Practicing self-love affirmations regularly is an ideal way to deepen your love for yourself. Reciting self-esteem affirmations helps you tap into an infinite well of strength and confidence that’s already within you; you merely need to activate it.
Being overly self-critical never helped anyone improve their life. Self-love is the key to personal transformation. When you adopt a self-loving mindset, you can experience more joy, peace, success, fulfillment, and love in your life. Boosting your self-esteem helps you recognize yourself for the wonderful, capable, powerful person you really are.
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Why Is Self-Love & Self Esteem So Important?
I think a lot of us don’t “get” what self-love truly is. We’re not sure what it looks like or feels like, and we certainly don’t understand the tremendous positive impact that self-love has on every area of our lives.
Here’s my take on self-love: as a human being, you need love. We all do. You need love as much as you need the air you breathe and the food that nourishes your body.
Choosing to withhold love from yourself is choosing to live a life at odds with who you are. When you don’t love yourself, you reject much, if not all, of the good that life has to offer you because you don’t feel worthy to receive that goodness. Then, you wonder why life is so painful or empty or unsatisfying.
Self-love is the way to believe in yourself and recognize your inherent value. When you truly and unapologetically love yourself without condition, you affirm that you are worthy, lovable, valuable, and deserving of happiness, peace, joy, love, and all good things that life has to offer.
Many of us didn’t get the love we needed growing up, or it came with some pretty funky conditions which we now associate with love. If you felt unloved or minimally loved growing up (or aren’t getting enough love now), you can start loving yourself more now.
And, if somewhere along the lines you learned not to like yourself, much less love yourself, you can unlearn that now, too. It’s never too late to start a self-love practice.
How Affirmations Help You Practice Self-Love
For many of us, self-love doesn’t come naturally. We’re more accustomed to listening to the inner critic that tells us time and again that we’re not good enough, don’t have what it takes, aren’t really worthy … blah blah blah … there’s no end to the nonsense we tell ourselves.
Your inner critic is trying to help you, but in reality, it’s steering you away from the rich happy life you want and deserve.
That’s why you need to ditch the negative self-talk and practice adopting a new inner voice — a nurturing, supportive, kind, gentle, loving inner voice — that will lift you up and take your life in the positive direction you want and deserve. You need to start speaking to yourself in the language of love, offering yourself the compassion you need and deserve.
But it takes PRACTICE! It won’t happen overnight. Self-love affirmations aren’t about believing what you’re saying from day one. They’re about planting seeds that will grow and grow if nurtured over time.
How Do Self-Love & Self-Esteem Affirmations Work?
Affirmations aren’t some woo-woo magical, mystical things practiced just practiced by gurus. They’re a way to break long-held self-limiting thought patterns and beliefs to rewire your brain for love and happiness
This isn’t just my opinion; this stuff is backed by science. If you want to know more, check out Dr. Rick Hanson’s book Hardwiring Your Brain for Happiness or Dr. Bruce Lipton’s book, The Biology of Belief.
Affirmations aren’t about believing in the words you speak when you first start speaking them; they’re about planting seeds for things you want to believe deep down in your heart. Once a seed is planted, you nurture it and give it time to grow.
There are a number of studies about affirmations, and most come to the same conclusion: they work … if they’re done correctly. To a large extent, we believe what we tell ourselves — whether it’s true or not. Using affirmations, we exchange negative beliefs with positive beliefs.
The change doesn’t happen overnight; it takes time and dedication. We also have to be willing to release old beliefs and be open to new ideas.
I found that there are a few things that make my mind more receptive to affirmations, including:
- Spend a few minutes in deep-breathing with your eyes closed before you recite your self-love affirmation.
- Focus on one affirmation and repeat it several times. This is far more effective than trying to introduce your mind to multiple affirmations at the same time.
- Start every day with an affirmation. Jot it down each day to remind yourself to repeat it throughout the day. (I sometimes have affirmations on sticky notes in several places throughout my house and even my car!)
- Speak the affirmation with feeling. Bring it into both your heart and mind.
- When possible, speak affirmations out loud.
- It’s helpful to sometimes practice self-love affirmations in front of a mirror.
- You don’t have to believe an affirmation is true for it to work for you. Oftentimes, you won’t believe the affirmation at first.
- If your mind or body resists what you’re saying, that’s okay. That response will lessen over time and eventually disappear.
Some of the self-love affirmations I’ve learned and practiced over the years have become a permanent part of my subconscious. They pop up when an event triggers the need for them to arrive. The affirmations return to my mind when I need them most, reminding me of who I truly am and what I truly believe.
Affirmations Could Change Your Life
When practiced regularly and with great feeling, self-love affirmations have given me the strength, courage, and motivation to love myself and change some pretty lousy behaviors in my life. They’ve also made me brave enough to do things I never thought I’d do — like quitting a high-paying job without having a back-up plan in place and moving across the country on an adventure I never thought possible.
Affirmations have also whittled away a lot of self-limiting beliefs I used to cling to. I’m confident self-love affirmations can help you with whatever issues you’re struggling with right now.
