Ahhh, self-love. What is it really? And why are more and more people compelled to find the meaning of it? Throughout history, self-love was considered borderline selfish and vain. In fact, there are still many cultures today where collectivism is dominant. This means it is more important to care for others than yourself (typically family).

However, the term self-love has adapted to being seen in a more positive light in many places across the globe. Now, self-love is a way to nourish one’s own happiness and overall well being. There are many ways you can practice self-love. And you can express it in more ways than you can think. How do you picture self-love for yourself?

For myself, self-love is not only taking care of my health such as nutrition, exercise, etc. but also taking care of my spirit. I guess you could call it whatever you want, but it generally refers to my mind and feelings in relation to how my life is going.

You see, self-love is more than just feeling happy as a result of reaching goals, which many people limit it to. It’s being able to be happy knowing that you are in pursuit of reaching those goals. And when was the last time you allowed yourself to do that?

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t try to actually reach your goals just because you’re happy pursuing them. (If only it were that easy, right?) I’m only saying that you should appreciate your efforts and be compassionate with yourself!

So, now that we’ve taken a look at what self-love is, let’s talk about what we can do to practice self-love every day. Keep in mind that it will have a different meaning for me than it does for you, and different for you than it does for your best friend. But I will talk about some common ways that we can all practice some self-love.

Let’s dive in!

Practicing self-love for me starts small, and once I am able to achieve my smaller goals, it helps motivate me to accomplish larger ones. For example, I have had body image issues most of my life. So for me, self-love starts with loving my body rather than judging it. I remind myself that all those negative comments that I’m scared others might think of me have become realities of how I view myself.

When I realize how crazy that is, to let possible insecurities turn into real ones, it becomes easier for me to love myself and to practice self-love in other ways as well. I have started to realize that my happiness and well being are important. But…wait, why am I saying but? But, in my opinion, you can only truly be happy when you are happy with yourself.

Here’s what I mean by that. We all make mistakes, and if you’re anything like me, you’ve made some big mistakes. We shouldn’t tear ourselves apart for it though. Have you ever heard the saying, “Learn from your mistakes”? Okay, somewhat rhetorical. Well, to me that saying only includes one part of learning: accepting responsibility and consequences. The saying that no one ever says, and should be said, is, “Learn from your mistakes, and then practice forgiveness.”

Yes, I am talking about forgiving yourself. In my opinion, that is the only way to be truly happy with yourself. All of yourself. Your strengths and weaknesses. Don’t be happy about the fact that you made a mistake, just be happy with yourself after you’ve made a mistake. Learn from it instead of being afraid to make another one.

Another way I practice self-love (this one is hardest for me and many others I’m sure) is appreciating myself. Often times, we can get caught up wondering why we can’t do certain things or aren’t a certain way. “Why can’t I be skinny like her?” “Why aren’t I as artistic as him?” “How can I be better at something?” Well, maybe her body will have a harder time carrying during pregnancy. Maybe his math skills aren’t like yours and the thought of finances seem daunting to him. Oh, and we can always be better.

We can be better than our previous selves. We shouldn’t waste our time trying to be better than anyone else. Who knows, maybe someone somewhere is wanting to be like you. And you want to be like someone else. But they want to be like someone else still. I know it can be hard when society is always comparing, but I feel if you are trying to be anybody but yourself, it’s a waste of your actual self.

It shouldn’t matter your weight or size; do you feel healthy? It shouldn’t matter which skills you have; do you have any? It shouldn’t matter what you did in your past; have you learned and improved? All I ask is that you please appreciate your efforts and be compassionate with yourself!

So, have you learned anything about loving yourself more? I am certainly no expert, these are simply my own opinions and things that have personally helped me. I just hope I am able to share and inspire anyone who has made it to my little corner of the internet! (Thank you, by the way, your support means the world to me!)

Let me know in the comments what ways you have found to practice self-love! And until next week, (I post every Monday) keep loving yourself, try fun things, and make life as simple as could be!

P.S. – I hope you’re working on those dream boards! I’m having such a fun time with mine, and I can’t wait to see yours!(: If you want to participate in this challenge, see my last post about 5 Traits of Highly Successful People.