The Importance of Practicing Self-Love

Whether you’re in a relationship, dating, married, or single, never take for granted the importance of self-love. Self-love is the best love you can receive and helps open you up to the love from others around you. If you don’t love yourself, how will you expect anyone else to do that for you? The love you feel from others is different from the love you give yourself on a daily basis.  

As relationship experts, we know the importance of self-love at any stage of dating. Self-love is essential for your happiness and wellness, whether you’re in a relationship or single. We’ll help you navigate how to practice self-love in a relationship and learn more about why is self-love important, no matter if you have a partner or not.

How To Practice Self-Love 

You’re probably familiar with the concept that you’re your own harshest critic. Let’s turn down the volume on those negative thoughts and replace them with positive habits. The key to honoring the importance of self-love is prioritizing yourself with compassion and kindness. 

Incorporate these self-love practices into your routine:  

Keep a Gratitude Journal 

This can be a note on your phone, a Word doc on your laptop, or even a notepad on your bedstand. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or elaborate. A good place to start is creating a routine either when you wake up or go to bed to write down three things you’re grateful for that day. It could be something as small as “eating a healthy and nutritious meal” or “catching up with an old friend on the phone.” This helps you stay present and realize what we have to be thankful for and happy about right now.  

Take Breaks from Social Media 

We’re all guilty of comparing ourselves to others—we’re only human. Social media can make this worse by making you hyperaware of your peers, thinking you’re falling behind in life. Spend less time scrolling and more time practicing self-love off of social media platforms. Social media only shows the highlight reels of those you follow. Taking a break or limiting your time scrolling is an easy way to practice self-love.   

Celebrate Small Wins 

This is especially useful when you’re out there in the dating world and want to stay motivated. Some examples of small dating wins could be having a nice conversation with someone on a dating app or a first date that went well. If you look at your goal post thinking it’s so far out of reach, recognizing small wins proves you aren’t as far off as you think. Stay on track with your goals and celebrate every aspect of your life as a form of self-love.   

Find Inner Peace with Meditation 

Take some time out of your day to collect your thoughts and feelings. Meditation and mindfulness practices are great ways to connect with yourself and practice self-love. This could be taking a quiet moment to yourself or using a meditation app with guided audio. Whatever you feel most comfortable with, you can take a moment to check in with how you’re feeling mentally and emotionally.   

How to Practice Self-Love in a Relationship 

If you’re in a relationship, all the above ways to practice self-love are useful, but you can take it a step further by bringing these practices to your relationship as well. Insecurities when dating someone can often lead to arguments and eventual breakups. The importance of self-love is crucial to ensure both partners are secure with themselves as individuals and within the relationship.   

If you’re in a relationship, try these self-love techniques:  

Prioritize Your Alone Time 

When dating someone, you don’t have to spend every moment with them. Even if you live together, you can go into another room to watch TV or read a book, whatever you need to de-stress on your own. This could also mean going to a café and having a coffee, enjoying that moment to reflect alone. Being apart means you have time to recharge emotionally, mentally, and physically.   

Focus on Your Interests and Hobbies 

When you get into a relationship with someone, it’s common to do shared activities that you both enjoy, but what about the things you enjoy that your partner doesn’t? Focus on self-care, including making time for your interests and hobbies. Maybe you love yoga, but your partner doesn’t care for it. Or you like to watch specific movie genres that your significant other refuses to watch. Take some time to do the things you like to do instead of just doing things your partner likes.   

Invest in Your Personal Growth 

If you’re settled in a relationship, it’s very easy to stay in your comfort zone and not challenge yourself to grow. You deserve to keep evolving as an individual as you enter a partnership. Take some time for your personal growth by reading self-help books, taking online classes, going to therapy, or learning a new skill. These are all forms of self-love to invest in yourself and give yourself the gift of confidence.   

Self-Love is the Best Love 

Why is self-love important? Because no one knows you like you know yourself. You know when you need to give yourself a break and nurture your inner healing. And if you’re no longer single, learning how to practice self-love in a relationship is essential. Self-love doesn’t stop when you enter a relationship—it’s always a priority.  

At Heart Appeal, we know the importance of self-love to help open your heart up for love from someone else. Our relationship coaches will help you on your journey of discovering why is self-love important and how to practice self-love in a relationship. Learn more about our community and coaching membership to find the love that you deserve (within yourself and within a healthy relationship!).