Before You Get Started ...
Think about what you’re going through right now.
- How are you withholding love from yourself?
- What do you want to change?
When you have a clear picture of what’s going on inside you and in your life, read through the affirmations below and take note of any that speak directly to a wound or pain point … or that touch your heart deeply in a positive way. Those are likely affirmations that will work best for you.
Three Books That Helped Me with My Self-Love Practice
List of 99 Self-Love Affirmations
1. I feel the light of self-love illuminating my mind and heart and shining brightly from every inch of my body.
2. I love myself and give myself permission to live my very best life.
3. Loving myself completely brings new and amazing blessings into my life.
4. I choose self-love now and always.
5. I am loving, lovable, and loved.
6. I love myself unconditionally.
7. I release self-doubt and embrace self-confidence.
8. As I rest in self-love, miracles unfold in my life.
9. I love myself even though I’m not perfect; after all, perfection isn’t even a real thing.
10. I am worthy.
11. My self-worth and self-esteem are sky-high.
12. I love myself and send only love to my inner critic.
13. I am gifted in many, many, many ways.
14. I open my heart, mind, and soul to self-love and envision its loving caress around me now.
15. I love myself dearly and always will.
16. Self-love is my superpower.
17. I am worthy of love, success, peace, happiness, and all good things.
18. As I turn to self-love, my struggles ease and my mind rests.
Celebrate What Makes You Unique & Strong with These Self-Love Affirmations
19. Self-love fuels my positivity and positivity fuels my wonderful life.
20. Self-love helps me make the changes that lift my life even higher.
21. I am strong and capable.
22. I let my light shine.
23. Self-love is the right choice for me and so I choose it always.
24. I forgive myself and release all lingering harsh thoughts about myself now.
25. I unapologetically love myself and love my life.
26. My own self-love gives me a greater appreciation of how to both receive love and send love to others.
27. I choose to be authentic and let my true, wonderful essence be seen by all.
28. I love myself and speak my truth.
29. I choose to love myself through all of life’s ups, downs, twists, and turns.
30. My health and happiness are top priorities in my life.
31. I am grounded in a favorable opinion of myself; I know I’m a terrific person.
32. I am open to experiencing even greater levels of self-love in all its magnificent manifestations.
33. My self-love is unwavering, even in my most difficult moments in life.
34. Self-compassion is second nature to me.
35. Who I am is good enough.
36. I honor all emotions as a call to love.
37. I am beautiful, brave, and worthy of infinite love.
38. I am worthy of limitless love.
39. I am strong and can handle any challenge before me.
40. I lovingly give myself permission to try and should I ever stumble, I still love myself at every step of my journey.
Embrace Compassion and Confidence with These Self-Love Affirmations
41. I love how brave I am. I live my life with both courage and wonder.
42. I am kind, gentle, and compassionate with myself.
43. If I ever doubt myself, I know I can return to my true center where unconditional love resides.
44. I love myself and there’s nothing that will ever change that.
45. I am awesome.
46. I approve of myself unconditionally; I release the habit of caring about others’ approval.
47. I am proud of the person I am.
48. The love I have for myself is constant — I know I can depend on it always.
49. I love myself and take responsibility for creating a life I love.
50. I release thoughts of doubt and shame and embrace only loving thoughts about myself.
51. I open my mind and heart to receive all the beauty life has to offer me.
52. The love I give myself radiates out into the world to generate even more love everywhere I go.
53. I love how resilient I am.
54. I envision all barriers to self-love crumbling before me.
55. I release the habit of judging myself.
56 I love my body.
57. I love my quirks and idiosyncrasies.
58. I believe in the miracle-producing power of self-love and embrace self-love now.
59. The love I have for myself is so brilliant, I oughta wear shades.
60. The love I have for myself never shakes or trembles; it is strong and it strengthens me.
61. I am a person of great worth and substance.
Expand and Transform Your Life with these Self-Esteem & Self-Love Affirmations
62. My sense of self-love is ever-expanding in my life.
63. I invite true self-love to correct habits and thoughts that are not aligned with authentic self-love.
64. Loving myself is both right and easy.
65. I send love to all parts of me that are resisting love at this moment.
66. I deserve love so I give myself generous servings of love every day.
67. I love myself enough to set healthy boundaries.
68. Through simple acts of self-love, I inspire others to love themselves, too.
69. I love my sense of humor.
70. I am kind and generous and lovable in every way.
71. I listen to my intuition as I know it is love speaking to me.
72. Love is my core —it’s who I am.
73. I release all obstacles to loving myself with all my heart.
74. I invite self-love to guide me and bring lightness and joy to my life.
75. I joyously release worries, doubt, stress, and strife. I relax in love and peace.
76. I love myself and happily give myself the tender loving care I need.
77. I choose happiness every day.
78. I have an infinite pool of love within me that lights up my life for me and others.
79. I choose to be nice to myself.
80. I love myself enough to stop comparing myself with anyone else.
81. I am resilient.
82. I love myself enough to stop comparing my body with anyone else’s body.
83. I respect myself.
84. I admire the person I am and the person I am becoming.
85. It is through loving myself that I plant the seeds to accomplish my purpose in life.
