As we enter the month of love—February—it’s a great time to begin practicing self-love.
Self-love is an incredibly important practice. But what is it, why should we practice it, and how, exactly, do we do it?
What is self-love?
Self-love is the practice of caring for yourself in a way that boosts your overall well-being. It’s looking in the mirror and seeing the good, rather than nitpicking. Self-love is speaking kindly to yourself, appreciating who you are and how much you’ve accomplished. It’s getting to know who you truly are.
The key takeaways of self-love are: self-respect, self-compassion, and self-awareness.
Why practice self-love?
- It’s said that before we can truly love anyone, we need to love ourselves. When we love ourselves, we set the standard for how we want to be treated and respected, and if we don’t care for our own physical, mental, and spiritual needs, we can’t expect someone else to.
- Likewise, we can’t really love someone else if we’re bringing self-loathing to the table. Learning to love yourself strengthens your relationships with others. You can give freely and unconditionally, without expecting the other person to fulfill a need in you.
- Our bodies are always listening. How we speak to ourselves and the thoughts we think about ourselves truly impact our well-being.
- Self-love gives us the power to trust ourselves and our own inner wisdom, rather than looking for validation from an external source.
- Practicing self-love is great for our mental health. It can help reduce stress and anxiety, as well as improve self-esteem and feelings of worthiness.
Self-love sounds great, but how do I practice it?
First, understand that self-love is a wellness practice. Your body, mind, and soul will be happier and healthier if you begin to love yourself.
Tips for practicing self-love:
- Allow self-care to be your new love language. Get rest, exercise, eat well, and find joy wherever you can.
- Say no to those things that do not align with your beliefs or your well-being.
- Do things that make you happy. This doesn’t have to mean taking a vacation, although a trip can be a great way to practice self-love! This can be something small. Even one thing, once a day.
- Practice gratitude. Being grateful for who you are, what you have, and what you’ve accomplished sends a powerful internal message that you like yourself and believe in yourself.
- Personal growth. You know that class you’ve always wanted to take or that book you’ve always wanted to write? Now’s your time! Learn some new skills, join a writing group, practice yoga. When you invest in yourself and your well-being, you practice self-love.
The most important way to practice self-love is to treat yourself with kindness, self-respect, and compassion.
Above all, remember that you are really doing your best. Stop believing you are only successful if your life looks a certain way, or if you push yourself to the brink of exhaustion. Stop. Breathe. Look around. Take a walk in nature or go to an early movie alone.
How you practice self-love may look different from the way someone else does. That’s okay. The point of self-love is that it’s personal and all about you. So, take a moment to get to know yourself and make friends with who you are, because you really are pretty great, aren’t you?
Be well!
Cathrine
About the Author:
Cathrine Goldstein is a wellness writer, holistic life coach (dharma coach), E-RYT 500 certified yoga teacher, certified Y12SR leader, certified energy healer, and a long-time yoga studio manager.
Cathrine specializes in trauma-informed yoga and is the founder of Yoga Care for Caregivers. In addition to her wellness work, she is a many-time bestselling author, published poet, and a regular contributor to magazines and blogs.
To work with Cathrine or for more information, please visit: www.CathrineGoldstein.com. You can find her on Instagram at: @Cathrine_Goldstein.
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