Self Care vs Self Love: What’s the Difference?

Last Updated on June 27, 2023

Many people struggle with self-care and self-love because they don’t understand the difference between the two. So let’s take a closer look at self care vs self love, and see how both of these aspects fit into our lives.

First, let’s clinically define each term to lay the foundation for the rest of the article.

Self Care is defined as:

“the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health”

oxford languages

Self Love is defined as:

“an appreciation of one’s own worth or virtue as well as proper regard for and attention to one’s own happiness or well being”

merriam-webster

Self-care is about taking care of yourself, both physically and emotionally. This includes things like eating healthy, getting enough sleep, and taking time for yourself.

Self-love is about valuing yourself, accepting yourself for who you are, and appreciating yourself, not in a selfish or narcissistic way, but in a way that validates who you are as a person, appreciating your gifts, talents, and uniqueness.

The key difference between self-care and self-love is that self-care is about meeting your needs, while self-love is about meeting your wants.

When you practice self-care, you’re doing what’s best for yourself, even if it’s not always what you want. When you practice self-love, you’re doing what’s best for you AND what you want.

Self-care is important because it helps you stay healthy and function at your best. Self-love is important because it helps you feel good about yourself and gives you the confidence to go after what you want in life.

Self love and self care are components to an overall healthy lifestyle and perspective. We’re acknowledging our own needs, setting healthy boundaries when needed, and keeping a handle on our stress levels. We all deserve this, don’t we?

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Why is Self Care Essential to our Overall Well Being?

Self-care is essential to our overall well-being for a few reasons.

First, when we’re not taking care of ourselves physically, we’re more likely to get sick. Second, when we’re not taking care of ourselves emotionally, we’re more likely to experience anxiety or depression. Third, self-care is necessary to experience a healthy relationship with another person. We can’t give our best to others if we’re not taking care of ourselves first.

And, it’s important to note that those three components of self-care need to be nourished together, not just one or the other. For example, if you only focus on your physical health, but don’t take care of your emotional health or your relationships, you’ll still be missing something important.

Here’s an example: let’s say you have a busy, stressful week and you don’t have time to go to the gym. You might feel guilty or like you’re not taking care of yourself, but if you make healthy food choices and get enough sleep, you’re still practicing self-care.

Because you know that your physical health and fitness are essential, you’ll still want to make time for the gym in the future.

Examples of self care:

• Eat healthy foods and drink plenty of water
• Get enough sleep
• Take time for yourself every day, even if it’s just 10 minutes
• Do something you enjoy every day
• Put your needs first sometimes by saying ‘no’

How do we practice self-care?

There are many ways to practice self-care. Some examples include eating healthy, getting enough sleep, practicing yoga or meditation, spending time outdoors, and spending time with loved ones. Healthy habits like these examples foster both our physical health as well as our mental health.

Why is Self Love Essential to Our Overall Well Being?

Self-love is essential to our overall well-being in some important ways.

First, when we don’t love ourselves, we’re more likely to be critical or judgmental of ourselves. This can lead to low self-esteem or even self-hatred.

Second, when we don’t love ourselves, we’re more likely to seek validation from others. This can lead to unhealthy relationships or even codependence.

Third, when we don’t love ourselves, we’re more likely to settle for less than we want in life.

Fourth, when we don’t love ourselves, it’s difficult to be happy and content with our lives.

Finally, self-love is essential for creating a sense of peace and wholeness within ourselves.

Examples of Self Love:

• Accept yourself for who you are
• Appreciate yourself
• Think positive thoughts about yourself
• Spend time with people who make you feel good about yourself
• Do things that make you happy

How do we practice self-love?

There is no one right way to practice self-love. Some ways to start include accepting oneself for who we are, forgiving oneself for mistakes, and positive affirmations. 

There are a number of components to self-love, also, and each one is equally important, although for this discussion we are focusing on self-care. The other components include:

• self-growth
• self-worth
• self-aware
• self-esteem
• self-respect, and
• self-care

Both self-care and self-love are important in our lives. However, they serve different purposes. 

To recap: Self-care is necessary for us to be healthy and function well. It allows us to take care of our needs so that we can continue to do the things we love. 

Self-love is important because it helps us to feel good about ourselves. When we have a positive view of ourselves, we are more likely to treat ourselves well and make good decisions for ourselves. When we love ourselves, we are more likely to be happy and fulfilled in our lives. 

Remember that loving yourself is not about being selfish, or conceited, or an “all about me” type of perspective. Rather it is the healthy respect we should have for ourselves along with the acceptance and appreciation of who we are as individuals.

Self Care vs Self Love: Daily Application

The best way to apply these principles to our daily lives is to be mindful of them.

That means that we need to be aware of when we’re practicing self-care and when we’re practicing self-love, and make a conscious effort to do more of what we need and want.

It also means that we need to be patient with ourselves. It’s not always easy to change the way we think or behave, especially if we’ve been doing things a certain way for a long time.

But, with practice, we can begin to make small changes that will have a big impact on our lives.

One way to track your progress is by writing down your thoughts in a journal. Track your progress, review your feelings and emotions, and see where you need to keep working on your overall health:

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Final Words: Self Care vs Self Love

In conclusion, self-care and self-love are both essential to our overall well-being. Self-care is about meeting our needs, while self-love is about meeting our wants.

When we practice self-care, we’re doing what’s best for ourselves, even if it’s not always what we want. When we practice self-love, we’re doing what’s best for us AND what we want.

Both self-care and self-love are important, and each has its own unique benefits. By understanding the difference between the two, we can work to incorporate both into our lives for a more balanced and healthy life.