50 Ways to Show Yourself Self-Love: A Guide to Embracing Your Whole Self

"Love how you are, who you are, where you are right now! The peace and empowerment you feel when you do is worth it!" - Jen Zahari

Self-love is a gift, but for many of us, it feels unfamiliar or even uncomfortable. Looking back to your littlest years, how often did you hear the words "self-love"? If you're like me, probably not often, if ever. No judgment behind that one; times were just different back then.

Today, however, the term resonates deeply. So, what is self-love?

Self-love, at its core, means appreciating yourself for the unique, incredible person you are. And while the definition may vary, depending on who you ask, it’s all about recognizing your worth and treating yourself with kindness and compassion.

During my research, I came across some surprising interpretations of self-love. Some viewed it negatively as selfish or self-centered. But self-love isn't about putting yourself above others—it’s about appreciating your value without diminishing anyone else's.

In this post, I’ll share 50 actionable ways to practice self-love in your daily life and become a stronger, healthier YOU! Remember, self-love is a journey. If it feels overwhelming, start with just one tip, master it, and build from there.

You are absolutely worth it!

50 Practical Ways to Cultivate Self-Love

1. Get to Know Yourself—By far, the most important person we get to know in this lifetime is ourselves! Explore every part of you—your strengths, your weaknesses, quirks, imperfections, gifts, and everything in between. What do you like? What would you like to improve? Where could you be more honest with yourself? Where could you give yourself grace? Start learning about yourself as intimately as you work to learn about others!

   
   

2. Decide Who You Want to Be—Guess what?! YOU get to choose who you are, how you show up, and what you want in life. This is YOUR life; no one else gets to define it for you. They will try, trust me. Oh, they will try. But you never have to accept what anyone else thinks or says about you. You Choose! Own your identity and live it authentically.

   
   

3. Compliment Yourself in the Mirror—You guys, we are WAY too hard on ourselves. Your brain and body are always listening. Stop beating yourself up and start appreciating every single little aspect of YOU!! Even the wrinkles deserve some love!

   
   

4. Stop Criticizing Yourself—You have criticized yourself long enough; where has it gotten you? It's time to pivot and start appreciating yourself. Love on yourself! Be kind to yourself. Try it and see how things change!!

   
   

5. Create an Empowered Inner Voice—We all have those little girl or boy voices inside speaking from the past. It's time to identify their words and shift them into more empowered self-talk.

   
   

6. Start a Gratitude Journal – Did you know the simple art of writing what you are grateful

   for changes the brain? Additionally, it can help improve optimism, reduce stress, improve overall health, and more. Take just five minutes a day and start reflecting on everything you are proud of or thankful for.

   
   

7. Complete the Sentence: “I Love Myself Because…” The quote “Seek and you will find” comes to mind on this one. If you start looking and look long enough, you will find what you are looking for. List as many reasons as you can daily, and let's see how quickly we can grow your list.

   
   

8. Address Anxiety and Depression – Reach out for help. You don’t need to stay stuck in your current situation. Anxiety and/or depression are hard enough to deal with; don't feel like you have to navigate it alone. That one person in your corner can help you see things you might not have been able to see before. It might be that one thing you needed to turn everything around.

   
   

9. Get Support for Your Weight Goals—Whether you want to gain or lose weight, self-love includes working for your health. Similar to point #8, that person in your corner can be a cheerleader and help you catch your blind spots.

   
   

10. Be Honest with Yourself – The most important person you are honest with is YOU! What do you actually want in life? Are there hard things you are avoiding? Practice self-honesty and acknowledge your true feelings and desires.

    
    

11. Take That Class – What is that thing you have been wanting to learn more about but have been delaying? Learn something new that excites or challenges you.

    
    

12. Start a Side Hustle – Pursue a passion project or business that fulfills you.

    
    

13. Take Responsibility for Your Life – Own your decisions and their outcomes.

    
    

14. Eat to Nourish Your Body—Self-love means taking care of yourself, including minding your nutrition. What do you want for yourself in this area? Get clear and start taking small steps to get there. Good nutrition can also support a healthy mental and emotional state of mind.

