There are various methods, techniques, and ideas to help develop feelings of worthiness through self-understanding and compassion. Self-love — Learning to appreciate ourselves as we are today but also in the process of growth. This includes self-compassion, self-care, and giving and receiving love. In the insightful book Who Am I Without You? 52 Ways to Rebuild Self-Esteem After A Breakup, clinical psychologist Christina G. Hibbert (2015) discusses a method of increasing self-esteem. While the book is written about recovering from failed relationships, the concept is relevant to other areas of life. Deep breathing is a simple way to reduce stress and anxiety. It can help you calm down and think more clearly. Self-love journaling is especially powerful because it creates a safe space for you to challenge and upgrade the damaging beliefs that create a disempowering mindset.

If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others develop self-compassion, this collection contains 17 validated self-compassion tools for practitioners. Use them to help others create a kinder and more nurturing relationship with the self.

Self-Love Affirmations

This answer will be very similar to the answer above, but I understand that if you’ve never journaled before it’s not necessarily intuitive. Self-esteem is an individual’s overall sense of value and attitude about themselves. Since we live with the thoughts, values, and attitudes we have about ourselves every second of our lives, their quality matters. Plus, as mentioned by James Pennebaker in Expressive Writing: Words That Heal, trying to process a recent trauma is not helpful no matter which emotion you're trying to experience. We built Reflection.app because we know how powerful and uplifting it has been for us to establish self-reflection and journaling habits in our own lives. An affirmation works by reprogramming the mind to believe a stated concept. Self-affirmation theory (Cohen & Sherman, 2014) states that we can achieve a level of self-integrity by telling ourselves what we want to believe.

Clients should be encouraged to use creativity by drawing, creating symbols, or using phrases to fill each box with a “win” for the week. Not only is this a beneficial activity in the moment, it is also a great tool to reflect on over a period of time. When you have finished writing, take a moment to re-read what you have written. Take in the insights and reflections you have gained from the exercise. Filled with writing exercises as well as real-life examples, it’s easy to take this journal’s guidance and apply it within your own life. The listed steps are simple to follow, and the advice is widely applicable. However, it doesn’t offer as much room for writing on your own as other options on our list. Although of course that can be easier said than done hence why today, in this post, we are going over one of the most effective ways to get self-love. Exploring Character Strengths is a great way to assess personal strengths. Ten questions guide the participant to reflect on six areas in their life where they can identify different strengths used. Focus on your belly as you breathe in and out slowly. Try to breathe from your stomach instead of from your chest. Okay, so now that you know what self-love is and why it's so hard, let's get into why it matters for your health. Spoiler alert: it matters a lot. Nafousi is a proponent of daily journaling, calling it a ritual rather than a habit. She explains that a daily practice becomes something you crave and can have a grander impact on mental and spiritual health when done daily. However, it's important not to get down on yourself if you can't do it every day. "Do what you can; best to do it a little more than not at all," she says.