AD – This post is a paid advertorial and includes gifted items. All thoughts and opinions are my own
Back in 2017, I wrote a blog post called I Hate Myself: A Blog Post On Self Esteem. And although what I was feeling at the time was very much real, it makes me sad to look back on now. Self love has become a huge part of my life over the last few years and it pains me that I allowed myself to spiral so far into a pit of self loathing that I felt the need to write that blog post. But I’m not going to delete it. It’s a vital part of my self love journey. And today I want to share some ways to practice self love that have helped me since that awful post.
Dating website We Love Dates are on a mission. To promote and encourage self love and spreading the message that it’s okay to love and accept yourself for WHOEVER you are. To be comfortable in our own skin, embrace our imperfections and celebrate our uniqueness.
Before I get into my list of ways to practice self love, to aid with this wonderful campaign from welovedates, I was sent a bag of feel-good products to help me on my way to practicing self love and self care. Here’s a peak at what I received:
The first thing that came in the goodie bag and hands down my favourite journal I have EVER had is the “Working On Me For Me” planner. Each double page spread has sections to write down your reflections of the week. Things that made you unhappy, inspirational quotes, learnings from the week and more. As someone who’s hugely into their personal development, I know this planner is going to be a literal God send for me!
And to accompany the planner no doubt, we have this cute set of pencil pens. I know right… what? They’re pens that look like pencils because let’s face it, pencils are cuter. And each one has it’s own little motivational quote on it, such as “YOU GOT THIS!” and “YOU ARE A LEGEND!” and I am HERE FOR IT.
You can’t have a self care night without some gorgeous smelly candles so of course there was a candle in this goodie bag. The “Busy Practicing Self Care” candle in the sparkle bellini scent and it smells absolutely DELIGHTFUL. It’s a proper orange citrus scent – it actually kinda smells like Christmas, which I absolutely love! And I love the jar too.
And finally a small metal water bottle. Because self care means looking after your basic needs too – like staying hydrated. This little bottle will be perfect for me as I’m trying to avoid plastic bottles but the metal bottles I’ve had in the past have been so big that they make my handbag feel like I’m carrying bricks. So this is a neat little size to fit in your bag wherever you go, so you’re never dehydrated.
Now we’ve gone through the fab goodie bag, let’s get into the self love part. So what IS self love?
Self love is having high regard for your own physical, mental, emotional and intellectual well-being. Having respect for yourself. Not neglecting your own needs. And limiting negative self talk.
Of course practicing self love is easier said than done. With limiting beliefs that have been with us from birth, society and the media all playing a vital part of how we see ourselves right now, as adults, self love can be tricky for some people who don’t necessarily believe they deserve it.
Let me tell you a secret…
You do deserve it
So let’s look at some different ways to practice self love which will help you put your well-being first and look after number one. The only person you’re guaranteed to spend the rest of your life with, is you. You might as well start loving yourself:
20 ways to practice self love:
1. Surround yourself with people who embrace your uniqueness, weirdness, quirky, faults and all! (Carl embraces my weirdness and it’s amazing not to feel like you need to hide those silly quirks all the time!)
2. Say no to something you don’t want to do
3. Listen to what your body wants. Is it a healthy meal? Is it a nap?
4. Write down 10 things you like about yourself
5. Switch off from the constant chatter of social media for a whole day
6. Challenge your limiting beliefs and re-write your own story
7. De-clutter your Facebook friends list of anyone that isn’t in your life anymore
8. Journal your honest thoughts and feelings
9. Give yourself a self massage
10. Meditate
11. Treat yourself to flowers / a new book / a massage
12. Take yourself on a date and eat anything you want
13. Write a letter to yourself – get honest, go deep and be kind
14. Express yourself in any way that feels good for you (dance, paint, sing)
15. Recognize the toxic relationships in your life (and act accordingly)
16. Celebrate your wins every single day – even the tiniest thing!
17. Find a passion that you don’t want to monetize
18. Make a choice that honors your needs as they arise
19. Show someone else the love and compassion you should show yourself
20. Get comfortable with the most intimate parts of yourself (physical and emotional)
Finally, taking time for yourself to focus on your emotions, struggles and aspirations can be extremely rewarding. Therapy isn’t just for when you’re at your lowest – regular counselling can help you understand yourself, help you navigate life in a more healthy way and help you develop more meaningful relationships for an ultimately happier you. Private counselling really did change my life back in 2018, so don’t hesitate to seek that extra help if you need it.
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Great blog! I love my long baths and rubbing my oils on afterwards.
I also love sitting outside under a tree. The last thing is cooking myself breakfast which is not often.
Sounds like some great ways to practice self love!
beautiful post on cultivating self love. I invite you to have a look at a similar post of mine https://sunniesmybunnies.wordpress.com/2020/10/26/abundance-week-3/. thank you for sharing this.
Thank you 🙂
Those are cute gifts you received especially the water bottle I love it. Great list you have there I couldn’t agree more on all you have pointed. Also love the point about writing down ten things about yourself I never thought of it I will put that in my to do’s. Thank you for sharing take care.
Thank you ☺️
I love those pencil pens!
Self love is definitely something I’ve been working on & I’ve been thinking about starting a journal again b/c sometimes I do just need to get my thoughts out there.
Journaling can be do therapeutic!
Just the sort of positive-vibe-filled post I needed to read today. Also I love that journal – I’m such a stationery-a-holic – always journaling and writing. Love your self care tips.
Carrie xx
redwritesabout.com
Thank you ☺️ the journal is fab isn’t it x
I love Typo!!! The self care candle I’ve just purchased for a friends birthday. I agree self care is so so important.
The three things I love about myself are my resilience, my ability to see the beauty in everything and how caring I am.
What I Have Wrote
I’m definitely going to have to have a look on there for future birthday gifts and things!
