.png)
Do you often wish you could be a little kinder to yourself? You're not alone; many of us struggle with feeling worthy and fully embracing who we are. Loving ourselves can seem impossible, especially when life throws curveballs our way. But self-love is one of the most powerful tools for cultivating inner strength and courage through tough times.
This blog post offers simple ways to help foster more love and appreciation for yourself daily! From thoughtful acts of kindness to developing healthy habits, let's start creating a meaningful self-love journey that strengthens your mental health, improves relationships, and helps you tap into your unique power from within.
Why Loving Yourself Is Important
Before we jump into the list, let's pause and celebrate why self-love is so important. When we love ourselves, it doesn't just make us feel good; it holds many benefits that impact our overall well-being:
It boosts confidence and kills low self-esteem.
It encourages healthy boundaries.
It leads to healthier relationships with others.
It improves mental and physical health.
It reduces stress and anxiety levels.
It helps you make more mindful decisions about your life.
It increases self-compassion, which is critical for resilience in challenging times or when things don't go as planned.
It encourages a positive outlook and helps you focus on good things.
It helps us to experience God's love more.
It helps us to become more like Christ.
How to Love Yourself?
There are many ways to learn to love yourself. Here are a few suggestions:
Give Yourself Grace
One of the most powerful tools to help with this is giving yourself grace. This means allowing yourself to make mistakes without criticizing or judging yourself for them and understanding that life is full of imperfections. It also means showing yourself kindness, even when things don't go as planned. Giving yourself grace can be difficult, especially when we're used to comparing ourselves to others or feeling like we should be further along in our lives or careers than we are. But it's essential for self-love and growth.
Allow All Emotions
All your negative or positive feelings are valid and need attention, even the negative ones. When you don't allow all of your emotions, you push them deeper inside, leading to resentment and more negative feelings.
When any emotion arises in you, allow them to flow. Validate those feelings and then release them. You will feel so much better when you do! You can learn more about why God gave us emotions here: Why Did God Give Us Emotions.
Schedule a Therapy Session
Consider professional therapy if you're feeling overwhelmed or stuck in any area of your life. Seeing a qualified therapist can help you become more self-aware and gain valuable insight into yourself that can lead to positive changes in your life.
Spend Time in Nature
Take time to connect with nature, whether going on a walk in the park or spending an afternoon exploring your local hiking trails. When surrounded by nature, it can be easier to let go of any worries and be present at the moment. This is an excellent way to practice self-care and self-love.
Remind Yourself of Who God Created You To Be
No matter how you were raised or your current circumstances, take a few moments to remind yourself of who God created you to be and how that fits into His overall plan. Reminding ourselves of these truths can help us stay grounded and gain perspective.
Turn Off Your Phone
Try not to use your phone for the entire day. You will see how much time you have to do everything you need, plus what you want to do. This will also give you time for self-care.
Not only does turning off your phone free up time in your day, but it also helps you not compare yourself to others which can led to self deception. It is easy to get on social media in the morning, see how another person is living an "amazing life," and instantly feel bad that you aren't living the same life. Could you turn it off and enjoy how you think? It will help you to practice self-love.
Related: How Detoxing From Social Media Can Help Your Faith
Exercise
Exercising does more than help take care of our bodies. It will also take care of our minds.
When you exercise, you release endorphins that release tension and emotional build-up. Plus, don't you feel amazing after your workout and love your body more? Try to get in a few minutes of exercise every single day. It doesn't matter what the exercise is, just that you do something!
Say No
Start small by saying no to things that don't bring you joy or aren't in alignment with who you are. Saying yes to everything can leave us feeling drained and resentful. Start saying no more often, even if it comes at a cost (like missing out on an opportunity). It will be worth it and help you on your journey to self-love.
Stop Judging
Stop judging yourself for everything you've done. We are the most prominent critic of ourselves; it is as if we will never be happy with who we are. Judging doesn't get us anywhere, so stop doing it!
Instead of judging, work on giving yourself grace and moving forward. If you did something you aren't proud of, that's OK. You can always try another day again.
Allow Tears
You are always allowed to cry. There is so much stigma around crying, to the point where people refrain all the time. However, that does more damage than good. Crying is highly therapeutic and helps you release built-up emotions and all that tension in your body. Don't hold them back when you feel tears coming; let them flow! You will feel so much better afterward.
Prioritize Yourself
Your needs come first. Always make sure to take care of yourself before others. If you are taking on too much in life, it is time to start saying no more often and setting boundaries. The less stressed you are, the better you'll feel about yourself and the more love and appreciation you can have for your entire life.
