Believe it or not, self-love and self-care aren’t about being self-centered and selfish. It’s not about a “me, me, me” mentality. And it’s certainly not about fighting against the world to express ourselves or to get what we want. Self-love and self-care are about loving ourselves for who we are and taking the time to care for ourselves. What would you love about yourself if there was no little voice of self-doubt buzzing around your ear? How would you care for yourself physically and mentally with unlimited amounts of time?
Self-love and self-care are about owning our own power, acting from a place of kindness toward ourselves, and taking the time to remind ourselves of the power of kindness. Both are essential to living a happy and healthy life.
So what is selfish about that?
Here are 30 awesome things that happen when we practice self-love in our daily lives.
When we love and care for ourselves, we can:
1 – Achieve self-acceptance
We stop comparing ourselves to others and participating in a self-made competition. As a result, we’ll always be enough.
2 – Reduce our chance of becoming depressed
We lower our risk for depression, anxiety, hypertension, heart attacks, and other heart-related problems.
3 – See things for what they really are
We embrace our reality and stop blaming and fighting it. Only once we can see things clearly can we problem-solve and create an action plan that will propel us forward.
4 – Find a partner to love
We can be sure that love is around every corner. But to receive love, we must first be capable of giving love. And, the act of love starts within ourselves.
5 – Accept the abundance in life
We start living a life of abundance in every area of our lives, without the need to fight or push to get it. Loving ourselves enables us to shed a scarcity mindset that inhibits the flow of good things coming to us.
6 – Foster self-growth
We allow for growth to occur in our lives. The more we grow, the more we spread love and joy. We cannot share positive messages until we wholeheartedly believe in ourselves, first.
7 – Recharge our batteries
We become energized to get back to living, loving, caring, helping, and serving. And, those actions pave the way to an open heart that will give and receive even more blessings in life.
8 – Become our own best friend
We feel safe in knowing that we can navigate skillfully through life’s journey. There’s a certain comfort that stems from knowing that you are okay with being self-sufficient and serving as your own best friend.
9 – Adopt an open mind
We practice more love and acceptance of others. Of course, this openmindedness leads to enlightenment and new opportunities in our lives.
10 – Take comfort in knowing that setbacks are temporary
It takes grit, determination, and a healthy dose of self-confidence to overcome the challenges in life. When we practice self-love, we know failures and setbacks get us one step closer to growth.
11 – Learn our significance in life
Because self-love boosts confidence, we know our significance isn’t dependent on what we produce. Instead, we base our significance on our role in the lives of others. Regardless of social status, looks or profession, we learn that we hold an important part in the lives of those who love us.
12 – Understand that we don’t need to answer to anyone else
Self-love allows us to gain an understanding that we don’t need to ask permission from another person to behave in a certain way. Because we grow our self-confidence by showing ourselves love, we can move boldly and make the right call.
13 – Become more poised individuals
Self-care sends a message to our inner self that we are worth the time and energy it takes to take care of our bodies. As a result, we come to know that we’re enough and don’t need to prove ourselves.
14 – We grow in our interpersonal relationships
Because we take time to care for our own well-being, we regain the energy we need to pour into interpersonal relationships. This fact means we successfully get along better with co-workers, partners, friends, and family members. We create significant relationships with more harmony, peace, and space.
15 – Accepting of alone time
Self-care is time carved out specifically to take care of our own physical and emotional needs. Thus, we are not focused on loneliness during this time. Instead, we embrace a deeper connection and oneness with the world.
16 – Understanding and acceptance of our unique opportunities for growth
Self-love and self-care give us time for self-reflection. Through these practices, we synthesize our daily challenges. Moreover, we welcome the chance to overcome those obstacles by identifiying areas in which we can grow.
And, we are okay with that. In fact, we feel at peace by accepting ourselves, our strengths, and our weaknesses unconditionally.
17 – Improve in our role as “caretaker”
Only after we master taking care of ourselves can we become better caretakers for others with our refreshed spirit.
18- Identify our vulnerabilities
Self-love means loving ourselves. Regardless of our faults or perceived shortcomings, we learn forgiveness. Through that clarity, we accept the mistakes and failures that come along with being human, inviting vulnerability into our lives.
19 – Know that our opinion of ourselves is the only one that really matters
Self-care opens up a deeper connection with our own inner beings. In time, we don’t care what others think or say about us because we know what matters is how we feel about ourselves.
20 – Grow in resilience
We are more resilient and able to take on any challenge life throws our way, seeing these challenges as opportunities to learn and grow.
21 – Take strides to be our best selves
We allow our natural shine to easily show itself.
22 – Increase our problem-solving skills
We become better problem solvers because we tend to see the world more clearly.
23 – Create joy that radiates from the inside
We take responsibility for our lives, realizing that we are the source of all happiness. Joy is not an external factor. It starts in our soul and radiates out. In fact, it even permeates to those around us and helps inspire others.
24 – Map the road to future success
We hold the power to alter our futures, careers, relationships, passion, compassion, empathy, and authenticity. The key to success is inside us. By providing compassion to ourselves, we learn how to reach our goals.
25 – Conquer our fears
Self-care and self-love awaken us to the power inside of our beings. Once we love ourselves, we are not controlled by fear because we recognize love as the strongest power.
26 – Identify our life purpose
Until you love yourself wholeheartedly, it’s difficult to know why we exist. Once we tap into our deepest thoughts, we begin to know what our purpose is. Then, we can live our authentic life with our purpose as a driving force.
27 – Gain the ability to “agree to disagree”
We will accept when someone disagrees with us and will not worry about these disagreements as we recognize everyone is entitled to their own views. Instead, we will agree to disagree and remain on friendly terms.
28 – Take ownership of our mistakes
An important part of self-love is the ability to forgive mistakes. Therefore, we replace blame, shame, and anger with ownership and creation.
Then, we realize that there is no truth in our stressful thoughts and turn them around by inviting stillness into our lives.
29 – Tap into our creativity
We become more creative, inspired, and open. Perhaps we can even rekindle a long-forgotten activity that brings us joy.
For example, your inner child might still long to play the piano but your adult self denied this ambition. Giving yourself permission to tap into that creativity can release stress and become a source of inspiration to you again.
30 – Become an inspiration
Others see the changes in us when we love ourselves. Thus, we inspire others to love and care for themselves.
Final Thoughts on Self-Love and Self-Care
Treat yourself to some self-care and self-love. The changes you’ll awaken will come from deep inside you. And the changes you’ll set into motion will lead you to greater things in the future.
