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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Cal State Chico chapter.

I’m going to try and sound as least corny as I can while saying this: self-love is so important, not just for your self-esteem, but for your relationships with others, your physical and mental health, and to live your most authentic life. So, today I’m going to share with you how I practice self love, in hopes of inspiring you on your own path of self-love. 

Reminder: these are all just practices that have helped me, take it with a grain of salt :)

Back image of 4 women hugging each other
Photo by Vonecia Carswell from Unsplash

I surround myself with people I love and those who love me

Self-love goes so much further than the umbrella of self-care. Surrounding myself with people that I love and who love me is an act of self-love as it allows me to be around people who will uplift and support me. Distancing myself from people who lower my quality of life is an act of love in itself as it allows me to put myself first, which for my people pleasers, I know is a huge step. Surround yourself with those who want what’s best for you, who will remove toxicity and drama from your life, and who you feel comfortable being your authentic self around. 

I take care of my mental health

There are many ways you can take care of your mental health. Often we are told to go to therapy, go on a walk, etc., which I believe are great ways to take care of your mental health, but something I have gotten more comfortable with recently is taking breaks and planning more “me” time.

I’ll skip a class

Taking care of your brain and your mental health is a huge part of self-love. I found that when I’m feeling overwhelmed, taking a break can help me get back on track. Taking a step back to relax and distance yourself from what is making you anxious or overwhelmed can allow you to reevaluate the problem and find a solution. For me, I will sometimes skip a class period if I am feeling too overwhelmed, even if that class was not the stressor. That way, I have more time to relax and take a step back. Putting ourselves in continuous stressful situations may cause our brain to get stuck in the “fight or flight mode,” so it is important to relax when you can. 

Woman shaving her legs in the bathtub
Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

I’ll take a day off

At least once a week, usually on a weekend, I will try and have a day that is 100% stress-free. This allows me to not feel as overwhelmed over long periods of stress during the school year and allows me to keep pushing forward. For me, this day could look like going to the gym, volunteering at the animal shelter, and reading a book. Whatever activities are stress-free for you, I recommend just doing that. 

I am creating a life I want to wake up to

While there are some hard things we need to do like homework school and work, we do have control over how we spend our free time. I found myself joining certain extracurriculars cause I thought, “Well this would look good on my resume, so why not?” and what I found was that I hated getting out of bed every morning and doing these things that I genuinely did not enjoy. Doing things I didn’t love led to burnout and a bad mental space. My whole mood throughout the day would be dampened because I was doing things that made me feel unmotivated, and didn’t have much reward compared to how I was feeling. This isn’t to say don’t work hard and never do anything difficult, but if the reward isn’t great enough, don’t do it. 

Morning and nightly routines

Doing my hair and makeup in the morning and having my nightly self-care routine definitely feels like self-love for me as I’m setting time aside to focus on and take care of myself, which is a huge act of self-love.

woman weightlifting
Photo by John Arano from Unsplash

Exercising and eating healthy

While exercising and eating healthily isn’t everyone’s first thought when it comes to practicing self-love, I believe taking care of your body is one of the most important acts of self-love that there is. By taking care of your body, you are appreciating it and honoring what it does for you. I like to think of it as a thank you. 

There are endless ways to practice self-love, what’s important is that you are doing it with intention and appreciation for yourself. Be quick to give yourself grace and forgive yourself when things aren’t going perfectly. It all starts with you.

Until next time,

Izzy

Isabelle Harger

Cal State Chico '27

Isabelle Harger, or Izzy, is a second-year student at California State University, Chico. Her major is Animal science, with an emphasis on the pre-vet track and a minor in biology. She plans to study abroad in Australia during her time at Chico State and graduate in 2027. In her free time, she enjoys going to the gym, spending time with her friends, writing, cooking, and spending lazy days on the beach when she goes home to Santa Barbara, California. As a member of the writing team, she is eager to create content that the girls of Chico will feel uplifted and inspired and believes this experience will help her writing skills immensely for future research projects and journals. She is so excited to start her journey writing for Her Campus!