50 Self Care Quotes About Putting Yourself First
The key to loving someone else is to start by loving yourself.
There are many times in our lives where we give our family, friends and significant others more love than we think we can produce. Sometimes we give so much and don't bother to expect anything back.
You are not the only person who has forgotten to love the most important figure in life: you. We become wrapped up in trying to help others and give them an immense amount of love that we forget to check in on ourselves from time to time. Self care is important — actually the most important. The moment where we neglect our own mind and emotions is the day where the storms will constantly hit home.
The reason you may fall short of taking care of yourself is beyond the stigma of "not loving ourselves." Life gets in the way, especially when you've got a family to look after and a job that demands your attention 24/7.
There is no reason to push yourself beyond your limits. Everyone deserves a chance to sit down and breathe for a moment. Without caring for yourself, there are a lot of mental and physical strains that will prevent you from living the life you deserve.
You may become stressed out, anxiety-filled, and plain out exhausted from the most simple activities. When you forget about yourself and tend to other's needs, who is there to care for you? Practicing self-care is crucial during any time in our life.
Start by waking up every morning and doing a 15-minute yoga session. Look in the mirror and tell yourself three things you admire! These may seem cliche and of course, you are not obligated to do anything you do not want to do. However, it may be for the best to start learning to love and appreciate you no matter what is going on.
Our collection of the best self-care quotes are powerful reminders to love yourself despite the things going on around you, and to put yourself first.
1. An act of survival.
“I have come to believe that caring for myself is not self-indulgent. Caring for myself is an act of survival.” — Audre Lorde
2. Do not forget your neighbors.
“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” — Maya Angelou
3. You are worth the effort.
“Nourishing yourself in a way that helps you blossom in the direction you want to go is attainable, and you are worth the effort. ” — Deborah Day
4. It starts with you.
“To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance. ”— Oscar Wilde
5. Loving yourself is life-changing.
“Learning to love yourself is like learning to walk—essential, life-changing, and the only way to stand tall.”— Vironika Tugaleva
6. Self-care is necessary.
“It’s not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself, and to make your happiness a priority. It’s necessary.”— Mandy Hale
7. Lift yourself up.
“The only person who can pull me down is myself, and I’m not going to let myself pull me down anymore.” — C. Joybell C.
8. Be the fuel you need.
“An empty lantern provides no light. Self-care is the fuel that allows your light to shine brightly.” — Unknown
9. All ways, always.
“Be you, love you. All ways, always.” ― Alexandra Elle
10. You deserve a break.
“Do something nice for yourself today. Find some quiet, sit in stillness, breathe. Put your problems on pause. You deserve a break.” ― Akiroq Brost
11. Protect your energy.
“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
12. Have no fear.
“If you look into your own heart, and you find nothing wrong there, what is there to worry about? What is there to fear. ” — Confucius
13. Love yourself and others.
“Self-compassion is simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others. ” — Christopher Germer
14. Take what is rightfully yours.
“Self-care is how you take your power back.” — Lalah Delia
15. You are a masterpiece.
“I am my own experiment. I am my own work of art.” — Madonna
16. First things first.
“Put yourself at the top of your to-do list every single day and the rest will fall into place.” — Unknown
17. Be humble.
“My mother always says people should be able to take care of themselves, even if they’re rich and important.”― Frances Hodgson Burnett
18. You are all the help you need.
“Practice self-rescue first before you ‘help’ someone else” ― Maureen Joyce Connolly
19. Prioritize your health.
“Self-care has become a new priority – the revelation that it’s perfectly permissible to listen to your body and do what it needs.” ― Frances Ryan
20. Find your own compassion.
“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.” — Jack Kornfield
21. Fill your vessel with care.
“Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.” — Eleanor Brown
22. Be your own number one fan.
“The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself. ” — Steve Maraboli
23. Transform yourself.
“When we give ourselves compassion, we are opening our hearts in a way that can transform our lives.”— Kristin Neff
24. Self-care is a life investment.
“Self-care is not a waste of time. Self-care makes your use of time more sustainable.” — Jackie Viramontez
25. Allow your kindness to flow to everyone.
“Be kinder to yourself. And then let your kindness flood the world.” ― Pema Chodron
26. Feel the vibes.
“Do something every day that is loving toward your body and gives you the opportunity to enjoy the sensations of your body.” — Golda Poretsky
27. The essential key to a healthy life.
“You aren’t doing “nothing” when you choose to put your wellbeing first. In fact, this is the key to having everything.” ― Brittany Burgunder
28. Take care of yourself.
“When you can’t find your purpose in a day, make it to look after yourself.” ― Dodie Clark
29. Create your own music.
“Find what makes your heart sing and create your own music.” — Mac Anderson
30. Respond with kindness.
“Self-care is taking all the pressures you are facing right now, and deciding to which you will respond, and how.” ― Imani Shola
31. Make the time.
“There is enough time for self-care. There is not enough time to make up for the life you’ll miss by not filling yourself up.” — Jennifer Williamson
32. Discover what makes your soul happy.
“When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life. ” — Jean Shinoda Bolen
33. Do not push yourself too far.
“When the body forces you to STOP it’s saying, hey buddy, you’ve gone too far.” ― Jacqueline Escolme
34. Strive for greatness, not perfection.
“The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.” — Anna Quindlen
35. Give yourself the love you show others.
“You owe yourself the love that you so freely give others.” — Unknown
36. Be your own best friend for life.
“The only person you shouldn’t be able to live without is you.” ― Chris McGeown
37. Accept your humanness.
“Lighten up on yourself. No one is perfect. Gently accept your humanness.” — Deborah Day
38. Honor your soul.
“Caring for your body, mind, and spirit is your greatest and grandest responsibility. It’s about listening to the needs of your soul and then honoring them.” ― Kristi Ling
39. Saving the world one soul at a time.
“Maybe if we love ourselves healthy we will all heal?”― Nikki Rowe
40. Get the love you deserve from yourself.
“The love and attention you always thought you wanted from someone else, is the love and attention you first need to give to yourself.”― Bryant McGillns
41. Speak your mind freely.
“Compassion is essential, but it’s not a substitute for self-expression, or self-respect, or self-compassion. Emotional self-care is also essential, but gently soothing our wounds does not replace communicating about them.”― Vironika Tugaleva
42. Your new morning ritual.
“Every morning, look in the mirror and affirm positive words into your life.”― Lailah Gifty Akita
43. Essential.
“You can’t take care of anyone else unless you first take care of yourself.”― Michael Hyatt
44. Water your soul with positive affirmations.
“Our soul is like a soft and gentle flower, it needs to be nurtured, cared for, tended to, with sufficient sunlight, fresh air and freedom to bloom into its most precious and beautiful form. This, my friend, is self-love.”― Miya Yamanouchi
45. Please look after yourself.
“It takes a rare person to care the same or more about you than themselves. So, until you find that person, please look after yourself.”― Charles F. Glassman
46. Kindle your own fire.
“It takes a rare person to care the same or more about you than themselves. So, until you find that person, please look after yourself.”― Charles F. Glassman
47. Honor yourself.
“Honoring your own boundaries is the clearest message to others to honor them, too.”― Gina Greenlee
48. Treat yourself.
“Doing something nice for myself is not selfish.”― Christine Morgan
49. Love yourself first.
“I love you but I got to love me more.”― Peggi Speers
50. Go for it.
“Doing nothing has become one of the lost luxuries in these hectic times. But doing nothing, even for five minutes, can be rejuvenating. Go for it: You – unplugged.” — Joan Marques
Destiny Duprey is a writer who covers music, self-care, and spirituality.