eight ways to practice self love.

Aug 7

Written By S

It can be so hard sometimes to take the necessary steps to loving yourself and dedicating time to do the little things for yourself, especially when you’re in the trenches or feeling low. It’s hard to do the thing that might make you feel a little better. It’s hard to get up and be proactive about doing something good for your soul or body.

But practicing self love is so crucial to being okay. Maybe it’s a good day, and you feel like going outside for a walk while listening to music or cooking yourself a yummy meal with a book. But when it’s not a good day, practicing self love consistently always seems to make me feel a little better in the moment and long term.

Here are eight ways I like to practice self love in my life:

1. Take yourself on a solo date.

This is the best. It’s scary at first, but it’s truly so rewarding and fun. It could be grabbing a latte at a coffee shop, making a trip to the movies, taking yourself out to lunch or even a little solo trip. All things I’ve done! Spending time with yourself, doing something fun to you that you love, is such a great way to practice self love.

What does it mean to love yourself? It means doing the things you love in life on your own and embracing the moments where you can enjoy your own company or treat yourself when you feel like it. Loving yourself is going on those solo dates when no one was available to get ice cream or go to the movies.

If you’re figuring out how to love yourself when you don't know how, start with solo dates to get to know yourself a little better and get more comfortable with those moments alone with you and your thoughts.

2. Journal.

Journaling is such a sweet way to pour out your heart. When I can get myself to, it’s such a relief. Even if I’m crying about a situation or writing down updates in my life, it just feels so personal and a good way to get it all out. Plus I love looking back and seeing where I’m at, what I was going through in the past and how I’ve grown.

There are several journal prompts to start with that will help show you how to love yourself more:

Take these journal prompts as ways for you to express how you’re doing in your self love journey, all the things you want to accomplish and how you want to grow as a person.

3. Prioritize yourself.

It’s so important to make yourself the priority in your life. I sometimes struggle with putting other people’s needs or wants ahead of mine. Sometimes it just makes things easier in the moment or I value their happiness more. But it’s such a disservice to yourself.

It can be the little things too. Maybe it’s saying no to going out when you want to have a solo night, or maybe it’s ending a friendship that no longer makes you happy.

Balancing self love and standing up for yourself can be difficult, but the more you love yourself and want to prioritize yourself, the more you’re okay with doing and saying things that go against the desire or need to constantly please people.

Set clear boundaries and stick to your boundaries. And stop worrying so much about if people like you. Prioritize yourself and question if you like yourself.

4. Go outside and get some fresh air.

Yes, I promise going outside helps sometimes. For me, the sunny, slightly windy days are my favorite. There truly is something refreshing about the air outside of your place. Be intentional about it, and go for a walk or take the scenic route doing that errand you’ve been putting off. Again, it helps more than I thought it would.

Being outside or getting exercise is good for your mental health. Maybe you need the vitamin D or to get the endorphins kicked into gear.

You can also romanticize this time and take part in some self love actions, such as hosting a picnic with your friends or doing a solo paint and sip in the park.

5. Read self love & gratitude books & poems.

This may or may not be cheesy, but I owe some of my confidence and (somewhat) ability to get over past men to it. There’s some cheesy ones out there, but seriously the words in these books can be really inspiring and helpful. Pair this with journaling and chef’s kiss! Extra points for a sunrise or candle with this combo.

Self love quotes also help me learn how to practice self love and acceptance by giving me inspiring words to read throughout the day. Here are some suggestions of self love quotes I enjoy that I hope you do too:

6. Drink water & eat.

Not to sound like your mom, but please do drink water & eat! It’s fuel, and it’s sooo easy to forget about it when you’re not doing well or feeling down in any way. I feel like food is such a sensitive topic in society, and it can be easy to neglect your body even if it’s on accident. So yes, please eat & drink water.

Nourishing your body and providing it with things it will love is one example on how to practice self love and care. Do what you think is best for your body always.

7. Get dressed up.

I love dressing up, so this might be more personal. BUT I know how much I can’t be bothered with dressing up or even the bare minimum when I’m not feeling self confident or mentally well. Sometimes putting on fresh clothes is all the dressed up we can handle at the moment, and that’s a win.

When I’m scrolling through social media, I see a wide range of body types and outfits, while sometimes finding inspiration for things I want to wear. But it also reminds me of everything wrong with my own body and leads to unnecessary feelings of jealousy for women I’ll never see in real life.

I’ve learned how to stop comparing my looks to others by following people who share similar body types, eliminating triggers, focusing on what I like about my looks and becoming my own fashion goals.

I think dressing up and experimenting with my style is a fun way to practice self love and teaches me that it can be exciting and thrilling to show up as my best self.

8. Spend time with others who love you.

This is probably the hardest one for me to do when I’m not at my best. I just want to self isolate and feel bad about myself. But be better than me!

When I finally do hang out with people who love me and have my best interest in heart, it just makes me want to love myself harder. And unfortunately, vice versa.

Let me know which self love example you plan on practicing or your favorite tip on how to love yourself in the comments!