so common that it goes unnoticed but words are so powerful and when negative words are directed at yourself, that’s even more concerning.
In a previous post, I wrote about water consciousness and how words and intentions literally change the molecular structure of water. Well, we are made up of mostly water so think about how much your body is affected when you put yourself down.
Ways to develop it
Now that you know the power of self-love, let’s look into some ways you can develop it. A common way to begin looking at your relationship with yourself is by thinking of yourself as a friend. It sounds weird at first, but as I mentioned earlier, it is the most important relationship you have. You matter. You count. So begin to treat yourself just like you’d treat your best friend. I’m sure you wouldn’t put her down or compare her to other people.
That brings me to another point. Make the conscious decision to stop comparing yourself to others. Everyone is different and unique in their own way, including yourself. Everyone has insecurities too but the key here is to not compare yourself to others. We never know what internal battles others are going through. Be gentle with yourself and focus on your needs.
Here are other ways you can practice self-love:
- Use your self-awareness to heal your inner child first and foremost
- Look in the mirror and give yourself a new compliment each day
- Practice a daily self-care activity even if it’s something small such as eating your favorite meal
- Make time for yourself by creating a morning routine to start your day off right
- Protect your energy from people that don’t serve you by setting healthy boundaries
- When negative self talk comes up, replace it with positive affirmations
- Forgive yourself for past wounds
- Write a list of all the things you like about yourself (make gratitude list of yourself)
- Write a love letter to yourself
- Work with a therapist or a coach to help you progress
Learning to love yourself is a journey. It requires intention and effort. Just like other relationships, this one requires maintenance too. Once you get to a good place where you feel peace and ease, make sure you continue choosing yourself every day going forward.
Final thoughts
I hope you learned all about the power of self-love and begin to implement some of these tips in your daily life. If you find that it’s really difficult to practice self-love, I invite you to journal out what comes up. You can also work with a therapist or schedule a clarity call with me to dive deeper. Once you begin to choose yourself, it should get easier to maintain a loving relationship with yourself. You are a gift to the world. You’re here for a reason. I hope you know and believe that.
Let’s work together!
- If you’re really ready to create the life you want
- If you want to increase your happiness and feel more confident in who you are
- If you want to trust yourself more and live on purpose
I can help you! Schedule your clarity call to work with me HERE and follow me on Instagram!
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