Cultivate Self-Love With Crystals
You can’t pour from an empty cup.
You hear that all of the time.
But how often do you actually follow that advice?
Probably not as much as you would like to.
February is the time that you look all over social and see relationships, hearts, candy, and big showy proposals, right? I think it’s also the perfect time to look inwards and ask yourself what it is that you may need, just for yourself.
Talking about and practicing self-care and self-love has been a trending topic for years, and it doesn’t show signs of stopping – and it shouldn't. For so long (women especially) it has been hard to prioritize ourselves without feeling selfish. It is the goal to feel selfless, to do a lot for others, and to make sure everyone else is taken care of. Often at the detriment of yourself.
No longer!
Taking care of and showing your love to the people in your life is important. It is something you should be done mindfully and often. But, you also need to be showing yourself the same.
Self-care is not selfish.
Let’s get crystal clear on self-love and self-care.
While they do go hand in hand, they are not the same. Self-love is what comes first. It is what you need to cultivate in order to be able to take action on the self-care rituals that you may create for yourself.
How To Cultivate Self-Love
To start looking at yourself with love, you need to start with compassion. Stop beating yourself up for your mistakes, or perceived shortcomings. Give yourself grace for the things that you are going through or have gone through, and understand that you are nearly always doing the best with what you have. You have made it through 100% of your bad days, and you know that you can take anything that comes your way.
Compliment yourself, daily. As often as possible. Remind yourself that you are one of a kind and that nobody could possibly be YOU – and that is special. I know, I know… it sounds cheesy. And it will feel silly at first. But after a while, it becomes reflexive. You will see yourself in a reflection one day and your instinct will be to go “You look great today!” Bam. You will be taking a tough test, and will instinctively tell yourself “Don’t worry, you got this!”. It turns into your inner voice.
Some other things to start reminding yourself of while creating a self-love practice:
- Don’t worry about others’ opinions.
- Your body and how it looks is not equal to your value. It says nothing about you.
- Let yourself feel your feelings, without judgment.
- Trust yourself.
- Be kind to yourself.
Creating Self-Care Rituals
Once you have started working on the base of self-love ( it is definitely not an overnight change!), you can start the actions that will enforce those self-love beliefs. This is called self-care, and simply put, it is something you can do to prioritize yourself and take care of yourself on both a physical and spiritual level.
Self-care is the core to continuous self-love, and the way to filling your cup first – before you can pour out to others.
Some self-care action items you can start taking today are:
- Eating properly. This may look different for everyone, but fueling your body with healthy foods is key to feeling great at its core.
- Sleep! Straightforward. Your brain (and body) can’t work well if it is exhausted all of the time.
- Get active. I know, I know.. The top three aren’t fancy spa days, but they are the core pillars of taking care of yourself.
- Find a hobby, just for you! Not something you can make a side hustle out of, not something your partner likes.. Something just for you. You don’t need a rhyme or reason, just pick something you enjoy and do it on the regular, without guilt.
- Water. In all aspects. This means drink enough of it, of course, hydration is key! This also can mean having a hot bath or shower where the main point is relaxation, not utility. Grab some bath salts or your fave shower steamer and let yourself be wrapped up in the warmth.
- Get artistic. Grab some paints or colored pencils, and just let go. You don’t need to be Picasso. You just need to let yourself get out of your head and express yourself. You can also try collage, art journaling, fibre arts, or animation. Tap into your creativity!
Incorporating Crystals Into Your Self-Care
Crystal healing and self-love are important practices that can help you feel your best. Crystals have been used for centuries to help with emotional and physical healing, as well as spiritual grounding and guidance. You don't need to be psychic or have any special gift; anyone can learn how to use crystals effectively for themselves or others.
Incorporating crystals into your existing self-care rituals is easy - just keep them nearby or place them in your hands or on your body before or during the activity. For art activities, you can actually use crystal pieces in your art. For self-care baths and showers, place them in the water with you (make sure they are water safe!) or keep them on the side of the tub for an energy infusion.
You can create journaling sessions where you start your writing time off with some intention setting. Hold the crystal of your choice in your hands and feel its vibration, inviting in the energies to the words you will write down. This works great for manifestation and law of attraction work!
When it comes down to it, the most important part of using crystals is knowing which ones work best for your particular situation. Here are some of my top recommendations for crystals to use for self-care and self-love.
