The Lovestruck Diaries

I’ve blogged about this so many times over the years, but I was scrolling through my camera roll this morning and came across a handful of selfies that made me smile. Not because I thought I looked particularly cute, not because the lighting was great (it wasn’t), and not because I’m feeling especially confident right now. Spoiler: I’m not. If you read my last blog post, you already know the place my heart has been sitting lately.

But even in the seasons where I’m not feeling like the “main character,” I still take at least one selfie every single day.

Part romanticizing my life.

Part self-love.

Part wanting to document a moment I might forget later.

I’ve been doing this since I started my self-love journey eleven years ago, and honestly? It’s one of the quiet practices that has shaped how I see myself—literally and emotionally.

People love to hate selfies.

They roll their eyes. They call it vain. They joke about “those girls.”

But here’s the thing:

Selfies have helped me love myself more than almost any other practice I’ve ever tried.

When I take selfies, I capture versions of me I would’ve overlooked. The tired me. The joyful me. The hurting me. The thriving me. The messy-bun-coffee-in-hand me. Every angle, every expression, every season. And the more I see myself…really see myself…the more compassion I learn to hold.

And trust me… I miss the mirror selfies.

But I cannot, for the life of me, find a place in my room to put the mirror. And when I was taking mirror selfies regularly, it encouraged me to get dressed, to put on actual clothes (not just my beloved pajamas), to brush my hair, to feel put-together even while working from home.

I miss that feeling, the tiny physical boost that somehow lifts your mental and emotional energy too.

Lately it’s been PJ-all-day life, and that’s okay.

But I also know how good I feel when I give a little extra love to my appearance. Not to impress anyone. Not to “fix” anything. Just to honor myself. To feel beautiful, present, and embodied.

Why Selfies Can Be Healing

Selfies can be a mirror🪞, but not the harsh, fluorescent, judgment heavy kind.

They can be an invitation.

A way of saying:

Here I am. I exist. I’m allowed to take up space. I’m worth being seen, especially by myself.

Taking selfies over the years has helped me track my healing. My heartbreaks. My growth. The tiny transformations you don’t notice day-to-day. They’ve taught me that you don’t have to feel beautiful to show up. Sometimes showing up is what makes you feel beautiful again.

Maybe selfies aren’t shallow.

Maybe they’re a form of self-witnessing. At least, for me!

Maybe they’re a love letter to the current version of you.

Tell Me Yours…

Do you feel better mentally when you put effort into your looks, even just a little?

Do you love or hate taking selfies—and why?

I’d genuinely love to know. 

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