We all have a tendency to be hard on ourselves. We beat ourselves up for not being thinner, wealthier, or more successful. We compare our lives to others and always come up short.
But it is possible to love ourselves just the way we are.
Self-love is the practice of valuing yourself and your own well-being. You love yourself when you consistently do things that make you feel good. When you love yourself, you take care of yourself physically, emotionally, and mentally.
If you are looking to further your self love practice, try using journal prompts for self love.
Journaling can be a powerful tool for exploring your thoughts and emotions. Journal prompts help you to focus on the positive aspects of yourself and your life. By focusing on positive self-talk and gratitude, you can begin to shift your mindset and view yourself in a more positive light. Additionally, journaling can help you to identify any negative thought patterns that might be holding you back which will help to build self esteem and confidence.
This article will explore the importance of self-love and why journaling is a useful tool to help with building a self love practice.
"I don't hate myself, so I guess that means I love myself?"
I never loved myself.
I never hated myself, but I also didn't love myself. I always felt like I was too much or not enough. I was too loud, or not loud enough. I was too smart, or not smart enough. I was too emotional, or not emotional enough.
People would tell me that I was beautiful. That I was smart, funny, and talented. But I didn't believe them.
Because to me, I wasn't any of those things. To me, I wasn't successful enough. I wasn't pretty enough. I wasn't thin enough. I wasn’t popular enough. I wasn't "adult" enough. I wasn't funny enough.
I didn't believe in myself.
I felt like a fraud. Like everyone was just pretending they thought I was smart, funny, and talented, but they'd all turn on me when they realized the truth.
It didn't matter what is was, I had so much inner turmoil due to my lack of self love.
It made life hard. Everything was a constant struggle because I was never on my side. Life felt like it was one big uphill battle that I could never win.
I knew the concept of self love, but I never stopped and applied it to myself until my therapist asked me, "do you love yourself?”
I was caught off guard and I responded, "well, I don't hate myself, so I guess that means I love myself?”
This was my eye opening moment. I felt so guilty for having to admit to someone else that I didn't love myself. It was the slap in the face that I needed to start making my relationship with myself a priority.
After that therapy session, I started doing something for myself every single day, no matter how big or small (I talked about that more here).
It didn't happen overnight, but little by little, I began to see the good in myself. I began to talk to myself better. I began to treat myself better. And once this happened, I stopped letting anything less than how I treat myself into my life, and my life naturally upleveled from there.
When you have your own back, life is so much easier. You don't have to put up with nonsense from others, and you're able to call yourself out on your own BS, because you're confident in who you are.
What is self-love and why is it important?
So, what is self love?
Self love is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. To love yourself is the foundation of everything worthwhile that you’ll ever do in your life. It’s the starting point for pursuing your dreams, for achieving success, for improving your relationships, for becoming your authentic self, and for feeling happy every day.
When you love yourself, you open the door to personal growth and confidence. You become inspired to reach new heights, and you believe in your ability to achieve anything you set your mind to.
Furthermore, self love leads to high self esteem, which is attractive to others and creates more fulfilling relationships. This is because someone with a lot of self love is not looking for someone else to complete them or make them happy. Instead, they're able to bring happiness into their own lives and share it with others.
Simply put, self love is the key to a happy and successful life.
Signs you may not have a lot of self love
- You often put yourself down and have a negative self-image
- You feel like you're not good enough or worthy of happiness
- You don't take care of yourself and don't have any self-care rituals
- You find it difficult to be happy and enjoy life
- Most of your thoughts about yourself are negative
- You find it difficult to accept compliments of praise from others.
- You struggle with feeling worthy of love or happiness
- You feel out of alignment with your authentic self
If any of these resonate with you, understand that all of these challenges are so common! If you're facing any of them, know that you're not alone. The important thing is to keep practicing self-love, even when it's hard.
Benefits of self love
Emotional benefits:
- Feel more confident taking selfies with friends
- Find it easier to accept compliments
- More likely to pursue your dreams
- Be happier and more content with who you are
Physical benefits:
- Exercise more regularly
- Eat healthier foods
- Get enough sleep
- Take care of your appearance
Mental benefits:
- Be less stressed
- Be more productive
- Improve your memory
- Make better decisions
Read about 3 science-based benefits of self love here.