    
    

15. Give Yourself Grace – Mistakes happen. Forgive yourself, ask yourself what you learned and what you want to do next time, and then start moving forward.

    
    

    

    
    

16. Forgive Yourself—Let go of past regrets, whatever it takes. I love the rule of thumb: if it won't matter in five years, it shouldn't matter longer than five minutes! Stay in the problem solving; what can you do about it? How can you forgive yourself and move on?

    
    

17. Forgive Others – Holding onto anger only harms you. This doesn't mean you have to allow them back into your life, but it allows you to move past the pain and hurt.

    
    

18. Set Boundaries—The fact is that there are people who are good for us and people who are not good for us. And people who are good for you could be horrible for me. Find your people. Find people who energize you, support you, lift you up, etc.

    
    

19. Ask Someone on a Date—Is there someone in your life you have been wanting to ask on a date? Or is it time to start looking for that special someone? Friends, simply put, YOU deserve to have a special someone in your life. Take just one scary step and put yourself out there, YOU deserve it! We can't always go in fearlessly. Sometimes, we have to do it afraid.

    
    

20. Stop Doing Things You Don’t Want to Do – I LOVE the quote here: "If it's not a hell, yes, it's a no." Credit to the original creator of that one. Life’s too short for unnecessary obligations.

    
    

21. Focus on Liking Yourself—This feeds back to some of my earlier points. You are the only guaranteed constant in your entire life. If there is anyone you should love, like, take care of, practice grace with, etc., it's YOU!! It's time to start caring less about what other people think about you and start caring more about what you think of yourself!!

    
    

22. Learn to Say No – Saying no is an act of self-love; refer back to #20 on this one!

    
    

23. Enjoy Alone Time—This one is easy for me as an ambivert, and I know it's not as easy for others. Learn how to be happy with yourself. Learn how to listen and be content with your own thoughts. Take the time to yourself to reflect on who you are, what you want and who you want to be for YOU!

    
    

24. Take Time to Breathe—This, right here, might be one of the most underrated strategies for health and overall well-being. Slow down, center yourself, and just breathe.

    
    

25. Apply for the Job—If you are unhappy, dread Mondays, or flat out know you want more in your career, take the time to put yourself out there. You’re worth the opportunity. If you choose not to move forward from something you are unhappy with, at least change your mind about how you feel about where you are at.

    
    

26. Use Your Voice – Candidly, this one has taken me a lifetime. I built some very disempowered stories about myself, who I am, and what I perceived people did and didn't want to hear from me in my youngest years. And it took me years to untangle those beliefs. If you hold yourself back. If you have a hard time saying what you want to say, it's time to start leaning in and working on it. It's time to speak up for YOU, your needs, and your desires in life.

    
    

27. Move More—Your body wants movement! Find a form of movement you enjoy. Maybe it's hiking, dancing, yoga, walking, biking, or something else altogether. Play around, find what feels right for you, and start incorporating it into your life.

    
    

28. Binge-watch guilt-free—Yes, I said it! Sometimes, self-care looks like Netflix, Prime, Hulu, a bowl of popcorn, and a comfy blanket.

    
    

29. Drink More Water – Stay hydrated and support your body’s wellness. It might sound like a simple and tedious task, but this one little thing can have a MASSIVE difference on your body.

    
    

30. Prioritize Sleep—There are times to go, do, and move, and there are times to rest. Rest, rejuvenation, and sleep are essential for maintaining healthy mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health.

    
    

31. Enjoy the Cake – Allow yourself to indulge occasionally without guilt!

    
    

32. Embrace All Your Emotions – Your feelings and emotions show up to tell you something. What do you need in that moment? Or, what needs to be healed? Every single feeling is valid. Don’t suppress what you’re experiencing. At times, you simply need to thank it and let it go. Other times, there may be some processing to be done.