Love all these suggestions so much, self care is so important! That notebook is so adorable as well 😍
Eliza | http://www.elizadarlings.com
As a stationary lover, I have to say that those pencil pens look amazing! Such a cool idea.
Your first point really stood out to me. I’ve always tried to fit in with other people, and even try to change myself for them, and it’s always made me unhappy. Now that I’m in my 30s, I just enjoy being me. And I’m actually in the first relationship I’ve ever been in where I feel comfortable being myself! Having people around you that actually like your weirdness is the best feeling ever 🙂
That’s amazing. I can really relate to that too. It’s so easy to change yourself just to fit in! So happy that you’re in a great place xxx
I love this, self love is so important! I especially agree with spending your time with people who lift you up because the people you’re around constantly can really impact your mood xx
They really can! Xx
I love the idea of treating yourself. I find I love giving gifts to others but don’t really treat myself as much I should. Even if it’s just buying a new book or a new shirt, it can really go a long way to making me feel better!
Oh for sure! I always feel so happy when I buy myself new books haha x
Great post and wonderful suggestions! I can’t wait to launch my own take on this opportunity. I love the whole self-love vibe and it’s really helping boost my self-confidence!
That’s amazing to hear!
Loved this post! Self-love is always a must, especially recently in these lonely covid times!
Thank youu. Totally agree!
Absolutely loving this post and it’s come just At the right moment for me. Saying no to doing something you don’t want to do is so important yet I can’t get the hang of it which leads to so much unhappiness! I love the journal you use. Thank you for sharing, I needed this today!
It can be hard to put into practice for sure. I hope you can do it soon though! x
Love all of these ideas and I agree that self care is strongly about having respect for yourself.
Thank you 🙂 x
I truly love this post. From your posts you can really see how much you have grown as a person and how you are now putting yourself first. And that planner is so cute.
Oh my God that’s the loveliest comment. Thank you so much!
Your posts just keep getting better! You just sparkle!!! Thank you for these wonderful tips and also for a peak at these great products. Your enthusiasm is such a marvelous thing…:) Darling photo of you and your sweetheart.
That’s the loveliest thing to say thank you so much! xxx
I love the 20 pointers you made about how to practice self love. The products are also so lovely, I love the bottle as Typo is one of my favourite brands ever, they have the cutest stationary and knick knacks.
Thank you for sharing! 😊 Love love love your posts!
I’ll have to check out more of their stuff! 🙂 xxx
This post was fantastic! Just what I needed to read, self care is so important and it’s always good to read new tips on self care and love. It’s something we really need to practice daily so this helps with the little things that get us there, also that journal is so cute! xx
bumblingalong.co.uk
It really is a daily practice I agree! I loveee the journal too xxx
Great article! I love my resilience in the face of resistance. What I mean is there are people in my life who want me to conform to traditional outdated values, and they do not understand my alternative career choices and lifestyle. But I go ahead and do it anyway! 🙂
That’s amazing you should be very proud of that! xxx
Really superb article. Thanks for such lovely tips.
Thank you 🙂
I love what you wrote “the person you spend the rest of your life with, is you” I never thought about this. People come and go, but you are always there for you.
Absolutely 🙂
Too often we overlook ourselves in life when we should be shining the light on ourselves first. Taking care of our needs and prioritizing them. Great article
Totally agree! Thank you 🙂 x
Great post!! I’m learning to self-love through staying in nature, journaling, just giving myself time to just be present, and in turn, my love to others flows more authentically. 💚
All amazing ways to practice self love xx
Thank you Jenny 💚
Another amazing post, Jenny.
I totally agree with you on that the relationship you have with yourself is extremely important and finding time to get to know yourself and what you love about yourself is equally important. I love the message of this post.
My favourite ways to practice self care:
Meditation
Journaling
Pamper day with a long bath, candles, face masks and of course a cheeky glass of wine.
Great post !
Thanks so much lovely. Your pamper day sounds absolutely wonderful! xxx
I am totally loving the new layout Jenny!
Great post, self care will never stop being something we need to prioritise. It can often seem overwhelming knowing where to start but this is such a great list for everyone, whether they are new to self care or not.
Autumn is the perfect time for it as well x
Thank you! Totally agree with the Autumn point too xxx
Ohh I love this post! So important to practice self care, especially at the moment! That little notebook is so adorable as well I love it!! x
Eliza | http://www.elizadarlings.com
Thanks for sharing, these are so important to follow the steps for self love 🙂
Nic | Nic’s Adventures & Bakes
Thank you 🙂
I loved reading this post Jenny! Self love is so important and it’s something we need to practice daily! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Thank you 🙂 Totally agree 🙂 x
This post is so important! I’m a huge preacher for self love and really enjoyed reading this – thank you for sharing x
Thank you 🙂 xxx
Lovely article
Thank you 🙂
I don’t know how you do it Jenny but whenever I click on your blog it seems to me that I end up reading the EXACT thing I need to read at the exact time I need to read it. This is brilliant. I particularly love the “. Write down 10 things you like about yourself”. I think that will take me some some TBH but I’m going to do it. And that’s a gorgeous goody bag, some wonderful treats in there. Thank you for this post, I needed to read it today. xxxx
Awh I’m so so glad! It’s weird you say that cos I’d have thought coming up with 10 things you like about yourself would be SO easy for you because you’ve got so many great talents and qualities! <3 xxx
If you need me I’ll be in the corner sobbing, you are SO LOVELY! xxx
Great post Jenny, and I went and read the linked post about hating yourself too, thank you for sharing and leaving it there. I like the comment in there to do a small deed for someone else ❤️
Thank you 🙂 xxx
Very Nice post… These are such great ideas about self care… I also wrote an article about Self Care Ideas