Self-Love and What It Means (2024)

Posted: February 12, 2020

Self-Love and What It Means (1)

What is self-love?

Before a person is able to practice it, first we need to understand what it means.

Self-love is a state of appreciation for oneself that grows from actions that support our physical, psychological and spiritual growth. Self-love means having a high regard for your own well-being and happiness. Self-love means taking care of your own needs and not sacrificing your well-being to please others. Self-love means not settling for less than you deserve.

Self-love can mean something different for each person because we all have many different ways to take care of ourselves. Figuring out what self-love looks like for you as an individual is an important part of your mental health.

What does self-love mean to you?

For starters, it can mean:

  • Talking to and about yourself with love
  • Prioritizing yourself
  • Giving yourself a break from self-judgement
  • Trusting yourself
  • Being true to yourself
  • Being nice to yourself
  • Setting healthy boundaries
  • Forgiving yourself when you aren’t being true or nice to yourself

For many people, self-love is another way to say self-care. To practice self-care, we often need to go back to the basics and

  • Listen to our bodies
  • Take breaks from work and move/stretch.
  • Put the phone down and connect to yourself or others, or do something creative.
  • Eating healthily, but sometimes indulge in your favorite foods.

Self-love means accepting yourself as you are in this very moment for everything that you are. It means accepting your emotions for what they are and putting your physical, emotional and mental well-being first.

How and Why to Practice Self Love

So now we know that self-love motivates you to make healthy choices in life. When you hold yourself in high esteem, you're more likely to choose things that nurture your well-being and serve you well. These things may be in the form of eating healthy, exercising or having healthy relationships.

Ways to practice self-love include:

  • Becoming mindful. People who have more self-love tend to know what they think, feel, and want.
  • Taking actions based on need rather than want. By staying focused on what you need, you turn away from automatic behavior patterns that get you into trouble, keep you stuck in the past, and lessen self-love.
  • Practicing good self-care. You will love yourself more when you take better care of your basic needs. People high in self-love nourish themselves daily through healthy activities, like sound nutrition, exercise, proper sleep, intimacy and healthy social interactions.
  • Making room for healthy habits. Start truly caring for yourself by mirroring that in what you eat, how you exercise, and what you spend time doing. Do stuff, not to “get it done” or because you “have to,” but because you care about you.

Finally, to practice self-love, start by being kind, patient, gentle and compassionate to yourself, the way you would with someone else that you care about.

- Written byJeffrey Borenstein, M.D., President & CEO of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. This blog post also appears on theGravity Blankets Blog.

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Self-Love and What It Means (2024)

FAQs

Self-Love and What It Means? ›

Self-love means having a high regard for your own well-being and happiness. Self-love means taking care of your own needs and not sacrificing your well-being to please others.

What is the meaning of self-love? ›

Self-love means that you have an appreciation, affinity, and positive regard for yourself. It's closely related to self-esteem and self-compassion.

What is the true meaning of loving yourself? ›

Self-love is a way to appreciate yourself, stemming from actions that support our psychological, emotional, physical, and spiritual growth. Loving yourself means holding yourself in high regard, taking care of yourself, and being happy with where you are in life.

What are the four types of self-love? ›

Self-love can generally be broken into four categories: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.

Why is self-love so important? ›

The Importance of Self-Love

Self-love lays the foundation for assertiveness, establishing boundaries, nurturing healthy relationships, practicing self-care, pursuing personal interests and goals, and feeling pride in one's identity.

What is the highest form of self-love? ›

Discipline is the highest form of self-love.

How to build self-love? ›

6 Ways to Cultivate Self-Love
  1. Keep a Gratitude Journal. A big part of self-love is staying present. ...
  2. Give Yourself a Compliment. ...
  3. Speak to Yourself as You Would With a Friend. ...
  4. Practice Mindfulness. ...
  5. Celebrate the Small Wins. ...
  6. Limit Time on Social Media.
Jan 23, 2023

Is self-love narcissism? ›

Self-love involves a balanced, positive view of oneself that coexists with empathy, respect for others, and healthy relationships. On the other hand, narcissistic personality disorder is marked by excessive self-centeredness, a lack of empathy, and a focus on self-aggrandizement at the expense of others.

What does love yourself mean in one word? ›

Definitions of self-love. an exceptional interest in and admiration for yourself. “self-love that shut out everyone else” synonyms: narcism, narcissism. type of: conceit, conceitedness, vanity.

What does self-love actually look like? ›

“Self-love is feeling and caring for yourself like you'd feel and care for the person you love most in the world. It is accepting yourself unconditionally, just as you are today while doing whatever it takes to give yourself the life you want to live.”

What are the 5 stages of self-love? ›

5 steps to self-love:
  • Make peace with your insecurities. Acknowledge your lingering insecurities and forgive yourself for having them. ...
  • Accept that perfection doesn't exist and accept your “flaws” ...
  • Discover what is important to you. ...
  • Grow in ways that support what's important to you. ...
  • Rinse and repeat.
Nov 28, 2017

What is the core of self-love? ›

Self-love means that you accept yourself fully, treat yourself with kindness and respect, and nurture your growth and wellbeing. Self-love encompasses not only how you treat yourself but also your thoughts and feelings about yourself.

What is a self-love quote? ›

"You are your own priority." "Fall in love with taking care of yourself." "Self-love is the key to a joyful life." "You are enough, just as you are."

What is the spiritual meaning of self-love? ›

Self-love is a state of appreciation for oneself that grows from actions that support our physical, psychological and spiritual growth. Self-love means having a high regard for your own well-being and happiness. Self-love means taking care of your own needs and not sacrificing your well-being to please others.

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