Most of us know the benefits of self care and how important it is for the health of our mind, body and soul. Yet there are many blocks that can stop us from giving ourselves the love and care that we need and deserve.
Maybe you don’t feel like you deserve to do nice things, maybe prioritizing yourself makes you feel guilty, or maybe you feel like you don’t have the time.
These self care quotes tackle all of these issues so you can feel motivated and inspired to start prioritizing yourself!
Benefits of Self Care
- Self care improves the relationship you have with yourself: setting aside time for yourself helps boost your self worth rather than being so hard on yourself!
- Self care makes you feel more positive: doing something you love (or need) boosts your mood and makes you feel good!
- Self care helps with productivity: it’s impossible to keep going all the time. Giving ourselves a much needed break can actually make us more productive in the long run!
- Self care reduces stress and anxiety: sometimes we just need to slow down and live life more mindfully – self care helps us do just that!
- Self care improves your relationship with others: by making sure your needs are fulfilled, you have more to give to others!
Why You Should Prioritize Yourself
I know sometimes it’s hard to prioritise self care; when you have a partner, friends, children or anyone that relies on you, it can be difficult to switch off and put yourself first.
This may be because it’s difficult to find the time, but more often than not it’s due to feelings of guilt around prioritizing yourself. But it’s absolutely okay to put yourself first now and then! In fact, you may even be a better friend/parent/partner if you put yourself first every once in a while.
Being an empath means that I often find myself feeling drained after being in the company of others. So time alone focusing on myself is so important. If I don’t do this, I feel overwhelmed and withdraw from people completely. And trust me when I say I am not good company when this happens…
And although some of you many not define yourselves as empaths, there ill still be some truth in this for you. Because if we don’t spend time nurturing and caring for ourselves, how can we possibly have the energy to nurture and care for others?
Ultimately, you are no.1 in your own life, and you are the only person who is truly with you every minute of every day. While it is lovely to care for others, it’s also important to treat yourself with that same love and care.
So with that being said, let’s move on to some inspirational self care quotes that are bound to motivate you to prioritize yourself every once in a while!
Inspirational Self Care Quotes
Taking Time for Self Quotes
Many of us have a habit of saying “I don’t have time”, when it isn’t strictly true. The truth is, we have all the time in the world. It is just a matter of how we choose to use this time.
Do we want to use up all of our time rushing about and feeling stressed? Or do we want to set aside some time each day to slow down and enjoy life?
The following self care quotes are bound to change your mindset about how much time you have for self care!
1. “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” – Anne Lamott
2. “If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit.” – Banksy
3. “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
4. “Solitude is where I place my chaos to rest and awaken my inner peace.” – Nikki Rowe
5. “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
6. “Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” – Unknown
7. “Take time to do what makes your soul happy.” – Unknown
8. “Carve out and claim the time to care for yourself and kindle your own fire.” – Amy Ippoliti
9. “Self care is not a waste of time; self-care makes your use of time more sustainable.” – Jackie Viramontez
10. “It’s very important to take care of yourself. Everyone’s lives are so busy. Take at least an hour a day to recharge and do whatever makes you better. For grown-ups, whether it’s a spa, sitting in a park with a book, or coffee, take time for yourself.” – Ana Ivanovic
11. “Women in particular need to keep an eye on their physical and mental health, because if we’re scurrying to and from appointments and errands, we don’t have a lot of time to take care of ourselves. We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to do’ list.” – Michelle Obama
12. “It’s okay to take time for yourself. We give so much of ourselves to others, and we need to be fueled both physically and mentally. If we are in balance, it helps us in all our interactions.” – Faith Hill
13. “When you get into your car, shut the door and be there for just half a minute. Breathe, feel the energy inside your body, look around at the sky, the trees. The mind might tell you, ‘I don’t have time.’ But that’s the mind talking to you. Even the busiest person has time for 30 seconds of space.” – Eckhart Tolle
14. “Do something nice for yourself today. Find some quiet, sit in stillness, breathe. Put your problems on pause. You deserve a break.” – Akiroq Brost
Ready to dedicate the time for self care? Check out these self care ideas!
Take Care of Yourself First Quotes
As I said before – you are your own no.1. You therefore have to be your own priority.
This doesn’t mean you should totally cut off other people. It just means that to best give to others, it is important to give to ourselves first. If we don’t treat ourselves with love and respect, how can we treat others with love and respect?
These quotes help to highlight the importance of putting yourself at the top of your to-do list!
15. “By taking care of myself I have so much more to offer the world than I do when I am running on empty.” – Ali Washington
16. “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
17. “Self-care is giving the world what’s best of you, instead of what’s left of you.” – Katie Reed
18. “Self-care is never a selfish act – it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others. Anytime we can listen to true self and give the care it requires, we do it not only for ourselves, but for the many others whose lives we touch.” – Parker Palmer
20. “I have come to believe that caring for myself is not self-indulgent. Caring for myself is an act of survival.” – Audre Lorde
21. “An empty lantern provides no light. Self-care is the fuel that allows your light to shine brightly.” – Unknown
22. “Put yourself at the top of your to-do list every single day and the rest will fall into place.” – Unkown
23. “Practice self-rescue first before you ‘help’ someone else.” – Maureen Joyce Connolly
Quotes About Caring for Others
Caring for others can be really emotionally and physically demanding. Are you somebody that’s always going above and beyond to help others? If you are, first of all, good on you! But are you taking enough time to recharge?
