How to Love Yourself: 10 Self-Love Habits to Improve Your Wellbeing

We all want to love ourselves a little bit more, but sometimes self-love can be intimidating if we don’t understand what it is. Self-love is simply a respect for your own well-being and happiness or simplified—the love of self. 

Sounds pretty simple, right? Sometimes we can get so caught up with loving and caring for others, we forget to care for ourselves. Luckily, there are many ways you can choose to show yourself some love—and while eating healthy and moving your body comes to mind first, other things matter just the same. Remember, self love and care is not selfish, it is essential if you want to be the best version of yourself for everyone else.

Self-love is about being happy and content from within, without relying on material things to keep you smiling and peaceful. Self-love is the feeling of joy and satisfaction you get when everything in your life is in order.

The best way to start feeling like your happy self again is to start loving caring for yourself properly. 

But, we come to a challenging question—how do I love myself? 

There’s good news! You’re already succeeding by noticing that you need to give love and care to yourself. Be proud, you’re already off to a great start. But don’t stop now, follow this list of ten ways to love yourself and may be surprised just how much positivity it will bring to all aspects of your life.

• How to Love Yourself
  1. Know yourself.
  2. Stop comparing yourself.
  3. Know and use your strengths.
  4. Give yourself healthy treats.
  5. Be honest with yourself.
  6. Write down your accomplishments.
  7. Practice gratitude.
  8. Take care of your body.
  9. Pursue a hobby.
  10. Speak positively about yourself.

How to Love Yourself

1. Know yourself.

When you know yourself you’ll know exactly when you need to slow down, when you need to let go, and when you need to push yourself just a little bit. Investing your time and energy into getting in tune with your body and your intuition is a crucial part of loving yourself. But be careful not to let discomfort stop you from doing great things. Get out of your comfort zone from time to time and you’ll notice just how much you can grow—both physically and emotionally.

2. Stop comparing yourself.

If you truly want to start loving yourself, you need to stop comparing yourself to other people. Where they are might not be the best place for you to be. Learn from other’s strengths and weaknesses but know your path is your own. You are enough. Don’t ever forget that.

3. Know and use your strengths.

Everyone has their own strengths and talents, many may often go unnoticed. Reflect on what comes easily or naturally to you that you feel proud of. You may even find the desire to rekindle or build a new strength. If you’ve ever felt love for any kind of sport, practice, musical instrument, or any skill that made you smile by just the thought of it, now is the time to start pursuing it. It is never too late to start working on the things that make you happy.

4. Give yourself healthy treats.

Your body is your best friend. It is designed to serve you. Treat it well and be in tune with what it needs from you. Healthy habits are always welcome but combined with a healthy diet—and you have a winning combination. There’s literally no better way to take care of the machine you’re operating. 

5. Be honest with yourself.

Being honest and true to yourself is not always an easy thing to do, especially if you are in the habit of being dishonest and untrue to yourself. Rewiring your brain and choosing to start new, healthier habits is hard work, and it takes a lot of time. Be patient and start taking responsibility and accountability one step at a time. In like manner, make sure to be honest with acknowledging how far you have come in your journey to love yourself and build better habits. You are probably doing better than you think you are.  

6. Write down your accomplishments.

Journaling is a fabulous way to keep track of the progress you’re making—whatever the win is, no matter how big or small—celebrate it. Make every little step count. Have your journal at hand whenever you’re feeling down and start writing all of the good things that happened that day and achievements you’ve accomplished. You’d be surprised how often small wins go unnoticed and under-celebrated. You know those days when you feel like nothing is going the way you wanted it to go and everything is messed up. Having your journal to re-read the wins from yesterday might make you feel better.

7. Practice gratitude.

Gratitude is one of the easiest ways to feel happy. Always having an attitude of gratitude retrains your mind to see more positive aspects of your life than negative, making everyday happier and easier to live. Start the moment you open your eyes. List three things you’re grateful for in a given moment, it doesn’t have to be early in the morning. You can do it during or after your morning meditation or routine—do it whenever it suits you, at the end of the day, all that matters is that you become aware of all of the things you should be grateful for but you keep forgetting them.

8. Take care of your body.

As they say, health is wealth and having good health is absolutely priceless. Give yourself the gift of physical wellness. Exercise regularly, eat healthily, stay hydrated, and get enough sleep. Now, I know it is easier said than done, especially with the last part of the saying, but give your best and it will come back right at you. Keeping in mind what you eat and how you treat your body will help in the long run, even if it feels like you’re not seeing any progress.

9. Pursue a hobby.

Hobbies that we’re passionate about are an important part of who we are and who we want to become. Having a hobby, even if you’ve never had one, might be a great idea to start being alone with yourself and enjoy the things that excite you. For a lot of people, the real challenge is to find time for a hobby, and I have a short question in the answer for you—why aren’t you making time for it? Ask yourself why it matters and why you like doing it. Most of the time, the real answer is right there in front of your eyes. 

10. Speak positively about yourself. 

Talk to yourself like you’d talk to your loved ones. Positive self-talk can help you feel good about yourself and about the things going on in your life. This is the best way to nourish your positive mindset. You can start by writing down all of the limiting beliefs pulling you down and turn them into affirmations. As weird as this sounds, stand in front of the mirror and start saying them to yourself one by one. After a while saying “I love you” to your mirror will become just a regular part of your morning routine and the confidence you’ll get from it is immense.