86. I love myself enough to not let others’ beliefs about me get in the way of how I see myself.
87. I see my true worth and don’t really care if others do or not.
88. I trust in the beautiful, loving timing of life.
89. I give my body all the love and attention it richly deserves.
90. I am grateful for the love and beauty in my life.
91. My potential is limitless.
92. I love myself enough to believe in myself at all times.
93. When scared or confused, I return to self-love. Self-love always shows me the way.
94. Self-love is my teacher, friend, and mentor.
95. I’m so happy that I love myself now; my life is so much happier.
96. I refuse to be at odds with myself; I choose love and compassion always.
97. My self-love provides a sturdy foundation for all other love in my life.
98. As I bask in the light self-love, I become a wiser and happier person.
99. I was born to bless others and be blessed — to love myself and love others, too. This is how I choose to live my life.
The Key to Allowing Affirmations to Transform Your Mind … and Transform Your Life!
When it comes to affirmations, consistency is key. You can’t go into this half-hearted— you need to start your self-love affirmation practice with your whole heart and mind.
One of my favorite books where this lesson really hits home is Kamal Ravikant’s, Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on It. This was a man who was at a low point in his life; rock bottom actually. And somewhere deep within himself, he received a message to start loving himself. Not just kinda, sorta love himself, but start engaging in radical, unwavering self-love.
His self-love affirmation couldn’t have been more simple. He just started saying, “I love myself.” He said it over and over and over. Thousands of times, every day, for days and days and weeks on end. One affirmation seed planted again and again and again. I don’t want to give the ending of Kamal’s book away, but you can be sure his self-love practice led to a much happier and more fulfilling life.
Kamal says that loving yourself isn’t something you say — it’s something you are — it’s a state of being. You must practice “being love” and you can’t be lazy about it, or you’ll revert to old habits.
How to Find the Self-Love Affirmations that Will Resonate with You.
The best way to find the self-love affirmations that will work best for you right now is to think about the ways that you are withholding love from yourself.
Here are a few of the ways you may be acting if you struggle with self-love:
- You believe what others say about you, even if it’s negative, demoralizing, or flat-out mean.
- You frequently seek others’ approval.
- You compare yourself with others to see if you “measure up.”
- Your self-talk is often critical; you may even be dealing with an inner bully.
- You think you’re not good enough.
- You struggle with feeling confident.
- You feel stuck.
- You struggle breaking free from bad habits.
- You let others treat you badly.
- You’re afraid to be yourself so you hide who you really are.
- You use unhealthy stress-management and anxiety-coping tactics.
- You distract yourself from your pain with activities that only leave you feeling worse about yourself.
- Deep down you wonder if you deserve true love from yourself or anyone else.
Did you see yourself on that list?
I get it. Honey, I really, truly, deeply get it!
Just in writing this list, I found myself tearing up. I recognize the pain that an unloving mindset brings into your life and I’m no saint — I sometimes fall into these rabbit holes myself.
I know firsthand how heartbreaking it feels when I stumble into these dark places. I also know that this is no place to set up a tent and hang out — not even for a moment, and certainly not for the rest of your life. You deserve much better living conditions!
I can honestly tell you that I’ve used self-love affirmations to get me out of very dark and dismal places in my life I know self-love affirmations can make a difference; the fact that I’m still walking around on this planet is my personal testimony that affirmations are important tools for changing mindsets. Practiced frequently, they bring light and love into your heart and mind and lift you up in ways you can scarcely imagine.
Are Self-Love & Self-Worth Affirmations All You Need?
Some folks might give you these affirmations and tell you’re you that you have all you need. Cards on the table: self-love affirmations are a great place to start loving yourself more fully, but affirmations are just one of many ways to expand self-love in your life.
I congratulate you on embarking on this self-love journey, but I encourage you to explore all the avenues available for loving yourself more fully and creating a life you love.
You’ll want to learn the fundamentals of positive self-talk, self-care, self-acceptance, self-confidence, self-awareness, and everyday mindfulness. And you want to continue learning more and more about self-love.
More on Believe and Create on Self-Love
The subject of self-love and its role in creating a life you love is so close to my heart that I write about it often. I’ve always believed that when you learn something that can help others, you have an obligation to share your journey and what you learned. That’s why I founded Believe and Create.
Here are some of the reads you can find on B&C to help you on yourself-love journey …
Self-Love Lessons: 7 Steps to a More Loving Relationship with Yourself
Why Self-Care Is Important [Plus 41 Self-Care Tips & Activities]
38 Ways to Experience More Self-Love and Self-Compassion in Your Life
Transform Your Life by Making Love the Driving Force Behind All You Do
The Life-Changing Magic of Listening to Your Higher Self
Join the Self-Love Conversation
In the comments below, please share your self-love story. What are the barriers to loving yourself that you’ve faced? What’s helped you embrace self-love? Please feel free to share any affirmations that have helped you and you feel might help others, too.
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