March 31, 2021
Love Yourself: 5 Must-Know Self Love Techniques
In this world, there are many kinds of love– lots of which usually involve other people. However, there is a different kind of love that people tend to ignore, either for lack of time, or perhaps a lack of realization and clarity: self-love.
Summarily, this sort of love is special because not only is it something only you can give to yourself, it’s ultimately the kind of love that actually allows you to surpass life’s challenges and convince yourself to push harder, even when everything feels grim and gloomy.
But what does this love mean? How do you truly love yourself? Is it a matter of just hugging yourself and telling yourself it’s okay? Perhaps– but there’s always more to the story.
What is True Self-Love?
Self-love is a crucial step to one’s emotional, spiritual, and even physical development. It’s the idea of caring for oneself and actually being in an emotional state where you actively value your identity, actions, and welfare.
By being in this state of mind, you are effectively opening the way for the future. This allows you to finally overcome your limits and see yourself in ways you never thought you could.
As such, true self-love isn’t only an option– it’s the best thing you can ever do for yourself. Many things can prevent you from going down this road, but to master self-love is to master yourself.
Is Self-Love the Best Love?
Of all the kinds of love out there, nothing beats self-love. After all, as the sayings go, you can’t love others without loving yourself first. Self-love is the kind of love that opens up new possibilities– new kinds of love.
It also opens new perspectives and gateways to certain paths. What you used to forbid yourself from doing out of social shame, you end up doing for the sake of your happiness.
In other words, it’s the kind of love that tells you to see yourself exactly for who you are. What dark thoughts exist in your head can become positive energy if you truly learn to love and care for yourself.
Why is it Important to Love Yourself?
Too often does the world give people a reason to hate themselves. The more you partake in this hatred, the more you lock yourself in your own restrictions. Having low self-esteem, for example, will make you avoid things you could excel in.
It’s also destructive to entertain self-hatred in terms of your spiritual growth. After all, with the burden of hate, it’s impossible to not look at yourself with scorn. It becomes easier to feel for things that you should be proud of.
Self-love is important because it ends your self-hate and renews you. It’s the one choice you can make to prevent a lifetime of regret, so you must grab hold of it.
How Do You Master Self-Love?
As with other kinds of love, there are multiple ways to love yourself. One way you can start is by acknowledging your true feelings. This isn’t easy as it differs from person to person, but the moment you find out what you truly want is the moment you are free.
Another way to master self-love is to embrace a life-affirming philosophy. In a world so riddled with uncertainty and problems, the ability to love oneself helps in making sure that despite all of life’s absurdities, you can wear a smile on your face.
There are truly multiple routes to mastery, but you will only get there if you are willing to take a crack at it. As you read on, you’ll learn more ways to truly manifest self-love.
5 Self-Love Techniques to Increase Self-Love
#1: Don’t compare yourself with other people
To love yourself, you have to look at your own self as yourself. This seems complex, but this just means that you should only see yourself first and foremost. The friends you have may do well for themselves, but their success shouldn’t hold you back.
As such, instead of focusing on what they have achieved and berating yourself for not making it, look to your own accomplishments. See what you’ve done. Take some time to think about it because envy might be covering it up.
Once you see them, you will understand that you have performed just as well, and that life isn’t a race. After all, life isn’t about winning against others, but making the most of your time on this earth.
#2: Take care of your body and mind
Another important aspect of self-love is taking care of your body. Many people who don’t love themselves enough tend to engage in some form of escapism and forget their own physical health.
Be it in eating lots of food, not doing enough exercise, or even taking a bath and glamming up, these little actions all manifest a lack of self-love. Thus, by tending to your physical needs, you will inevitably take care of your emotional state.
As such, tend to your bodily needs. Get out and exercise, and as you do, you will realize how great self-love is.
#3: Do some meditation
Self-love isn’t just about what you do things outside, but also about what you do for your inner self. This means that you should also tend to your spiritual health. When you are feeling particularly stressed, don’t succumb to it and give in to your worst instincts.
Instead, give yourself some time and meditate about yourself and your place in the world. What are you here for? What are you here to manifest? Ask yourself the hard questions, and look inward.
Your answer may not necessarily end up being the right thing, but such is life; imperfections are inevitable. What’s important is that you meditate on yourself, because in doing so, you will know yourself more.
Thus, you will truly learn self-love.
#4: Pamper yourself
Yes, you read this correctly. People may say that giving yourself a break is a selfish thing. Some will put you down for going on that dream vacation– but it’s all a crucial part of life!
Truly loving yourself means prioritizing yourself and giving yourself a breather. It’s okay to go out and de-stress after months of hard work. It’s okay to glam up, look good, take a vacation, and just be happy with yourself.
By focusing on your own needs after a long journey, you will truly increase your ability to love yourself.
#5: Love your imperfections
It can be tough to love yourself at your worst. After all, the worst parts of yourself often bring about the worst moments in your life. Your anger, for example, may have led to a breakup or a fallout with someone you used to hang out with.
But not accepting your faults can be even worse for you. Sometimes, all it takes is to understand that none of us are born perfect. We can’t always make the right decisions, but what’s important is that you’re able to stand by as many of them as possible.
This makes embracing your worst aspects a crucial part of knowing how to love yourself. It improves your perspective.
Self-Love Meditation
As with all other things, self-love has a meditative process that you can get into. The recommended way to do it is to do the following:
#1: Assume a comfortable position
The position can be anywhere from sitting with your feet crossed on the floor or even just lying down on your yoga mat.
Don’t worry too much about your exact positioning here. The goal is to just be as comfortable as possible.
#2: Breathe
While you’re in your position of choice, breathe deeply and focus on the sound and feel of it. Each inhale and exhale should be refreshing for you.
Keep doing this until you are thinking of nothing but just your breath. Stay focused and all will be well.
#3: Picture yourself
As you go deeper into the breathing exercise, think now of yourself in an empty space. Focus on the image before you and ponder upon what you see.
While you do this, say gently, “I love you.” You can even add your name to zero in on your identity. No matter what you see, say you love yourself.
Continue until you can feel a sense of joy as you say these words.
The Power of I’m Enough
Affirmation in self-love goes a very long way. For all the compliments that you get from others, you won’t feel true affirmation unless it comes from you yourself.
As such, make a habit of telling yourself any variations of these words:
- I’m Enough.
- I mean something.
- I love myself for who I am.
- I am beautiful.
- I am capable.
- I believe in myself.
- I am strong.
- I can change.
- I wake up with renewed vigor.
- I am awesome.
Meditate on these words before you do anything in the morning, or before making a crucial decision. After all, you are precious no matter what.
The Individualogist Team is made up of archetype fanatics, individuation practitioners, and spirituality fans. Our humble group has banded together to deliver thought-provoking, life-changing, and growth-probing wisdom.
