Self-Care as a Component of Self-Love

Where do self-love and self-care intersect? Self-care has become a buzzword lately and many things are being marketed as such.  But if self-care is deeper than buying an expensive face mask or bubble bath bomb, what is it? Self-care starts before you fill the bath with water - it starts with self-love.  

Self-love, at its foundation, is knowing yourself and believing you are worth taking care of yourself.  You intimately understand and accept yourself as you are today, even while holding an inner truth that you have room to change and grow into something greater.  Self-love is the recognition of your successes, your areas for improvement, your calm, and your chaos.  And self-love acts an instrument to know when you need to practice self-soothing.  

Self-soothing can be mental, like reminding yourself you’re doing the best you can.  It can also be experiential coping skills, like you’ll find examples of here.  The heart of self-care is the prioritization of self and the mindful actions you take to reduce stress and fight back against overwhelm.  Self-care and self-love change as different significant lifetime milestones present themselves, and shifts can be necessary.

Psychology Today invited one of our therapists, Jessica Bloom, to contribute to a discussion about self-love for new moms.  Find out how to gently support a new mom in your life in the article Should We Stop Preaching Self-Love to New Moms?