The Best Crystals To Use For Self-Care and Self-Love
Rose Quartz
Rose Quartz is the stone of unconditional love, and it's also associated with the heart chakra. It can be used by anyone, but it's especially helpful for those who are feeling isolated or disconnected from others. This crystal helps you connect with your emotions in a healthy way so that you can heal any wounds or negative feelings about yourself.
Rose Quartz is great for healing both physical and emotional pain because it encourages self-love and acceptance. If you're feeling bad about something in particular (or even just generally), this crystal will help balance out those emotions so that they're not overwhelming anymore.
Amethyst
Amethyst is a calming stone that can help you relax and sleep. It's also great for meditation, focus, and treating anxiety. Amethyst can be used to calm nerves and ease stress.
This crystal will help keep you balanced when life gets chaotic or stressful; it's a must-have for those of you that may have issues relaxing and falling asleep at night.
Additionally, Amethyst can help you connect with your inner guidance, building strength and trust with yourself and your judgment. It refines your intuitive gifts and gives them an energetic boost.
Citrine
Citrine is a stone of abundance and prosperity. It helps you to manifest your dreams, stay positive in the face of adversity, and feel more confident in yourself. It's also great for productivity!
Citrine crystals are also known as "the merchant's stone" because they were thought to attract money and success when worn or kept close by. Citrine is a great stone for entrepreneurs and career-driven people, as it creates abundance and confidence wherever it is used.
Carnelian
Carnelian is a stone of creativity, sexuality, and courage. It helps you to be more confident in yourself and your abilities. Carnelian also promotes joyfulness and happiness in life, as well as helps you to maintain a positive attitude even during difficult times.
Carnelian is said to protect against negative energy or entities that may try to enter your body through the chakras (energy centers). It's also believed to help you recover from illness quicker than expected by increasing your energy levels while sick so you can get back on their feet sooner!
Lapis Lazuli
Lapis Lazuli is a stone of wisdom and inner vision. It helps you to see yourself as you truly are, in your best light, so that you can live your life with greater freedom and joy.
It promotes truthfulness, integrity, and honesty by helping you to see yourself clearly so that you may improve your life without any delusions about who you really are or what you want out of life. These properties make this crystal an excellent choice for meditation work as well; using Lapis Lazuli will help guide your meditations toward finding answers rather than just letting them drift away from focus on their own accord (which can sometimes happen).
Jade
Jade is a stone of tranquility and calm. It helps you remain centered in any situation, making it an excellent choice for meditation or other forms of self-care.
Jade is also associated with compassion, love and healing. If you're feeling disconnected from yourself or others (whether physically or emotionally), Jade can help restore that connection by opening up the heart chakra so that you can feel more connected to yourself and others--and vice versa!
Jade has protective properties that are useful if you find yourself in an unsafe situation or need protection from negative energy around you.
Hematite
Grounding is so important when it comes to energetic work. You need to make sure that you have solid footing before you are able to branch out and create new habits and thoughts. Ground yourself first with Hematite and then bring in some focus and big thoughts about your inner greatness.
Hematite is also protective, making sure that negative energy and thoughts are kept at bay. Ground, protect, and then boost yourself energetically with this crystal.
Amazonite
Lucky, lucky! Grab Amazonite to remind yourself how lucky you are to be you, to be alive, and to attract everything you deserve.
This stone, similar to, Citrine, is well known for its tendency to attract abundance. This doesn’t always mean money, though. It can bring in an abundance of energetic positivity, and a subsequent sense of trust and calm in that overflow.
Amazonite will bring you all of the things you are looking for, and then help you relax into acceptance of all of those gifts and the peace they will bring.
It's important to practice self-care.
Self-care doesn't need to be complicated--it can even be as simple as taking some time out of your day for meditation or going for a walk around the block. If you want something more tangible (and pretty) to boost your self-care, adding crystals is the best way to do that.
Think of one small thing you can do for yourself today: show yourself some love. Does that look like taking some time to write in your journal? What about grabbing your fave coffee and taking five minutes to sip it in silence before you head home? Get outside, get some sun, move your body, read a book… the options are endless.
Self-care is important for your mental health. It can help you feel better about yourself, less stressed, and more positive.
Self-love is the best love.
Your love is the most potent force in the world. Use crystals to help you create a path of self-love and abundance.
How will you show yourself some love today?