How do you love yourself?
Practicing self love comes down to being intentional, the same way you would be in any other relationship with someone you love.
The best way to love yourself is to first be aware of your own needs and wants. What makes you happy? What do you need in order to feel fulfilled?
Once you know the answer to these questions, you can start taking steps to love yourself more. This may involve making time for yourself each day, doing things that make you happy, or finding ways to better care for yourself emotionally and physically.
Start by treating yourself with kindness and respect. Be gentle with yourself, and learn to forgive yourself for your mistakes. We all make mistakes, but it is crucial to remember that we are all worthy of love anyway.
Take care of yourself physically - get enough sleep, eat nutritiously, and exercise regularly.
Spend time doing things that make you happy, and surround yourself with people who love and support you.
Find outlets for stress relief that work for you.
Whatever it is, self-love is about giving yourself the attention and care you deserve. It's not selfish; it's necessary. You are the only you that you have, and you deserve all of your love and attention.
When you can start to view yourself through a lens of love and compassion, you will be well on your way to loving yourself, and being your biggest advocate.
Why journaling prompts are useful tool for self love
One of the best ways to practice self-love is through journaling.
Journaling is a tool that can help you show yourself love. It can be a way to express your thoughts and feelings, and to work through anything that might be holding you back from loving yourself fully.
By taking the time to write down your thoughts and feelings, you can start to understand yourself better. You can figure out what makes you happy and what makes you unhappy. You can work through your fears and insecurities. And you can start to see yourself in a more positive light.
There are many different journal prompts for self love that you can use to get started. Some prompts may ask you to write about what you love about yourself, or about a time when you showed yourself love and compassion. Others may ask you to reflect on what gets in the way of your self-love, or on how you can show yourself more love every day. No matter what prompt you choose, journaling can help increase your self-esteem and confidence, and also gives you a chance to reflect on your progress as you work on building a self love practice.
There are endless possibilities when it comes to journal prompts for self love. If you're not sure where to start, check out the list below.
How to use journal prompts for self love
Journaling is a tool for self-reflection, so use it as an opportunity to learn more about yourself and what you need in order to feel fulfilled. Here's how you can use journal prompts for self love:
- Choose a journal prompt that speaks to you.
- Take some time to sit down and really think about your answer.
- Write from the heart, and don't worry about whether or not your answers are "perfect." Remember that there is no "right" or "wrong" way to journal - just write whatever comes to mind.
- Be honest with yourself, and be as specific as possible.
- When you're done writing and reflecting, identify if there are any actionable steps you can take based on what you wrote. These action steps may depend on the prompt you are using or what your areas of growth are but some examples are improve your self talk, practice self compassion, set boundaries, or implement more self care.
- Be intentional with these action steps. Self awareness is great, but change won't come unless you take the actions to change your behaviors. A repetition of new behavior is what rewires the brain for lasting change.
- Be gentle with yourself, and don't hesitate to re-read your journal entries later on down the road to keep you on track with your healing goals and gauge how far you've come.
Journal prompts for self love
Learning about who you are
Use these journal prompts to explore the parts of yourself that you like.
1. What are 10 things that you like about yourself?
2. What are 10 things you are really good at?
3. What are 10 things that you love about your personality?
4. What are 5 things that you love about your body?
5. What are 5 things that make you unique and special?
6. What are 5 things that make you feel proud of yourself?
7. What are some things that you appreciate about yourself?
8. What are some of your accomplishments that you're proud of?
9. What are some things that you're grateful for in your life?
10. What are 10 experiences in your life that make your story very unique?
11. What are some things that make you feel good about yourself on a daily basis?
12. What are some things that make you feel good about yourself on a weekly basis?
13. What are some things that make you feel good about yourself on a monthly basis?
14. What are some things that make you feel good about yourself on a yearly basis?
Loving your flaws
Use these journal prompts as a way to explore the views of yourself that are standing in the way of loving yourself.
