What True Self-Love Actually Feels Like

What does it actually mean to love yourself? We hear about self-love all the time, but it can easily get reduced to flowers, baths, affirmations, and doing nice things for yourself. And while those things can absolutely be part of it, real self-love goes much deeper. In this solo episode of *The Shift with Beth Podcast*, I’m sharing what self-love has actually looked like in my own healing journey and why it took me until 2023 to understand what it meant to truly love myself. I take you behind the scenes of a challenge I gave myself to show up online every day in August and why something as simple as posting consistently has brought up a much deeper fear of being seen. Through my somatic experiencing work, I’ve been connecting that fear to younger parts of myself who learned that hiding was how we stayed loved, worthy, and accepted. We also get practical. I’m sharing some of the self-love practices that helped change my relationship with myself, including mirror work, internal validation, changing your inner voice, listening to your body, and learning to give yourself compassion when you’re struggling. But we’re also talking about the harder side of self-love. Choosing yourself. Saying no. Trusting your intuition. Resting before everything is finished. Stopping the constant pattern of leaving yourself to keep everyone else comfortable. Because real self-love isn’t about doing everything perfectly. It’s about noticing when you’ve abandoned yourself and choosing to come back. Again and again. ## **In This Episode, I Talk About:** - Why I challenged myself to show up online every day in August - The fear of being seen and where my visibility block came from - How somatic experiencing helped me connect with the younger parts of myself - Turning a protective part from hiding me into helping me be seen - Why following your intuition can be an act of self-love - Learning who I was after leaving my marriage - The mirror work practice that changed how I spoke to myself - How to become aware of your inner critic - Practicing internal validation instead of constantly seeking it externally - Buying yourself flowers as a reminder that you’re worthy of care - Why saying no can be an act of self-love - The difference between self-love and self-abandonment - How people-pleasing, overworking, numbing, and performing can disconnect us from ourselves - What to do when you notice yourself falling back into an old pattern - Inner child and inner teenager healing - Learning to listen to your body instead of trying to fix it - Why rest and pleasure don’t have to be earned - Loving yourself when you’re not performing at your best - What it felt like when I finally experienced my own love for the first time **About Beth:** Beth is a somatic coach, breathwork facilitator, and speaker who helps women and leaders move from survival mode into safety, self-trust, and authentic expression. She bridges nervous system science and spirituality in a grounded, practical way so healing happens beyond mindset. **Connect with Beth:** Facebook Instagram Website Learn more at shiftwithbeth.com