Self-love is about taking time to do something for yourself everyday and prioritising you in a stressful and high demanding world. It is not easy or simple and there is no right way of journaling this. However, perseverance to find an approach which works for you can have numerous benefits on your mental health, reducing stress and anxiety. Self-love encourages self-compassion and self-esteem, boasting confidence and happiness. Being more assertive helps you make choices which are right for you, giving you the confidence to say yes more but also no when necessary. This opens your mind to new possibilities, helping you understand yourself better. It is important not to compare yourself to others, worry about rejection or how people see you. This can be difficult to do on a bad day and it is crucial to understand that permanent self-love is not possible, instead it is about accepting how you feel in the moment. Some find it useful to humanise their inner critic, giving them a name, listing their personalities traits and visualising what they may look like. You should thank your inner critic for trying to protect you but acknowledge they can lie. Such reflection can feel silly, but it should be remembered you in a safe and private space so avoid censoring the truth.
Setting aside time, even if it is just a few minutes a day, to reflecting on your thoughts and experiences establishes a positive mindset, overriding negative thoughts. However, it is also important to acknowledge these thoughts, helping you to accept mistakes and progress from experiences of embarrassment, shame and regret. It is important to give yourself the kindness you deserve! To maximise the benefit of self-love journaling incorporate it into your routine, doing this at the same time every day (usually first thing in the morning or just before you go to bed works best).
If you are unsure about how to start self-love journaling, here are a few prompts to help you create a positive mindset:
Things to consider daily:
- What three things are you grateful for today?
- What is your positive affirmation for today?
- What three things are you excited about today/tomorrow?
- What are your strengths and when did you use them?
- What challenges have you overcome today/yesterday?
- What did you achieve today/yesterday?
- What made you proud?
- What went wrong today and how can you learn from this?
Things to think about once a week/month:
- What makes you special?
- When and where are you happiest?
- What are your priorities today/tomorrow?
- What is on your bucket list?
- What do you love about your physical appearance?
- What makes you confident?
- What are your goals and dreams? How are you going to achieve these?
- Who inspires you? Why?
- Why do you value your relationships with family or friends?
- Think about something new you want to try?
- How will your future self thank you present self?
- What compliments have you been given recently?
- What makes you happy?
- What is your best personality trait?
- What 5 positive words could you use to describe yourself?