12 Exercises to Deepen Your Sense of Self-Love

1. Journal for self-love.

Write 3 things you love about yourself every morning. This could be your physical attributes, accomplishments, aspects of your personality, good choices you’ve made, and kind things you’ve done.

2. Practice gratitude.

Pay soulful attention to the good things you have in your life and feel thankful for them.

3. Engage in physical exercises you love.

Pushing yourself with physical exercises can not only increase your mental strength and improve your mood, but also boost your self-esteem. Engaging in physical activities can help you increase your love for your body and feel more connected to who you are as you feel your breathing and different parts of your body moving.

4. Change your thought patterns.

Break the cycle of talking negatively about yourself. When negative self-talk arises, identify it and counter-argue it with positive affirmations.

5. Forgive yourself for your mistakes.

You can criticize yourself constructively in order to improve. However, don’t waste time dwelling on feeling bad about what you’ve done. Set a new intention and goals for improvement and move on.

6. Celebrate your success.

Create a list of accomplishments and review it often. Remind yourself of how amazing you are. If you can achieve something difficult once, you can do it again. Nothing is too hard with great determination and passion.

7. Learn something new.

Learning is growing. Growing feels good and increases your sense of self-worth. Learn something new every now and then. Even though you might have finished school, it doesn't mean you have to stop learning. Learning is a lifelong process. Become a lifelong learner and you will never feel old and bored. 

8. Do something nice for yourself.

Treat yourself every now and then. Give yourself little rewards for jobs well done. These little acts of kindness for ourselves can help us appreciate who we are and increase self-acceptance. 

9. Do something nice for someone else.

Kindness can increase your sense of self-worth and self-love. By providing value to others and helping others see value within themselves, you also increase the value you see within yourself as a result.

10. Spend time alone doing what you enjoy.

Sometimes spending time with others can take up a lot of energy as it means you may have to compromise. When you spend time alone doing whatever you want, you can learn to listen to your own needs and value them more. Self-respect starts with listening to your own needs and honoring them.

11. Spend time with people who bring joy to your life and people who increase your sense of self-love.

Sometimes this means spending time with people who truly love and care for you and accept you for who you are. When you can feel the love others have for you, the love you have for yourself increases.

12. Allow yourself to be where you are.

Don’t be too hard on yourself. We all have our own different timelines. Things will happen for you when it’s the right time. Enjoy the moment for that is the only thing you can control.