Best Self-Love Books That Will Help You Accept Yourself

Do you love yourself? Is lack of self-love affecting your happiness, motivation, and self-esteem?

A lack of self-love doesn’t only affect you, it also affects your relationships. How could you feel the love from your partner when you don’t love yourself?

We all know practicing self-love is important, but not every one of us knows how to do that. Below are the 10 best books on self-love and acceptance. They will help you get started.

And if you are a man who is thinking that self-love is just for women, think again. Men need to learn how to love and accept themselves too. It reduces your likelihood of having stress, depression, and anxiety.

Even though some of the books are written specifically for women, most of them are suitable for both men and women.

Pick a book that most resonates with you.

Bonus: My Book on Self-Compassion

Note: The way I look at my books will never be the same as the way I look at other books, so to be fair I rather keep them off the list. 🙂

Empty Your Cup by Yong Kang Chan

Why don’t we love ourselves?

Most people think that by being successful and confident, we will feel good about ourselves. But low self-esteem is a perception problem, it has nothing to do with our success or confidence. You can be wealthy, beautiful, or well liked by others and still don’t feel good about yourself.

The purpose of this book is to help you empty everything you believe about yourself and change your perception of self.

If you are looking for a simple book that helps you understand mindfulness and how it can help you to be more self-compassionate, this is the book for you.

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10 Best Self-Love Books

Disclosure: Please note that the links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and Bookshop Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase, but it will be at no additional cost to you.

1. You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay

Written by a well-known self-help author and an authority in self-love market, this international bestseller is a book not to be missed.

The premise of this book is this: “Life is really very simple. What we give out, we get back.”  Our thoughts create our reality. By changing the ways in which we think, we can effect tremendous changes in our lives.

This notion is not new but the author goes beyond this idea and offers strategies and insights to improve how you think and feel. Its positive and hopeful style will invite you in and instills a sense of confidence and hope.

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2. Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It by Kamal Ravikant

This book has a simple yet powerful message: love yourself.

We all know that loving ourselves is important, but how many of us actually do that? How many of our lives actually reflect that?

Everything starts with loving yourself. If your career, relationship and health are having problems, it could be because of your lack of self-love.

This short concise book is a departure from the typical self-help guides. The author shares his own journey to self-love and self-acceptance. And from his story, he shares mantra and meditation techniques he used which work for him.

You can read this book in an hour. It is best suited for those who enjoy learning via the experiences of others as opposed to a step-by-step format.

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3. The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown

If you always feel like you are lacking in some areas and have a difficult time accepting your imperfections, this book is for you.

This book is about embracing who you are and letting go of who you think you’re supposed to be. It is a staple in the self-help world and could probably apply to almost every aspect of self-acceptance and self-love.

The author writes from a heart-centered approach to help you nurture of a sense of “being enough”. This will fuel positivity, confidence and self-esteem in you.

This author does incorporate spirituality into her writing so this book may be particularly suited to those who embraces spirituality as a part of wellness.

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4. Tiny Buddha’s Guide to Loving Yourself by Lori Deschene

If you enjoy learning from other people, real life experiences or stories, this is the book for you.

Created by the founder of the popular community blog, Tiny Buddha, the author selects 40 best blog posts contributed on her website. These 40 tips on self-love are categorized into ten chapter including self-acceptance, forgiving yourself and releasing the need for approval.

What’s unique about this book is you get to learn insights from different people with different journey. It’s not just a perspective from one person. Reading their stories will inspire you to take action on loving yourself.

Finding inner peace starts from loving yourself. If you want a more peaceful life, this is definitely a good book to read.

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5. The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion by Christopher Germer

Is there something from your past you can’t let go of? Are you always critical towards yourself? Or do you always blame yourself for making mistakes?

If so, this is the book for you. This book encourages self-love through being kinder to ourselves. Instead of resisting and avoiding the pain we are feeling, this book is about accepting your thoughts and emotions without judgment or self-blame.

Reading this book will help you practice mindfulness and self-compassion. It will help you live more fully in the present moment.

This book is most suitable for those who are suffering from intense emotions and childhood trauma.

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6. Choosing ME Before WE by Christine Arylo

If you have many bad or failed relationships, but you don’t know why.

Perhaps it’s because you lack of self-love. This book is written specifically for women struggling with self-love and self-worth. It will help you understand why you behave the way you did in your relationships and why your relationships failed.

Written in a style that is like talking to a best girlfriend, the author shares her failures and experiences in her relationships.

This book is suitable for you if you need insights on love, relationship and dating. You will learn how to replace old habits that sabotage your success with new ways of thinking that promote self-respect and well-being.

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7. I Heart Me by David Hamilton

How much love do you have for yourself?

Written by a scientist, this book has a different perspective than most other self-love books. After studying the latest research on various techniques, he realized that self-love was as much about biology as psychology. Self-worth is in our gene, but was trained out of us.

In this book, he used himself as guinea pig to test the subtle ways in which self-worth is sabotaging us. And from his experiments, he devised 27 powerful exercises which help you increase your self-worth.

If you are someone who loves both science and spirituality, this book helps you bridge the gap.

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8. Love Yourself, Heal Your Life Workbook by Louise Hay

This interactive workbook is a companion guide to Hay’s bestselling book You Can Heal Your Life.

This guide shows you how to directly apply the strategies of self-love and positive thinking to an array of life issues including wellness, fears, sex, self-esteem, relationships and intimacy. It is perfect for those who are struggling with applying the strategies to various life issues.

If you want a book that gets you thinking deep about how you feel and believe, this is the book for you. You will understand more about yourself when you do the exercises.

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9. Beautiful You by Rosie Molinary

When you look in the mirror every day, do you see a beautiful woman or do you see flaws?

This book is a 365-day action plan for women who want to nurture a healthier self-image. The premise of this book is that daily practises and acts of self-love form the foundation for our well-being. The journey is the goal, so the author encourages us to love ourselves every single day.

Not only does this book focus on body image which most women is concerned with, it also provides a roadmap to self-acceptance.

This book is excellent for women of all ages. If you need daily inspiration and encouragement, this is the book for you.

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10. Madly in Love with ME by Christine Arylo

Have you been taking yourself for granted? Would you treat your best friend the way you treat yourself?

This book is about being your own best friend. Reading this book makes you aware of how you had been treating yourself.

Then, through powerful strategies and exercise, you will learn how to silence your inner critic and treat yourself kindly and respectfully… like you’d treat a best friend. For example, giving yourself first without feeling guilty.

This book is written primarily for women but the approach applies to anyone struggling to make friends with themselves.

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Yong Kang

Yong Kang

Hey there, I’m Yong Kang, best known as Nerdy Creator. I’m an author of seven books. I write about spirituality, self-compassion, and mindfulness. I love reading books, especially non-fiction. The list above is a combination of what I have read and my research. Each year, I create a Top 10 list of my favorite books.