15. What negative beliefs do you hold about yourself?
16. What are some things that you'd like to change about yourself?
17. What are the positives for each of the things you listed in the prompt above?
18. What do you think your biggest weakness is?
19. How can you work on improving these weaknesses? List 1 action step per weakness.
20. What am I holding onto that I need to forgive myself for?
21. What parts of yourself are you ashamed of?
22. What negative labels do you assign to yourself?
23. What are some traits that people you admire have that you don't think you have? What things can you do to start to develop those same traits?
24. How do you deal with difficult emotions? Are these ways healthy or helpful? If not, what can you do instead to deal with difficult emotions?
25. How do you deal with self-doubt and negative self-talk? Are these ways healthy or helpful? If not, what are some actionable steps you can take to have better self talk?
26. What current habits are destructive to your sense of self-love?
Journal prompts for showing yourself love
Use these journal prompts as a way to brainstorm how to show yourself love daily.
27. What are some things that you currently do to show yourself love and care?
28. What are some things that make you happy?
29. What are some things that bring you joy?
30. What makes you feel most fulfilled in life?
31. What’s the nicest thing you have ever done for yourself?
32. What makes you feel most connected to yourself? Keep doing these things as part of your self care practice.
33. What would make you feel more connected to yourself?
34. What makes you feel most connected to the world around you? Keep doing these things as part of your self care practice.
35. What would make you feel more connected to the world around you?
36. What are 3 things you would love to hear every day? Make a plan to affirm these things to yourself every day.
37. What are some of your fears and how do you deal with them?
38. What are some things that you currently do to take care of your mental health? Keep doing these things as part of your self care practice.
39. What are some things that you don't currently do that you can start doing to take care of your mental health?
40. What are some things that you currently do to take care of your physical health? Keep doing these things as part of your self care practice.
41. What are some things that you don't currently do that you can start doing to take care of your physical health?
42. What are some things that you currently do to nurture your relationships? Keep doing these things as part of your self care practice.
43. What are some things that you don't currently do that you can start doing to nurture your relationships?
44. What are some things that you currently do to nurture your creativity? Keep doing these things as part of your self care practice.
45. What are some things that you don't currently do that you can start doing to nurture your creativity?
46. What are some things that you currently do to connect with your spirituality? Keep doing these things as part of your self care practice.
47. What are some things that you don't currently do that you can start doing to nurture your relationships?
48. What are some things that help you relax and feel at ease? Keep doing these things as part of your self care practice.
49. What are some things that make you anxious and stress you out? Detox or delegate these things from your life.
50. What are some goals that you have for your personal growth?
51. Going forward, how can you commit to loving yourself every day?
A lot of us have a hard time loving ourselves. We tend to be our harshest critics. We put more pressure on ourselves to be "perfect" than anyone else ever could. That's why it's so important to have a system in place to help us build our self esteem and confidence bit by bit.
Practicing self love is important. It's what allows us to be our own best friend, therapist, and cheerleader all rolled into one. When we're feeling down about ourselves, self love can pick us up and remind us of how amazing we are.
One way to do that is by using journal prompts designed to help you look deep within yourself and appreciate all that makes you special and unique.
If you're struggling to love yourself, try incorporating some journal prompts for self love into your daily routine. By taking the time to love yourself, you are creating a foundation of love and respect that will last a lifetime. You might be surprised at how much of a difference it makes.
As you're starting your self love practice and using these journal prompts for self love, remember that self love is a journey, not a destination. There will be ups and downs, but if you keep moving forward, you will eventually reach a place of happiness and peace.
When it gets tough, keep going.
If you’re on a journey to loving yourself more, our Self Love Kickstarter is perfect for you!
This 2 week guide provides everything you need to get started, including journal prompts, tips, and actionable steps. Throughout the workbook, you’ll find reminders to help keep you on track with your self love practice. By the end of the two weeks, you’ll have developed a deeper relationship with yourself – and boosted your self esteem and confidence in the process! So why wait? Kickstart your self love journey today with our Self Love Kickstarter!
Download it for free below!
+ view comments . . .
+
view comments . . .
-