Rewrite Thoughts
Most of the time, our negative thoughts are about ourselves. We are either not 'pretty' or 'smart' enough. Whenever a negative review about yourself comes up, rewrite it into a positive one. This is another way to work on affirmations! If you struggle to say what to say, try saying the exact opposite of what you initially thought.
Celebrate Your Accomplishments
Remember to take the time to celebrate your accomplishments. It can be easy to forget how far we have come, so we must write down our successes and reflect on them when we need a reminder of how great we are! Celebrating ourselves, even for small things, will help us build self-love and appreciation.
Be Grateful for You
Give thanks to yourself for all your attributes. Instead of writing about physical things you are thankful for in your gratitude journal, write a list of things you love about yourself. There are things you wouldn't want to live without that make you, you, so write it down and be grateful for yourself!
Unfollow Toxic People
When you scroll on social media, is there anyone that makes you mad? What about people you constantly compare yourself to? Go through your social media today and unfollow any of those toxic pages. You will feel so much relief as you go on Instagram and only find happiness!
Accept Yourself
Accept yourself; all your flaws, stretch marks, mistakes, and all. You are a unique and wonderful Child of God. Self-acceptance is essential no matter what. This is a hard thing to do, but as you accept a little bit more every day, you will become stronger and more in love with who you indeed are!
Spent Time With Love Ones
Spending time with the people who love and support you is vital for self-love. Surround yourself with positive, encouraging environments and people that will lift you and make you feel good. It's OK to spend time alone but having a healthy connection with others is critical to loving yourself!
Use Your Talents
Growing a talent you already have helps you remember how awesome you are. Whether playing an instrument, gardening, painting or running, do something you enjoy and are good at today. You will feel better about yourself while doing something you want.
Honor Your Past
Your past has brought you to where you are now and made you who you are. If anything changed in your past, you wouldn't be yourself. Try to honor your past, even though it may be tricky. Even if your history is full of trauma, try to find one thing to accept and honor.
Self-Care
Self-care is so important for self-love. Do something special for yourself today. Whether that's taking a bubble bath, watching your favorite movie, or going to bed early. Taking time to care for yourself will increase your self-confidence and remind you how much you are worth! Self-love is a journey, so take your time and enjoy it.
Rest
Doing nothing is so lovely, but how often do you do that? Resting allows us to relax and let go for a moment. This could be taking a nap, sleeping, or just sitting on the couch doing nothing. Stop for a few minutes during your busy day to rest and reset.
Set Boundaries
Setting boundaries helps you not get hurt or overwhelmed by other people's demands or emotions. They let other people know that you expect respect, but more importantly, they let you know that you deserve respect. Try to think of a problem you are currently facing and devise a boundary that will help you with that problem.
.jpg)
Eat Your Favorite Treat
There is just something about eating a piece of chocolate that brightens your day and helps you feel loved. Today, find a delicious treat you love and crave and thoroughly enjoy. Savor every bite!
Dress Up
One day this week, get dressed up. Do your makeup and curl your hair. Put on the fanciest clothes you own. Remember your jewelry! Once you are all dressed up, don't go anywhere.
Dressing up is solely for you to treat yourself. You don't have to dress up for anything other than to make yourself feel good.
Listen to Your Body
Your body gives you clues all day long as to what it needs. Try to identify those clues and listen to them. If you feel exhausted and cannot focus, listen to those body clues, and take a nap. If you feel anxious about something, listen to your body, and relax and work through those feelings.
Give Yourself Compliments
You compliment people all the time, but have you ever congratulated yourself? Try it out! Learn to speak kindly to yourself. Find something you would generally praise your best friend for, and instead, compliment yourself on it. If you like your outfit today, tell yourself that! There is nothing wrong with complimenting yourself.
See the Rainbows
Rainbows come after every storm, which means there is always something good even when we are struggling. Try to find your rainbow today. Find the good in one thing you go through that is challenging. This helps you to work through your challenges and remember that you always have something good to look forward to.
Nurture A Weakness
We all have weaknesses, and there is nothing wrong with that. But, when we dwell on them, that is where the problem arises. Find a weakness about yourself that bothers you. Try to work on it today and make it become a strength! It may not happen overnight, but every little bit helps.
Forgive Yourself
You will make mistakes and mess up daily. But there is nothing wrong with that! So much of our guilt is because we cannot forgive ourselves when things don't go as planned. If you plan to love yourself fully, you must forgive yourself for past mistakes. Try self-forgiveness for one little thing at a time. Slowly, you'll feel so free from those unnecessary burdens!
