The advice below is general advice. For any specific tailored advice relevant to any health conditions, please talk to your health professional.
Self-Love Is a Journey, Not a Destination
It involves fully accepting yourself, treating yourself with kindness, and prioritising your well-being. It goes beyond actions to your thoughts and feelings about yourself.
Loving yourself entails maintaining an overall positive outlook about who you are. This doesn’t mean always feeling positive about yourself. There will be times you feel disappointed or angry, but you can still love yourself just as you would a friend or family member.
Self-love is essential for setting boundaries, assertiveness, healthy relationships, practising self-care, and embracing identity. Without it, we risk neglecting our needs and falling into harsh self-criticism.
What’s Your Relationship With Yourself Like?
Reflecting on your relationship with yourself is important for personal growth. Improving this relationship can lead to greater happiness and fulfilment.
Life Cycle Body Changes
Body changes at each age and stage can make us vulnerable to a fragile body image, affecting our relationship with ourselves and our capacity for self-love.
Some key body changes women experience include:
- Puberty: Breast growth, menstruation, body hair, growth spurts, acne (1).
- Early adulthood: Stable hormones, increased muscle and bone mass.
- Pregnancy: Weight gain, hormonal shifts, stretch marks.
- Perimenopause: Irregular periods, hot flushes, mood changes, sleep issues.
- Post-menopause: Lower hormones, increased health risks.
- Aging: Muscle loss, joint stiffness, sensory and cognitive changes (1).
Each hormonally driven transition requires acceptance and compassion. Some changes feel empowering; others can feel confronting.
Changing Bodies: Impact on Self-Esteem and Body Image
Body changes significantly influence self-esteem and body image (2). In Western culture, youth and thinness are often idealised, leading many women to experience dissatisfaction through comparison (2).
Learning to accept our bodies at every age and stage is a vital foundation for self-love (3).
Practical Ways to Embrace Your Body and Practise Self-Love
Surround Yourself With Positivity
Engage with people and media that promote body positivity and diversity.
Social Media Detox:
- Unfollow accounts that pressure you to look a certain way.
- Remove content that makes you feel inadequate.
- Question claims that seem too good to be true (3).
Follow body-positive educators such as Dr Emma Beckett.
Address Negative Influences:
- Share how comments make you feel (4).
- Counter negative remarks with compassion.
- Model positive body behaviour.
- Spend more time with uplifting people (4).
Challenge Negative Thoughts
When negative thoughts arise, counter them with affirmations and facts (5).
Daily Affirmations:
- I am worthy of love and respect.
- I appreciate what my body does for me.
- I embrace my body and its imperfections.
- I am proud of what my body can achieve.
Example: Replace “My legs have cellulite” with “My legs are strong and carry me through life.”
“Speak to your body in a loving way. It’s the only one you’ve got — it’s your home.”
— Iskra Lawrence
Engage in Self-Care
- Eat nourishing foods.
- Move your body regularly.
- Prioritise rest and boundaries.
- Schedule time for joy and relaxation (4).
Practise Self-Compassion
- Speak to yourself as you would a friend.
- Accept imperfection as part of being human.
Self-love is a continuous journey. By practising compassion, positivity, and care, we build a healthier relationship with ourselves — at every age and stage.
“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”
— Oscar Wilde
References
- Whitney et al. (2019). Understanding Nutrition. Cengage Learning.
- Ogden, J. (2019). Health Psychology. McGraw-Hill.
- Bezzant, N. (2023). How to Accept Your Body Just as It Is.
- Martin, S. (2023). The Power of Self-Love, Psychology Today.
- Patterson, B. (2023). Self-Confidence Activities, Women’s Clinic.
