You are worthy of love, from yourself and others. These simple daily habits will help you see your worth and learn how to love yourself, even on bad days.
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What does loving yourself mean? I mean, really… what does it mean to love yourself?
Is it looking in the mirror and finding the reflection attractive? Is it regularly acknowledging your wins and achievements before your failures? Or is it putting yourself as the number one priority?
Love is not objective. But true love is unconditional, accepting, and hopeful. In this blog post from Franciscan Media, the first few lines describe love as wanting what is best for another individual. It’s not self-serving.
But, how does that apply when we are talking about loving ourselves? Ultimately, you should love yourself the way others love you.
You are hopeful for your future, gentle and forgiving with your mistakes, and abundant with your kindness and compliments. When was the last time you gave yourself a compliment? When was the last time you acknowledged a personal victory?
Every one of us has flaws and makes mistakes. We are all imperfect and fail occasionally. But, if you have let those aspects of your life define you up until this point, your self-love may be weak and a bit broken.
Trust me when I tell you that I have been there. I have hated every inch of my body and questioned my thoughts, beliefs, and values. I have wished for a different life and even wished I didn’t have one at all.
It has taken years to rebuild love within myself and the confidence to be my authentic self. But, through a series of small habits, I have been able to make those changes.
Now, when I look in the mirror, I admire the woman smiling back at me. I am in awe of her determination, emotional strength, vulnerability, and hopefulness. She is nothing like the girl who stood staring in the mirror with tears in her eyes five years ago.
It all started with something that came very naturally to me. Writing. I’ve kept diaries since I was in fifth grade– that notebook is very cringy. But, for the longest time, my diaries were full of sad moments, limiting beliefs, and vent sessions.
It wasn’t until I forced myself to write differently that I reaped the benefits of daily journaling. And today, I want to share 38 journals prompt with you that will help you love yourself the way you deserve to be loved.
How to Love Yourself Through Journaling
I’m breaking these journaling prompts down into four different categories to help simplify them. Gratitude, victories, affirmations, priorities. I encourage you to pick, at minimum, one prompt from each category, daily.
The key to success with journaling is to be consistent. You aren’t going to notice a significant difference after one day of journaling. But, even with just one day, your mindset will change a little. You will notice more good in yourself and the environment around you. And you will have the motivation to work on something that is meaningful to you.
Once you are familiar with writing daily, feel free to expand beyond this list of journal prompts. Also, feel free to reuse these prompts throughout the month. Sometimes, I use the same victory prompt for a week or two straight, until something else feels like it fits better.
Keep your journal a positive place full of wins and plans for bigger wins.
Gratitude Journaling Prompts
Gratitude plays an immense role in any form of personal development. From learning to love yourself to being a better parent, partner, or friend.
Gratitude allows you to gain some control over your mindset. Rather than being upset or disappointed in a situation, gratitude will remind you to look for the good and remain hopeful and driven.
1). A person I am grateful for in my life, and how they have impacted my life in a positive way.
2). Something I am grateful for first thing in the morning. What would life be like without it?
3). Something that made me laugh recently.
4). What do I enjoy most about my job/school?
5). A part of my body that makes my day-to-day life easier? What has it allowed me to accomplish?
6). A memory that makes me smile. Who is a part of that memory and why is it so special?
7). Five items in my house that I use daily and make my life simpler or more enjoyable.
8). Three traits I have that I love about myself.
9). What is something I typically take for granted but am grateful for right now?
10). What is something nice that others say about me? How does it make me feel?
11). Something I am looking forward to today/this week. What kind of feelings will I have when the time comes?
12). Something about my childhood that shaped who I am today. How does this make me unique and special?
Personal Victories Journal Prompts
Often, when we hear the word victories, we think of grandiose accomplishments like landing a promotion, reaching your goal weight, or paying off all of your student debt.
And yes, all of these things are worthy of acknowledgment and recognition. But, all of us accomplish smaller things on a daily basis. And those small victories deserve credit, too.
When you can recognize the small steps you are taking towards your bigger goals or when you do something you didn’t want to do, you will feel a sense of accomplishment. And over time, this builds to create confidence, self-love, and truth in your identity.
13). What is something I accomplished today?
14). Something I did today that I didn’t want to do, but did anyway. How do I feel now?
15). A physical activity I did today that got my body moving and my blood pumping.
16). Something I did that was a step taken towards a big goal.
17). A monetary win. Ex: Did you win money, get a raise, pay a bill, not order pizza even though you really wanted it.
18). The reason that someone smiled and had a better day because of me.
19). Something I did well at work/school today. How can I replicate this in the future?
20). An accomplishment in my life that always makes me feel proud. Why does it make me feel this way?
Affirmation Journal Prompts
Affirmation journaling can feel very foreign at first, especially if your self-esteem is low. Writing affirmations is the process of affirming something about yourself, your day, or situation that you deeply want to be true.
It’s a way of sneaking into your subconscious to let your brain know that you are going to have a good day or that you are going to eat healthily.
However, they are not written as I will statements. Instead, they are written as if they are already true. I am statements are some of the most common affirmations. You are bringing these feelings and decisions to life with words of encouragement and support.
Here are some fill in the blank type statements to get you started.
21). I am _______________
22). I am successful at _____________
23). I am free of __________________
24). I am worthy of ______________
25). I am recognized for having ____________ and _____________ (qualities)
26). I am receiving an abundance of _______________
27). I love _________ about myself
28). Everything that is happening in my life is ________________
29). ____________ flows easily into my life
30). When other people meet me they feel ________________ because I am _____________
Priority/Planning Journaling Prompts
Along with gratitude, achievements, and affirmations, I find it beneficial to end my daily journal entry with my plan for the day. This is typically one or two sentences about my top priorities for the day.
With the previously written positive statements, you should feel motivated and energized to start your day. You can gain a clear picture of what you need to do and what will make you feel accomplished with this portion.
These plans can focus on any area of your life that you want. From health and wellness to your job or family.
The prompts below are just a place for you to get started. Once you feel confident in writing about your priorities for the day, feel free to discard these prompts and write freely.
31). Today I will do this to better my overall health.
32). Three things I need to do to feel satisfied when I go to bed tonight.
33). Something I will do that will move me forward in my personal goals.
34). An action I will take to remind someone how much I love and care for them.
35). I will read for X amount of time or X number of pages.
36). Something that needs to get done around the house that takes 15 minutes or less.
37). Something I will do to improve my spiritual connection.
38). Something that will improve my mental-health/self-care.
[…] pressure and make you more likely to succeed in the long-run. I also suggest you try your hand at journaling as you work through building your morning […]