Learn to Enjoy your Own Company
You don't need anyone else to enjoy life. Spend quality time with yourself today, doing things that make you truly happy. Take a long walk or have a movie night just for one. Learn how to be content in your company and enjoy spending time alone!
The whole point of self-love is to get back in touch with yourself and find out what you truly need.
Spend Time With God
If you have faith, spend some time in prayer or loving-kindness meditation. Let God's love shine upon you and give thanks for the blessings in your life. Prayer is a great way to find peace and comfort when life gets complicated.
Know Yourself
Get to know yourself better. Take some time to write down your hopes and dreams and what makes you unique. Reflect on your strengths and weaknesses and create a list of goals you want to achieve. Knowing who you are is the key to self-love. Journaling can help you know yourself better. Not sure how to start journaling, check out this post: How to Start Journaling for Beginners.
Avoid Compare Yourself to Others
It is easy to compare yourself to others and feel inadequate but try not to do this. Everyone has their path in life, and you are on yours. Stop comparing yourself and focus on becoming the best version of yourself that you can be!
Ask for Help When You Need It
It is OK to ask for help when you need it. There is no shame in needing a little extra support. Reach out to your friends, family, or even a therapist. Connecting with others can bring healing and hope into your life.
Just Breath
Take a few moments to stop, close your eyes, and breathe. Feel the air filling your lungs and clearing away negative energy or thoughts. Take deep breaths as often as you need to throughout the day - it can make all the difference!
Related: The Power of Deep Breathing for Christians
Surround Yourself With Things That Make You Smile
Surround yourself with things that make you smile, like pictures of your family or friends, a favorite book, or an inspiring quote. Create a safe space within your home where you can relax and be yourself.
Embrace Contentment
Contentment is vital to self-love. Remind yourself that you have everything you need now and that nothing is missing. Let go of any feelings of discontentment, and just be thankful for all the good in your life right now.
Embrace Your Inner Child
Allow yourself to be silly and act like a kid again. Revisit the things you used to love doing as a child - play board games, color in coloring books, or blow bubbles! It's essential to let go of our stressful adult life responsibilities now and then and have fun.
Set Goals
Set goals for yourself that you can work towards. These can be anything from trying out a new hobby to setting fitness goals. Aim high and push yourself, but remember to set realistic expectations and give yourself grace when needed.
Spend Time Worshiping God
Worshiping God is a great way to show yourself love and appreciation. Sing or pray and thank Him for all the blessings in your life. Let His love wash over you, and take some time to be still in His presence.
Know Your Triggers
Be aware of your triggers and any negative or positive emotions. Whenever you feel overwhelmed or anxious, take a few moments to reflect on what is causing these feelings. Recognizing our responses and reactions can help us find strategies for dealing with them.
Practice Self-Compassion
Learn to practice self-compassion. Instead of being too hard on yourself, have positive self-talk. Because negative self-talk kills your happiness, talk to yourself like you would speak to a friend in need - use kind words and affirmations, and take a few moments to express gratitude for all the good things in your life.
Final Thoughts on How to Love Yourself More
If you do all these things, you can truly love yourself. It does not happen all at once but rather through these small actions. Today, try to find one thing you love about yourself and express it! Tell yourself what you love, and celebrate that. It can be as small or as big as you want; everything counts.
These 42 ideas will help you learn to love yourself. You can do one of each of these things every day. By the end, you will love yourself more than you ever thought possible! You will be more confident and happier when you take the time to build up your self-love. It is worth it; you can do this!
It's one thing to read a list of self-love tips, and it's another to do any of the things on that list. When learning to love yourself again, it's a good idea to pick out one of two things that seem doable and commit to them.
There's no right or wrong way to do self-care and self-love. It's always OK to change things up if you decide one self-care approach isn't serving you. To download the above 42 tip to love yourself more as a PDF click here.
About the Author:
Corine Williams, Ph.D. is Clinical Psychologist that is currently seeing clients in the States of Maryland, New Jersey, and New York. You can find out more about her practice by visiting www.therapyforchristians.com/corinewilliams. In addition to providing individual therapy, Dr. Williams is also passionate about writing books and designing merchandise that educate, uplift, and normalize mental health subject in the Christian community. You can find out more about her at www.booksbycorine.com or by visiting her amazon profile here: https://www.amazon.com/Corine-Hyman/e/B00AWZ5FL2
Help us increase mental health awareness in the Christian community by donating through our paypal link here: www.paypal.com/therapyforchristians, joining our mailing list by clicking below, or join our provider list here: Provider listing
Disclaimer: the information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this article are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If you are looking for a Christian counselor near you, please check out our directory located here: Christians Therapist Near Me
