50 Tiny But Valuable Ways To Practice The Art Of Self-Love

When you grocery shop say “I am choosing this for my body because I love her”

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Unsplash / Ryan Moreno

I’ve gotten requests from a lot of women who have said, okay, I’m working on thinking more positively, but I’d love to have more tangible ways to practice self-love right now.

I get that.

Self-love is not just a concept in our heads. Yes, I talk a lot about releasing negative thoughts and criticism towards yourself and embracing more loving thoughts. I also talk about how our thoughts create our actions and therefore our lives. But, self-love is also a very concrete, realistic thing.

The problem is, that we’ve been taught for a long time that if we’re not constantly working hard or taking care of others, we’re being selfish.

What we’re not taught, is that taking care of yourself is taking care of others. If you don’t work on yourself, if you don’t take time for rest and relaxation, if you don’t feed your soul; you’ll be so burnt out and depleted you won’t be any help to anyone else. Least of all yourself.

Now, the below list may seem trivial at first glance. However, I promise that if you commit to putting some of them into practice, every single day, you’ll see quantum shifts in your life. I also created a free video series around self-love to help you end dating frustration forever.

Without further ado, here is my list of 50 Ways to Practice Self-Love.

1. Buy yourself fresh flowers

2. Clean your house or apartment

3. Organize your workspace and files

4. Take time for rest and relaxation

5. Wear red lipstick and heels just because it’s a Tuesday. I love this color!

6. Eat while focusing only on your food

7. Make a list of fun activities to do and post on your fridge

8. Repeat the following mantra “I love and accept myself”

9. Make a list of all the things you like about yourself

10. Each night before bed write in your gratitude journal

11. Start the day with 2 minutes of meditation

12. Treat yourself

13. Dress your body lovingly in a gorgeous outfit

14. Put your fork down between bites

15. Cut down on your caffeine intake

16. Make it a priority to get 8 hours of sleep

17. Read a good book

18. Do something for yourself without guilt

19. Set the mood while cooking – candles lit, music on

20. Buy something you’ve always wanted

21. Practice the art of saying “no”

22. Be of service – volunteer, help a friend, etc.

23. Compliment someone today

24. Get your sweat on

25. Shake your booty

26. Smile

27. When you grocery shop say “I am choosing this for my body because I love her”

28. Give yourself a massage with beautifully scented lotion

29. Go for a hike or long walk

30. Stand up straight and tall

31. Try something new: dance classes, cooking lessons, yoga

32. Invite your friends over for a girls night

33. Call your mom and tell her you love her (or your dad, sister, etc.)

34. Snuggle up with your honey or four-legged friend

35. Commit to doing your hair and makeup for a week

36. Allow yourself to have that piece of chocolate and savor every minute

37. When someone offers your a compliment, simply say thank you

38. Plan an adventure

39. Shut off your email and cellphone for an hour

40. Buy yourself roses on Valentine’s day

41. Complete that project or goal you started

42. Stop procrastinating already!

43. Give yourself a day off

44. Self-love mantra: I am enough. I have enough. I do enough.

45. Let go of comparison to others

46. Clean your fridge and fill it with fresh foods

47. Use soothing or invigorating essential oils like lavender and lemon

48. Write a love letter to your ex and burn it

49. Host a dinner party

50. Hire a coach or counselor

There ya have it! These are all things I do, or have done in the past and KNOW that they give you an extra dose of self-love. Thought Catalog Logo Mark