Everyday Self-Love Rituals to Love Yourself a Little More

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March 3, 2025

Have you thought about the small ways you can show love to yourself everyday? Well, all of us have our own ways of loving ourselves. Our self-love rituals are intentional and repeated actions that we perform over time to strengthen our bond with ourselves.

Self-love rituals are tiny, meaningful daily actions that you do for yourself to show that you care and appreciate yourself. These rituals are consistent habits and reminders of how you deserve the love and kindness that you give to others.

On your journey to love yourself more, these self-love rituals help you become compassionate with yourself. They help to change your inner dialogue from criticism to self-acceptance.

When you practice self-love rituals, it acts as an anchor to offer you comfort especially on challenging times.

We all grow up with different ideas of romantic love, but self-love is the foundation that shapes how we experience love. Whether you are in your 20s, 30s or 40s or beyond that, it’s never too late to embrace yourself and honour your worth.

My journey of self-love began in 2019 when I was 25 years of age. And yes, it is an ongoing journey with no destination. But I was really unsure about what it meant to love myself. It felt weird as all these years I had believed that love was something we received from outside-from partners, from parents, from friends.

But once I started understanding the concept of self-love, I was ready to incorporate all the habits, rituals and mindset that was required for me to appreciate and love myself more.

So, I want to share a few of the self-love rituals that I have learned and incorporated to take better care of myself.

Table of Contents

Easy Self-Love Rituals You Must Try

I have learned these rituals over the years from my mother and aunts, as well as from books and everyone advocating for loving ourselves a little more each day.

Before I begin, I am extremely grateful to everyone for teaching me to have my back especially on tough days.

1. Starting Your Day on a Positive Note

Every morning, as you wake up, before you look at your phone, take a few deep breaths and sit in silence.

I close my eyes and utter a word of thanks for having woken up in the morning. I do not force myself to wake up early in the morning as my daily routine is quite flexible and I allow myself to get good sleep before I wake up and begin my day.

Even on the busiest mornings, taking 5-minutes to check in with yourself makes a difference. Tiny rituals like deep breathing, stretching, or journaling in the morning feels grounding. It is a reminder that no matter what the day holds, you have the power to begin it with intention, gratitude and a little self-kindness.

You can dedicate one morning a week to slow mornings. I know, for many slow mornings can seem like a far-fetched dream. But if you think you can manage to do so, make it a self-love ritual to observe slow mornings at least once a week.

The beauty of slow mornings is that it doesn’t have to be time consuming. All you can do is infuse small moments of slowness and peace.

My mother enjoys her slow mornings, and she begins her day with intentional me-time. She starts her day with a warm cup of tea and munching ‘murai’ (puffed rice). Then she gently stretches her body, prepares breakfast at her own pace.

Also read: Self-Care Habits for Busy Women

2. Self-Love Rituals to Honour Your Body

We all carry insecurities related to our bodies. And the more you look at your body with a feeling of disappointment that says, ‘I’m not good enough’, the more you develop resistance to self-love.

It’s so easy to look into the mirror and find flaws. But I encourage you to look into the mirror and make eye contact with yourself and say something kind. A gentle smile with ‘I appreciate you’ can shift your focus from finding flaws to self-acceptance.

Self-love means letting go of your insecurities and acknowledging exactly what your body needs.

It can be healthy nutritious food and mindful eating, an exercise routine that makes you feel good, or simple moments of appreciation.

Silently give thanks to your body for all that they do – legs that move you forward, your eyes for all the beauty it sees, your hands that create, your heart that keeps beating for you everyday.

You don’t have to reach any state of perfection to honour your body.

It means celebrating you everyday in every way. It means listening to your body signals and allowing it to rest when needed without feeling guilt.

3. Ask Yourself Questions Often

I consider asking questions to myself as an act of self-love. It means checking in with myself and listening to myself and being truly honest with myself.

This is my favourite out of all the self-love rituals as it has helped me understand myself better. Journaling is the best way to connect with yourself, your feelings and desires.

It is so easy to get lost when we have so many external demands that we hardly know ourselves. But on days when we feel stuck and discouraged, being there for yourself and asking simple, kind questions like- ‘How can I support myself in this moment?’ shifts your focus from problems to actually being there for yourself.

Ask yourself questions often, whether you are winning in life, or are feeling lazy or unmotivated, feeling angry and disappointed.

Ask yourself questions in every season of life.

When feeling lazy or unmotivated:

Am I truly lazy, or does my body/mind need rest?
What is one small step I can take right now?

