Rest of with Rejuvenate These Soothing Self-Love Rituals and Mantras

“I’m absolutely beautiful as I am.” I said as I looked in the mirror this morning

I haven’t always felt this way. For decades I avoided mirrors, deflected compliments, deleted tagged photos, all because of shame and insecurities. I was at war with myself. The victim, my body. When things weren’t going well in my life, my body was to blame. I thought, “If only I were thinner, I’d be more successful, popular, and finally meet my soulmate.” It never ended. No matter what size my body, whether I was 40 pounds underweight or 40 pounds over, I always felt unworthy.

The problem was never my body or the actual weight; it was my beliefs about the weight. I thought I wasn’t
good enough because of the size of my body, because the way I looked mattered most, and that pain stayed with me for years. But all that changed
when I made falling in love with myself, despite my plus-size body, my full-time mission. Today I accept and love myself. I don’t negotiate with my insecurities anymore, and this not only helps me feel better during the day, but I also now sleep more soundly at night. I used to stay up with insomnia
obsessing about my insecurities, but creating a solid bedtime routine that included self-love mantras and selfcare rituals helped me turn my selfdoubt into self-compassion and love.

When we realise that we have more power than we were taught, we will begin to like ourselves exactly as we are. Acceptance and accountability have become my new go-to behaviours, which have replaced several unhealthy ones.

Acceptance and accountability have become my new go-to behaviours, which have replaced several unhealthy ones.My body, just like my life, is a work in progress, but in order to love myself, I needed to stop doing some things first.

When is the last time you looked in the mirror and thought only nice things about yourself? If you are like most people, self-doubt can keep you blocked and feeling like you are not good enough. Ninety-one percent of women hate their bodies, and 95% of people want to change something about themselves.

When we don’t practice self-love, life can be a lot harder, we’re more likely to be critical of ourselves and others and fall into people-pleasing and perfectionist tendencies. But when we truly love ourselves, we build healthier relationships with all of life. Self-love affirmations can help you build your selfesteem, release negative thoughts, and welcome in compassion. Can you relate? We live in a culture that tells us that going after what you want and focusing on yourself is selfish and egotistical. But the truth is, genuine self-love is not selfish at all, but rather a form of true care and compassion that we give ourselves and can then extend to others

. The way we feel about ourselves and the things we say to ourselves matter.
Self-love doesn’t always come easy, but affirmations can help. As someone who used to suffer from insomnia, restless sleep, and night time overwhelm, I started to realise how important our daily routine is to our evenings, and if we aren’t sleeping well, then we are not living well. I realised I needed to make a change. After a series of health tests and a sleep study, I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea, and my blood work revealed off-the-chart levels of cortisol, all due to stress and anxiety. It tunes our mental health and informs our physical health, and I could no longer separate them.

I overhauled my entire lifestyle, starting by focusing on my bedtime routine. No longer was it okay to ignore my needs at night, and by prioritising them with mantras and nightly rituals, my overall health improved, and I slept better at night.

Mantra #1: I connect with my
inner child though compassion and joy.
Restful Ritual #1: Happy-baby yoga pose
Invite a carefree vibe to your sleep tonight with the happy-baby yoga pose: Lay on your back and bring your knees to either side of your chest, holding the bottoms of your feet

and gently rocking from side to side. Stay in this position for several deep and joyful breaths.

Mantra #2: I honour my sadness tonight.
Restful Ritual #2: Butterfly hug somatic exercise
Send yourself to sleep with a butterfly hug—a somatic exercise for self-soothing. Wrap your arms around your body and hold yourself like you would hold a dear friend you unconditionally love and accept.

Mantra #3: The gifts of life are within me.
Restful Ritual #3: Moisturise with selfapproval.
Tonight, moisturise your entire body with your favourite lotion as you appreciate your natural gifts and talents. Tuck yourself into bed feeling cared for,
honoured, and loved.

Mantra #4: I add immense value to the world.
Restful Ritual #4: Thank your body .
Before bed, concentrate on moisturising your feet with intention. As you massage your toes, heels, soles, and the tops of your feet, thank them for taking you where you need to go in the world.

Mantra #5: Love is my guide—it never fails me.
Restful Ritual #5: Create your own essential oil relaxation spray.
Rest in an atmosphere of love tonight. Put several drops of jasmine essential oil (or your favourite scent) in a spray bottle of filtered water and mist your
pillows before bed.

Mantra #6: I acknowledge my limitations to grow past them.
Restful Ritual #6: Speak from your heart.
Commit yourself tonight to personal accountability. Reach out to someone you’ve hurt, even if unintentionally, and make it right. Speak from your
heart and apologise.

Mantra #7: The cells in my body vibrate in perfect
harmony.
Restful Ritual #7: Try music therapy.

Your vagus nerve loves calm as much as quality sleep! Listen to meditative music or an audiobook narrated by someone with a calming voice to usher
yourself into peaceful rest tonight.

Mantra #8: I sail through life’s changes with grace and ease.
Restful Ritual #8: Cold water therapy to release anxiety and stress.
Tonight, consider taking a cool shower or giving yourself an ice-water facial. Fill a large bowl with water and ice and submerge your face for 10-15 seconds at a time for 3-5 minutes. This can jumpstart your system back into peace and presence for a good night’s sleep.

Mantra #9: I take courageous chances on myself.
Restful Ritual #9: Engage all of your senses.
As you prepare for sleep, focus fully on this moment by engageing all your senses—what do you see, feel
(touch), hear, taste, smell? Which of these senses resonates most with you? Return to it for additional grounding.

Mantra #10: I conclude my day with love in my heart.
Restful Ritual #10: Focus on love as you prepare for bed.
Place a rose quartz crystal in a sacred space in your bedroom to evoke compassion and heart healing in the entire room.

These mantras and rituals inspired by Shannon Kaiser’s new book ‘365 Happy Bedtime Mantras’ (Beyond Words/ Atria, 2025).

Shannon Kaiser is a world renowned spiritual and self-love teacher, speaker, and acclaimed empowerment coach; a bestselling author of six books on the psychology of happiness and fulfillment including The Self-Love Experiment, named number one of the “20 Self-Love Books That Will Lift You Up” by Oprah magazine; and the designer and creator of two other oracle decks and two mantra decks. She guides people to awaken and align to their true
selves so they can live their highest potential. Shannon’s signature teaching is transformative, bridging spiritual and ancient wisdom with modern
practical wisdom. Her self-inquiry and personal transformation books, programs, social media channels, and viral reels have reached 22 million people a month. She’s been named among the “Top 100 Women to Watch in Wellness” by mindbodygreen, “your go-to happiness booster” by Health magazine, and “one of the freshest voices in mental health and wellness” by Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul.
Connect with her on social media @ShannonKaiserWrites and her websites PlayWithTheWorld.com and RadicalBodyLovewithShannon.com.