Loving ourselves is very essential for us to have a loving relationship with others and everything in the world. The world is a reflection of how we treat ourselves. If we lack love within, that will be manifested in our outside world as well as in our health.

How do we nurture self love and acceptance? By believing that we deserve to be loved and by loving ourselves.  This is easier said than done since most of our focus is on pleasing others, often at the cost of being untrue to ourselves and suppressing our true nature. If we have been hurt in the past, we sometimes hide or develop a hard demeanor to protect ourselves from being hurt again. And at times we are so unsure about ourselves that we look up to others to provide us with answers and solutions. In the bargain we deny ourselves happiness.

Life is a learning experience where sometimes we make good decisions and at times we make mistakes. Mistakes are simply one of the ways we learn. Mistakes do not define who we are. Cultivating self love and acceptance means bringing love, compassion and forgiveness into your life. Given below are a list of 18 powerful affirmations to help you in loving and accepting yourself.

Affirmations for Self Love and Self Acceptance

1. I am loved and accepted exactly as I am, right here and right now. I feel valued and special.
2. The greatest gift I give myself is unconditional love.
3. Deep at the centre of my being is an infinite well of love.
4. I wholeheartedly love myself just the way I am.
5. As I forgive myself, it becomes easier to forgive others.
6. This is how I am and I am at peace with that.
7. I fully accept every part of myself including my flaws, fears, behaviours and qualities I might not be too proud of.
8. I choose to feel good about myself each day.
9. All that I seek is within me. All is well in my world.
10. I forgive myself and I set myself free.
11. I draw love and acceptance into my life. And I accept it now.
12. I now choose to release all hurt and resentment.
13. I forgive everyone in my past for all perceived wrongs. I release them with love.
14. I am willing to let go.
15. I trust the Universe to help me see the good in everything and in everyone.
16. I love and approve of myself. All is well in my world.
17. I am comfortable looking into the mirror and saying “I love you, I really love you.”
18. I am good enough.

Of all the self help exercises, working on self love can be the most challenging for some. Do not get dismayed when you face inner resistance. Be gentle and loving with yourself.  There can be no results without consistent effort.  Pick one or two affirmations from the list above which come closest to what you wish to manifest. You can refer to my earlier post on “Affirmations” for guidelines on using affirmations effectively.

I will leave you with my favourite lines from Louise Hay’s book – You Can Heal Your Life.

In the infinity of life where I am, all is perfect, whole, and complete.
I am always divinely protected and guided. It is safe for me to look within myself. It is safe for me to look into the past. It is safe for me to enlarge my viewpoint of life. I am far more than my personality – past, present, or future. I now choose to rise above my personality problems to recognize the magnificence of my being. I am totally willing to learn to love myself. All is well in my world.

Please hit like and follow the blog if you found this post useful. Until my next post – Love Yourself. Love Life.

Love and light