28 Self-Care Tips To Boost Your Recovery Over Love Addiction

For people with love addiction patterns, self-care can feel like foreign territory. 

Love addicts have major impairments with self-care-- particularly when entangled in a romantic (addictive) relationship with someone critical, cold, or emotionally unavailable.

And yet, self-care is a key component to a healthful life and relationship happiness. The issue of Self-Care in relationships is enormous-- and is one of the primary core issues for love addicts.

Self-care and recovery go hand in hand. It is a practice or act of nurturing and caring for oneself by consciously making choices that contribute to one's health and well-being.

Caring for oneself is about being mindful of personal needs and wants and taking steps to meet them.

Having love addiction, the lack of self-care can show up in many ways- here are a few examples:

• Not setting functional boundaries (communicating with another what is okay or not okay).
• Making choices and/or behaving in ways that go against personal values/beliefs.
• Abandoning, minimizing, or devaluing your own needs and wants.
• Trying to gain self-worth ("I matter") through a person/relationship.
• Enduring a relationship where loneliness and pain are the norms.
• Allowing a partner's identity to become your own identity.
• Taking responsibility/blame for matters with which you are not responsible.
  
  
• Declaring "love" for someone you have only known a short period of time.
• Trying to “earn” a person's approval of you.
• Tolerating uncaring, disrespectful, or abusive behaviors; and justifying such behaviors.
• Disengaging from friends/family; abandoning goals, interests, activities, etc., while in a relationship.
• Staying in a relationship with a person unable or unwilling to commit.
• Expecting yourself to be a perfect partner who never makes mistakes.

Self-care is crucial to your recovery.

Self-care is critical to self-protection (think boundaries).

It's critical to honor our needs and wants in relationships. It is critical to experiencing joy and contentment in life. It is important for our emotional and physical well-being.

It is about having a compassionate and loving relationship with the "self." With appropriate self-care, we look after ourselves like we would a cherished loved one. When we honor ourselves, we choose behaviors that breed peace, satisfaction, and self-preservation.

When self-care is scarce, needs and wants are rarely or minimally met; and life is much less gratifying.

When we lack it... We yearn... We crave... We ache... We get 'stuck'... We fall apart... We even “feel crazy”.

When we lack a healthy, loving relationship with ourselves and our self-care tank is deficient, we go into relationships and cannot attend to our needs, wants, and well-being.

Love addicts and codependents are great at taking care of others, but not so great at doing the same for themselves.

In relationships, while in the midst of turning away from the 'self,' the love addict will turn towards their partner with laser focus and care only about making him or her happy and getting his/her needs met... this is "other care" only, and is dysfunctional.

Self-Care is analogous to taking your car to a carwash, filling your
tank, having your oil changed, & rotating your tires.

Part of the recovery work in love addiction is fine-tuning and building self-care muscles.

If you have a pattern of toxic relationships, it is perhaps time to begin strengthening your self-care muscles.

The following are 28 important self-care acts to help you start building these muscles.

28 Acts Of Self-Sare To Help Defeat Love Addiction

1. Never put anyone on a pedestal above yourself-- where no one belongs.
2. If it feels wrong, don’t do it.
3. Trust your instincts, always.
4. Stop feeling you should be ‘nice’ to everyone -- only be nice to/respect those who are nice back.
5. Stop taking responsibility for any adult's feelings, behaviors, or choices- they're not yours, you're not responsible, they are.
   
6. Say NO to anything of which you are not sure.
7. Say YES only to that of which you are sure.
8. Never give up engaging in your own interests, goals, or passions-- for "love", or anyone.
9. Engage yourself in meaningful relationships with non-toxic people… and treat yourself with respect, kindness, and warm regard- treatment that you deserve.
10. ‘Let go’ of that which you have no control... Accept that of which you do have control.
    
11. Don’t be a people-pleaser-- it is not in your job description.
12. Never shame, devalue, or speak negatively of yourself-- NO MATTER WHAT.
13. Never violate your values-- consistently exercise your values instead of just professing them.
14. Stay away from negativity and relationships fraught with drama.
15. Honor all your needs and wants, especially in relationships.
    
16. Never listen to anyone who tells you how you “should” think, feel, believe, or act in your own life.
17. Never tolerate any person who, by word or deed, implies that you are worthless or inadequate -- NOT ANYONE!
18. Never try to “earn” someone’s love or approval. You are not a slave. Who you are, is enough!
19. Always be kind, gentle, and compassionate to yourself— in every matter and experience of life.
20. Stop blaming others/'s for where you're at with your love addiction- You are not a victim (there is zero power in being a victim)- Take responsibility, own it - you did the best you could...  now go forward and learn from it, grow.
    