Most of us are some form of caregiver – whether you’re a parent, a spouse, a carer, a teacher or a friend, make sure you’re also caring for yourself!
These quotes are for those of you who are very kind to others, but not necessarily to themselves!
24. “As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” – Maya Angelou
25. “In dealing with those who are undergoing great suffering, if you feel “burnout” setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself. The point is to have long-term perspective.” – Dalai Lama
26. “Love yourself enough to set boundaries. Your time and energy are precious. You teach people how to treat you by deciding what you will and won’t accept.” – Anna Taylor
27. “Taking care of yourself is part of taking care of others.” – Jennifer Williamson
28. “Don’t sacrifice yourself too much, because if you sacrifice too much there’s nothing else you can give, and nobody will care for you.” – Karl Lagerfeld
29. “I also learned what I and many other wives were doing wrong. We were neglecting ourselves. We were born women yet were taking care of our roles as mom, employee or wife before we took care of ourselves. But in order to adequately fulfill those roles, we have to put ourselves first.” – Elona Washington
30. “When you say ‘yes’ to others, make sure you are not saying ‘no’ to yourself.” – Paulo Coelho
31. “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – Howard Thurman
32. “It is only when we feel deprived that we resent giving to others. Self-care does not mean you stop caring about others; it just means you start caring more about you. Start thinking about yourself more and others less. Since you have a choice between taking care of someone else, or giving to yourself, try choosing yourself sometimes.” – Beverly Engel
33. “In my own deepening understanding of myself I find my capacity to serve others is deepened as well. The better I am at self-care the more genuinely nurturing of others I am able to be.” – Mary Anne Radmacher
34. “Self-care is the number one solution to helping somebody else. If you are being good to yourself and your body and your psyche, that serves other people better, because you will grow strong enough to lift someone else up.” – Mary Lambert
Take Care of Your Body Quotes
Your body is a temple, but are you taking care of it?
Most of us take our bodies for granted and don’t acknowledge how much they really do for us. Our bodies have an innate ability to heal themselves. They quite literally keep us alive. Yet in today’s society we neglect them with lack of exercise, junk food and unhealthy substances.
These self care quotes are about giving back to our bodies and providing them with the care that they deserve!
35. “Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” – Edward Stanley
36. “Instead of indulging in “comfort food”, indulge in comfort meditation, comfort journaling, comfort walking, comfort talking, comfort manicures, comfort reading, comfort yoga, comfort hugging.” – Karen Salmansohn
37. “Do something every day that is loving towards your body and gives you the opportunity to enjoy the sensations of your body.” – Golda Poretsky
38. “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. “Our bodies are our garden to which our wills are gardeners.” – William Shakespeare
40. “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” – Jim Rohn
41. “You can’t afford to get sick, and you can’t depend on the present health care system to keep you well. It’s up to you to protect and maintain your body’s innate capacity for health and healing by making the right choices in how you live.” – Andrew Weil
42. “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
Other Inspirational Quotes About Self Care and Self Love
Self love is the best kind of love! Many of us have a negative relationship with ourselves and don’t think we are worthy of love and respect from others, or even ourselves.
These quotes are all about changing that relationship and being more compassionate towards ourselves. After all, we’re only human!
Related: 100 Self Love Affirmations to Build your Self Esteem
43. “Self-compassion is simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others.” – Christopher Germer
44. “With every act of self-care your authentic self gets stronger, and the fearful, critical mind gets weaker. Every act of self-care is a powerful declaration: I am on my side. I am on my side, each day I am more and more on my own side.” – Susan Weiss Berry
45. “Lighten up on yourself. No one is perfect. Gently accept your humanness.” – Deborah Day
46. “When you are compassionate with yourself, you trust in your soul, which you let guide your life. Your soul knows the geography of your destiny better than you do.” – John O’Donohue
47. “If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.” – Jack Kornfield
48. “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” – Audre Lorde
49. “When I loved myself enough, I began leaving whatever wasn’t healthy. This meant people, jobs, my own beliefs and habits – anything that kept me small. My judgment called it disloyal. Now I see it as self-loving.” – Kim McMillen
50. “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
51. “Self-care is so much more than a beauty regimen or an external thing you do. It has to start within your heart to know what you need to navigate your life. A pedicure doesn’t last, but meditating every day does.” – Carrie-Anne Moss
52. “It’s not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself, and to make happiness a priority. It’s necessary.” – Mandy Hale
53. “There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.” – Aldous Huxley
54. “Above everything else, genuinely love yourself first. Self-love is powerful and it’s the best love that you will ever have. When you love who YOU are, your relationships will be healthier and your life will be happier. Self-love sets the standard in how we allow ourselves to treat us and how we treat ourselves. Your happiness and well-being is important. Protect it by always valuing who you are!” – Stephanie Lahart
55. “There are days I drop words of comfort on myself like falling leaves and remember that is is enough to be taken care of by myself.” – Brian Andreas
56. “My happiness matters. My joy is important. My love is valuable. My worthiness is relevant. It’s not anyone else’s job to see that but mine.” – Alex Elle
57. “How we care for ourselves gives our brain messages that shape our self-worth so we must care for ourselves in every way, every day.” – Sam Owen
58. “Self-care is how you take your power back.” – Lalah Delia
59. “When you can’t find your purpose in a day, make it to look after yourself.” – Dodie Clark
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