When feeling angry or disappointed:

What is this emotion trying to teach me?
How can I express what I’m feeling in a healthy way?

When life is going well:

What am I proud of myself for today?
How can I celebrate this moment, even in a small way?

Here are: Questions to Know Yourself Better

4. Be Gentle with Your To-Do List

Your to-do list can be a way to care for yourself rather than a rigid productivity tracker. Honestly, I feel really overwhelmed when I have a lot on my to-do list that I hardly get things done.

You can be gentle with your to-do list by choosing 3 most important tasks and let the rest be flexible.

Apart from the usual chores and tasks on your to-do list, you can create a ‘do it for love’ list where you do things purely out of self-love (not obligation, productivity or need for external validation).

It’s okay to prioritize your wellbeing alongside productivity.

Reframing my to-do list with intentional and gentle language has changed how I perceive these tasks.

Saying ‘I have to write an article’ can feel like an obligation and burdensome, but when I say ‘I will write an article today’, it becomes a choice that I am willingly making.

This is a small shift I have made in my language where I can find myself easily moving from one task to the other.

Some examples:
I have to clean my space → I will create a cozy, peaceful space for myself
I need to exercise → I will move my body in a way that feels good today
I should reply to emails → I will connect with others at a pace that feels manageable
I must finish this today → I will work on this with focus and kindness

The key here is to be gentle with your to-do list and feel empowered with intentional action.

5. Add small Acts of Coziness into Your Life

Adding coziness into your life is indeed a self-love ritual to make you feel warm, safe and cared for.

Coziness is deeply personal as what feels warm, and safe and comforting varies from person to person.

It’s about those small, comforting joys of everyday life that lights up our day. For me, coziness means enjoying cuddles with my cats and spending quality time with my loved ones with meaningful conversations. It also means connecting with myself and being comfortable with spending time alone by reading and listening to good music.

While you may be rushing to make ends meet, small acts of coziness reminds you to slow down and savour the moment. Whether it’s watching the rain, or watching the sunset, or making time for your favourite hobby, these intentional acts to make yourself feel good is a self-love ritual to live by.

More on coziness: How to Add Coziness into Your Life

6. Bring Yourself Back to the Present Moment

Often times, when I catch myself dwelling in the past or future, I gently guide myself back to the present moment.

This is a self-love ritual I have learned by following the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh and Eckhart Tolle on mindfulness and the power of the present moment.

They emphasize that true peace comes when you bring yourself back to the present moment.

But when we get so caught up in life, stress and overwhelm pulls us away from the present moment. That’s okay. It’s about gently returning into the present moment. Focus on your breathing helps you in returning to the present moment.

Tolle reminds us that suffering often comes from resisting the present moment, wanting it to be different. Instead of saying, I wish I weren’t so overwhelmed, we can acknowledge, This is what today looks like, and I can meet it with presence.

The reminder that all we have control over is the now is helps me shift from my worries about the future to focusing on what action I can take right now.

Many people struggle with self-love because they’re caught in regret (past) or self-doubt (future). Mindfulness helps you recognize your worth in the now, rather than in some idealized version of yourself.

It shifts your focus from I will love myself when… to I am worthy of love in this moment.

7. Maintain a Self-Compassion Jar

We often forget our small moments of victories throughout the day. So, this self-love ritual will act as a tangible reminder of your progress and help you track and honour your growth.

You need a jar and small pieces of paper. Or you can also maintain a little notebook of daily achievements.

Every night, make it a ritual to write something kind about yourself. Celebrate your victories.

I finished my task despite feeling overwhelmed.
I smiled at myself in the mirror today.
I started something new without fear of failure.
I tried a new recipe
I went for a walk
I decluttered my closet

You can totally personalize this as well. Instead of just writing about your accomplishments, you can write about

what made you smile today
a compliment from a stranger
a song that made you happy

Practicing this ritual will help you end your day on a positive note and with greater satisfaction.

On tough days you can reach into the jar and remind yourself of how much you’ve done and how far you’ve come.

All of these rituals is a reminder that self-love doesn’t happen with one grand moment of realization. Instead, it unfolds in the quiet, everyday moments when you choose to be kind to yourself.

So, self-love for me has not been a destination that I wish to reach but it is a path I choose to walk on everyday. Somedays are tough, and somedays it will feel effortless.

Self-love is not a trend that you need to catch up with. Self-love is already within you.

You do not have to be worthy of self-love. Know that you already are.