5 Simple Self-Care Practices to Try If Your Love Language Is Words of Affirmation

What's your love language?

Not everyone expresses or expects to receive the same things when they're in love. Everyone's different, and depending on their most prominent love languages, you might think various aspects are the most important thing in maintaining a healthy relationship.

Once you know your love language, you can better communicate what you need out of any relationship to make it work, and understanding friends' and partners' love languages can help you give them what they need. But it's also a great tool for helping yourself.

If your love language is words of affirmation, for example, you feel most loved when someone affirms that you matter. Maybe they're words of encouragement, compliments or just little reminders that you're appreciated. But words of affirmation don't have to come from an outside source. You can get so much out of learning self-affirmation. Keep reading for the five simple self-care practices that make this happen.

Gratitude Journaling

It may sound silly, but simply keeping a journal (or, if that's too much, even a note in your phone) of all of the things in your life that you're grateful for can have some incredible benefits. On good days, it's easy to think of things you're thankful for, but even when that's a challenge, consider the fact that you have a roof over your head, somewhere safe to sleep and access to the internet. Gratitude journaling has been shown to make people happier and allow them to sleep better, so get writing!

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Notes to Self

Need a bit of encouragement in your day-to-day life? Don't wait for someone else to step up to the plate. Use sticky notes with small messages of support to yourself. Anything from "You can do it!" to "You're awesome" to "You are enough" can give you such a boost when it catches you by surprise on your door or the bathroom mirror.

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Daily Mantras

Repeating a mantra every day can help you to release what's troubling you and manifest what you want for yourself. Saying a powerful message again and again can get you in the right frame of mind to tackle anything. Try something like "It will get done," "No one can take your joy away" or "I am calm and connected," and when you believe it's true, it will be true.

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Self-Compliments

Never forget that you're allowed to give yourself compliments, and for pretty much anything! Maybe you're liking the way your hair looks today, or you love the fragrance you're wearing, or your skin looks particularly fresh after sticking to your skincare routine for a couple of weeks. Perhaps you just think your current outfit is super cute. Don't be afraid to say something out loud to yourself. And you can compliment yourself for way more than your appearance. Maybe you feel you've acted particularly kind, or you got a good grade on something, or you're keeping your room super clean. Treat yourself with your words, and you'll feel the difference.

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Watching Inspiring People

You don't have to personally know someone to be affirmed by their actions. Simply exposing yourself to the speech of inspiring people can have a profound effect on what you feel like you're capable of. Maybe that means listening to or watching a speech by a leader who resonates with you, or reading the work of someone you find motivational. Whether it's a civil rights advocate, an environmental activist or even just a celebrity who's always spoken to you on a personal level, knowing their work can get you into the right mindset to tackle anything and become your best self.

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Eager to learn more about love languages? Click HERE to find out how to effectively speak your crush's love language.