These self-love tips and writing exercises for stressed moms are a great way to nurture your mind. Read on to learn what self-love is and why it’s so important. This article also shares self-love quotes, and gives guidance on how to start a self-love journal.
Blog by Nadine Stille, Coach for overwhelmed moms who want to ditch the daily grind and bring more joy back into their lives - both at home and at work.
“To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance.”, Oscar Wilde once said and I couldn’t agree with him more.
I believe in love and Happy Ever Afters. That positive mindset has helped me countless times when things got tough or didn’t work out. Even so, sometimes it seemed so difficult to talk myself up and be self-supportive.
There are a few simple things I do and am mindful about, to get my daily dose of self-love.
Just like I’m nurturing the relationship as a mom with my kiddo, hubby, and others, it’s vital for me to nurture the relationship I have with myself too.
Maya Angelou’s words always ring true:
“You alone are enough, you have nothing to prove to anybody.”
So, let’s get started with the basics before diving into the tips and journaling prompts.
What is Self-Love?
It’s the intentional practice to be mindful and kind to ourselves. It’s based on the inherent belief that we are enough, that we deserve love and kindness - just like when we, ourselves, were kids.
Just because we’re grown up now, doesn’t mean we’re no longer deserving and in need of all of that!
When we practice self-love, we respect our body, our mind, our emotions, wishes, needs, and beliefs - because we value ourselves to be worthy of all of it.
Self-love is like giving ourselves a big, warm, nurturing hug. A Mama Bear Hug!
A hug that radiates through us and sustains us with self-compassion, a sense of calm, and inner strength.
Why practice Self-Love?
Everything is easier with love, kindness, and care, don’t you think?
It represents a flow-state to me - when things, even when difficult, seem to go that bit more smoothly, rather than the opposite when we have to push through things.
Being kind to ourselves is nurturing and good for our self-esteem. It’s positive reinforcement, motivation, and happiness wrapped in one. And for us to have all that power at our disposal, we need to practice self-love regularly.
Ready to get some?
Great! Let’s do it!
How to Get Started with Nurturing Self-Love?
Tip 1: Choose to Let Go of Toxicity
“Love yourself enough to set boundaries. Your time and energy are precious. You get to choose how you use it. You teach people how to treat you by deciding what you will and won’t accept.” - Anna Taylor
Part of the self-love journey is to get clarity on what serves and nourishes us, and what doesn’t. Then we get to set boundaries to let go of everything that’s toxic.
This encompasses everything from toxic, self-sabotaging beliefs (hello self-doubt and mom guilt), to what and how much we consume (i.e. take-out foods, alcoholic drinks, doom scrolling on Social Media, etc.), and even toxic relationships in our lives.
Once we’ve had our detox, let’s fill the void with something nourishing.
Journaling Prompts:
What can you let go of?
What can you forgive yourself for?
What’s possible when you say ‘no’ to toxicity and ‘yes’ to nurturing self-love?
Tip 2: Listen to Your Soul, Body, and Mind.
“Find out who you are and be that person. That’s what your soul was out on this Earth to be. Find that truth, live that truth, and everything else will come.” - Ellen DeGeneres
We tend to ‘be in our head’, overthink, and analyze what’s going on when we’re stressed out, without recognizing the rest of our being.
However, when we tune in to what our body needs for instance (sleep and some good food anyone?), without pushing through a tough time or uncomfortable feeling, then we’re on a holistic path of self-care that ultimately serves us more effectively.
Journaling Prompts:
What does your heart want you to know?
What are you grateful for?
What does your soul crave?
Tip 3: Celebrate Yourself and Your Ambitions
"Be bold, be brave enough to be your true self." - Queen Latifah
By celebrating and acknowledging ourselves, including all our quirks and perfect imperfections, we lift ourselves up, and cherish what makes us uniquely us.
If we want more joy in our lives, then that’s great! Let’s own that fact! Do we want less stress and a better job at the same time? Yeay!
There’s no winning in pursuing approval from everyone. Go with the mantra: You do you.
Also, what about making a ‘This Is Why I’m Amazing List’? Keep it somewhere at hand, and read it through whenever you need a pick-me-up.
Journaling Prompts:
What are you proud of?
What’s your superpower?
What dream of yours lights you up? What’s so important about it for you?
Does Journaling Help with Self-Love?
Journaling has had a revival in recent years, with more and more people rediscovering its many benefits. Some use it to unleash their stressed mind onto paper or to gain clarity.
Journaling can also help unearth and then reinforce positive emotions and beliefs.
Using journal prompts or writing exercises designed to focus on more self-care and love towards ourselves in an intentional, regular practice can bring about mind shifts for more self-esteem, self-respect, confidence, and kindness towards ourselves.
How Do You Start a Self-Love Journal?
You may be wondering what are some good journaling questions? And how do I get started?
Well, start your self-love journaling journey by working your way through the 9 journal prompts mentioned in this article here, and revisiting them regularly anew to see what else comes up and how your answers evolve.
Make it a regular practice and incorporate it into your routine. Depending on what works for you, it could be during your 5-minute me-time in the morning before the kids get up, or as part of your own bedtime routine.
While you can journal on apps or laptops, diaries or post-it notes, it doesn’t really matter how and where you start, the important thing is to get started in the first place.
And who knows, it may even be something you’d like to encourage your kids to do as well.
Imagine this question as a conversation starter over the dinner table, addressing everyone: What did you do to take care of yourself today?
I’d like to leave you with this quote by Sylvester McNutt:
“Fall in love with taking care of yourself. Fall in love with the path of deep healing. Fall in love with becoming the best version of yourself but with patience, with compassion, and respect to your own journey.”
Take another moment - just for yourself!
If you’d love to add to your self-love journey, then grab 'Mama's Moments of Calm' - 3 pocket-sized, guided meditations for exhausted moms who are trying to do it all. The calming, motivating, and grounding meditations are perfect at bed times, while on the school run, at work, while prepping meals, or even while hiding in the bathroom.