21. Tell yourself five things you are grateful for (big or small) — make a daily habit. "I will practice gratitude to retrieve gladness”.
22. Allow others to be who they are (feel, do, act)-- it is their right. Simultaneously, accept that what you observe IS who they are.
23. Stop pursuing perfection; it will destroy you-- Do what you can, with what you have, where you are, as you are; this, my friend, is enough.
24. Take five minutes for yourself every day to relax, connect with yourself, and focus on validating/affirming yourself. “I am worthy” and “I love myself enough to make healthy choices,”
25. Honor ANY/ALL of your feelings (good or bad) —feelings are neither wrong nor right and do not define you.
26. Celebrate all of your personal accomplishments or successes, big or small/tiny even  (things like your growth, recovery, positive choices or decisions, job, career... anything, for it all matters). 
27. Do something that pleases you/; e.g., seek out a pleasant leisure activity that feels good -- and regularly participate in it.
28. Allow yourself to be all that you are. No more cover-ups; plenty will love you for that.
     

* These 28 self-care acts focus primarily on relationships. While this is not a comprehensive list, my hope is this list offers you some important points and lessons in how you can start to acquire healthy patterns of self-care to boost your recovery and healing from love addiction.
 
What Self-Care is Not:

It is Not Selfish.
It is Not Self-Pity.
It is Not Self-Indulgence.


What Self-Care is:

It is healthy
It is Self-Preservation
It is Self-Value/Love
It is A Right!
 

Bottom-line:

“If self-care is not an essential part of your life. If you don’t treat yourself with kindness and respect, then how could you expect others to do the same?"

No one can do it for you, but you.

When people neglect themselves, it leads to resentment, anger, unhappiness, and certainly toxic/hurtful relationships.

We cannot truly function in a healthy, nurturing manner unless self-care becomes an indispensable part of our lives.

Self-care is vital for your health and well-being. Moreover, it is critical for healthy and happy relationships.

When we have a healthy relationship with ourselves, we can have happier, healthy relationships with others.

You’re worthy of love and belonging-- and you're worthy of taking care of YOU.

Self-care is NOT selfish, vain, or egotistical. If ever you have a voice in your head that says something like, “I am being bad and selfish if I focus, and care about my needs/wants, and put myself first”— then please understand this type of thinking is a lie.

This kind of voice is a “false message” you received from someone in your past (growing up).

You unknowingly internalized this lie ("I'm bad if I care about my needs") as truth and did so because you were powerless and did not know any better. 

So understand, this voice is not yours, but a shame-based person/'s from your past— if it ever comes up, disown it, trash it, and call it what it is a gigantic lie. 

Learning to care for yourself will likely startle some others around you. Because you are beginning to change your dysfunctional patterns to new, healthier patterns (self-care), they will feel uncomfortable, perhaps resentment or anger (not your problem).

They may try shaming you, calling you a narcissist, and/or trying to make you feel guilty during the times you are taking care of yourself.

Smile at their projection, scoff at it—this is not about you, but is only abundantly (only) about their emotional/unresolved issues.

Self-Care Will Help Your Recovery, Growth, And Help You Live A Healthier, Happier Life.

As an adult, you and only you are responsible for taking care of yourself. Only you can honor that right.

The right to feel, say, and do what YOU choose in order to grow, thrive, and live your best life possible.

And no other person has a right to say otherwise-- and just in case anyone does, do what you rightly need to do, “take care of yourself.”

Learning to better care for ourselves is about growing up-- meaning we can get up off our feet and choose to value ourselves, our lives, and our true wants and needs.

Growing up means taking action and behaving in manners that only contribute to our health, happiness, and well-being.

There is no better time than now to emphasize Self-Care on your journey to break your love addiction-- There is no better time to prioritize yourself- your needs, your wants, and your well-being.

Changing our unhealthy habits to healthy habits (self-care) can take time-- and that is okay; just stay on that dignified road. 

You’re worthy of love and belonging-- and you're worthy of taking care of YOU. Self-care is something you are entitled to. It is what you deserve.

And YES, choosing on your behalf to do 'what it takes' to overcome the problem with love addiction is A Significant Act For Your Self-Care …  A Gift that will last you a lifetime.

About the Author: Jim Hall, MS, is a Love Addiction Specialist and Author of 3 Books on Love Addiction and Healing. Recovery Coach and Author of 3 Books on Love Addiction and Healing. Jim teaches those struggling with love addiction or anxious attachment styles how to overcome unhealthy/insecure relationship patterns and attain happy, fulfilling love.