"How you love yourself is how you teach others to love you"

- Rupi Kaur

Do you struggle to forgive or accept yourself, perhaps you put others’ needs above your own? You might be lacking a bit of self-love. 

So, what is self-love?

It's about honouring your true essence and having a healthy relationship with yourself via your thoughts, words and actions. It means having boundaries, knowing your self-worth, and making healthy choices for your own well-being. It means accepting your flaws and embracing your gifts.

Why is self-love so important?

Loving yourself creates a cascade of positive benefits and is like a magnet for attracting positive things into your life. When we love ourselves, it lifts our own vibration and sets the tone for all other relationships in our life.

Studies show that people who love themselves are less likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. Having a positive mindset about yourself reinforces self-confidence, encourages self-respect and helps you establish healthy boundaries with others.

"If you can't love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?"

- RuPaul

All crystals have their own innate positive vibration and when we work with them, they share their loving energy to us. They are tools to manifest our hearts desires and support us in our own healing and growth. Working with certain crystals can help boost confidence, raise self-esteem and remind us of our worth. When we connect with crystals that are particularly attuned with the energies of love it amplifies the healing powers and strength of that intention.

Here are some crystals that are especially helpful for reinforcing self-love:

Malachite:

bravery ~ self-respect ~ accepting love ~ calms emotional insecurities ~ encourages responsibility ~ breaks unhealthy habits ~ helps resisting temptation ~ draws out pain ~ emotional strength ~ transformation ~ highest good

A stone of willpower, strength and growth that encourages you to live boldly and bravely. It supports flexibility, responsibility, commitment and asks us to live with an open heart. This swirly green stone brings out the adventure in us and encourages transformation, risk taking and positive change.

Malachite is a no-nonsense stone that’s wants you to get honest with yourself and face the truth, even if it’s not pretty. It brings your awareness to negative patterns or conditioning that you keep repeating and asks you to face your demons. If you struggle with self-limiting beliefs or self-sabotaging patterns malachite will help you acknowledge those patterns and empower you to shut them down.

Malachite encourages you to take that "big step" and move out of your comfort zone. It dissolves self-doubt and fears, especially around failure. This is a great stone to work with when you want to make a life change, important decision, nurture a new relationship, start a new business, or just need some courage and motivation.

How: Carry malachite with you when you want to shield your energy from negative emotions or thoughts projected by others. Work with malachite during transitions or when you want to make a big change. It will support you with courage and confidence.

Rhodochrosite:

expressing love ~ heart opener ~ empathy ~ soothes tempers ~ nourishing ~ positivity ~ cheerfulness

Said to attract the love in ones life by opening the heart to giving and receiving the right kind of love. It strengthens ones self worth and sharpens one's recognition of the love they deserve. Rhodochrosite strengthens your sens of self-worth and  reminds you to never settle for anything less than what you deserve! 

Rhodochsite helps brings to the surface any emotional pain from the past that needs to be addressed, resolved or released. It is a great companion when working through sadness, grief or disappointment. Its calming and comforting energies are great for supporting inner child healing.

This stone strengthens the love we have for that most important person, ourselves. It boosts self-esteem and asks us to be more forigiving, accepting and kinder to ourselves. This is a great crystal for you if you struggle with self-sabotaging behaviour, destructive thoughts or habits that diminsh your self-worth. Rhodochrosite empowers you to break these destructive patterns and support you in your self-love journey.

 

Rose Quartz

universal love ~ inner child healing ~ compassion ~ forgiveness ~ kindness ~ forgiveness ~ nurturing ~ gentleness ~ empathy

One of the most powerful crystals for love and self-love. Rose quartz invites all kinds of love into one’s life. It opens the hearts to new levels of kindness, patience, compassion and forgiveness towards others and most importantly, towards ourselves. Rose quartz is one of the best stones to work through blockages around self-worth and emotional confidence – it will remind you of your beauty and that you are truly worthy and deserving of love. It dissolves emotional pain from the past and any blame or guilt you place on yourself. It instills feelings of being worthy, enough, content, whole and deserving 

How: Try adding rose quartz to your bath to soak in loving energies or place next to your skincare products to amplify their energetic beautifying properties.

Rhodonite

emotional strength ~ inner power ~ releases fear ~ promotes acceptance ~ elegance ~ grounding ~ discovering hidden talents ~ boosts self-esteem ~ releases co-dependency ~ emotional independence ~

A stone of inner strength, balance and restoration, rhodonite teaches us to be kinder to ourselves and asks us to release destructive patterns or self-sabotaging behaviour that diminish our self-worth. This heart and root chakra crystal reinforces self-confidence and encourages emotional independence making it a good companion during heartbreak, breakups or any kind of emotional pain.

Rhodonite keeps you grounded and comforted during emotionally turbulent times and calls you to forgive, heal and move on with an open heart. It lifts away feelings of guilt and shame – especially around love and sex. Rhodonite is also known to awaken inner talents and ignite the confidence to share your unique gifts.

How: Meditate with rhodonite in your hand or hold it to your heart chakra when you want to release heavy emotions.

Green Aventurine

growth ~ heart healing ~ self-development ~ new beginnings ~ luck ~ abundant mindset ~ positivity ~ building friendships ~ emotional release ~ independence ~ calm ~ imagination

Green aventurine is a stone of growth, self-development and heart healing. It is believed to spark new beginnings and attract luck into one’s life by activating an abundant mindset and positive outlook. This heart chakra activating stone opens the heart and prepares you for those exciting new loves or friendships. 

Green aventurine aids with emotional release and diminishes energetic blocks at the heart space making it a great ally for emotional healing and moving on from past. It encourages emotional independence and strength so that you can move on.

How: Use green aventurine when you want to attract a new relationship or friendships – it will help you call in the right energetic tribe.   

Amazonite

courage ~ truth ~ self-expression ~ communication ~ speaking your truth ~ calming ~ tolerance ~ understanding ~ openness

Amazonite is a stone of courage, flow and inspiration – it inspires truth-telling, honour, integrity and openness. It resonates with both the throat chakra (supporting truth and communication) and the heart chakra (allowing for heart healing and expression of ones true feelings). It facilitates open and honest communication from the heart – especially communication concerning love. Being able to express yourself truthfully is way of honouring your truth and loving yourself, especially when it comes to communicating your boundaries and speaking up for yourself.

This empowering stone boosts self-esteem and helps you to let go of fears and anxieties, especially around love and relationships. This calming stone dissolves sadness and leads you away from the destructive behaviour or self-doubt that surface from experiencing hurt or disappointment.

Amazonite possess a feminine warrior energy that that encourages you to move forward and take control of your life and destiny.

How: Work with amazonite when you want to build emotional strength and release self-destructive patterns.

"Your soul will never be fully nourished by anyone's love but your own"