    
    

33. Let Go of Past Regrets – You can’t change the past, but you can write a new future. Take some time to reflect on what the past gave you. What did you learn from it, and how can you use that to change who you are and how you show up now?

    
    

34. Write Your Dream Future—I don't know about you, but when I was a kid, I had BIG dreams. As we get older, we often let our creative dreamer minds be set aside. It's time to bring them back! Journal your dream life and visualize it becoming your reality. Then, start taking small steps to make that dream life come true.

    
    

35. Say Yes More Often—Do you tend to shy away from things that scare you? It's time to lean in. Don’t let fear or doubt hold you back from new experiences!

    
    

36. Face Your Fears—This is so closely tied to the last point. I'm reminded of how I have overcome my fear of public speaking. What are those things you want but avoid out of fear? Decide what it is worth for you to have it. Then, start taking small actions to overcome it. It might be messy and uncomfortable at first, but the more you lean in, take action, learn, recalibrate, and then lean in again with newer knowledge, the easier it gets each time.

    
    

37. Be Kind to Yourself—We can be all too hard on ourselves, especially if we are high performers. It's time to start giving yourself the same grace and kindness you would show others.

    
    

38. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others—You are uniquely you, and that’s your superpower. Step into it!

    
    

39. Declutter Your Life—Earlier in life, I never fully believed that decluttering your house and space helped your mental/emotional clutter. But the older I've gotten, the more I see how this impacts the brain. And, as I've learned about the brain and brain behavior over the years, it all makes perfect sense. Declutter your space, throw away or donate those things you no longer need, and organize yourself. Then, watch how it shifts your mental/emotional mind.

    
    

40. Have That Difficult Conversation – Avoiding hard talks only prolongs discomfort. How can you reframe that "hard" conversation to one that brings benefit to everyone involved? What could you gain from having the conversation? And how could you make it easy?

    
    

    

    
    

41. Laugh at Yourself – Don’t take life too seriously; find joy in your quirks. Friends, we get judged enough by the external world. There will always be people with something to say about who you are, how you show up, etc. Don't let that someone be you!

    
    

42. Spend Time Outdoors. Nature can truly heal in every aspect of health—mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Find aspects of nature you enjoy and start incorporating them more into your life.

    
    

43. Learn Something New – Did you know engaging in learning a new skill or doing something that is new and different can help to improve brain health and memory? It may be a challenge at first, and you might have to lean into that fear we talked about earlier, but trust me, the benefits far override the "messy" you might feel in the beginning. Invest in yourself!!

    
    

44. Take a Social Media Detox—Unplug! Get away from all of your screens and constant stimuli. Give your brain a break! Unplugging can be the best form of self-care.

    
    

45. Find Your People – Seek out and surround yourself with people who inspire, empower, challenge, and support you. We are not meant to walk this journey alone.

    
    

46. Trust Your Instincts. Get good at knowing yourself and your intuition. Your energy will guide you—trust it.

    
    

47. Seek New Experiences and adventures – Explore new places, meet new people, or simply engage in activities that bring you joy.

    
    

48. Put Yourself First Without Guilt—This isn't about being selfish; it's about putting on your own oxygen mask first. What do you need to be at your best for others? It's time to prioritize yourself and your desires in life.

    
    

49. Do What Makes You Laugh – Deep belly laughs are one of life’s greatest gifts. If you need a laugh, hop on YouTube and search for babies laughing; they are always sure to lighten your day.

    
    

50. Take Care of Yourself Holistically – Self-love means nurturing your mind, body, and soul.

    
    

Final Thoughts on Self-Love

You are whole and complete right now, even if there are areas you want to keep developing. On this journey called life, we can, at times, acquire disempowering beliefs that dim our self-worth. Now is the time to shed those thoughts and begin cultivating the love you deserve. Embrace the journey and start showing yourself the love you deserve!

Stay well and Be kind to yourself, always!!

Coach Jen