7 Self-Love and Self-Worth Poems That Pull on the Heartstrings

Self-love and self-worth are important notions that many people struggle to grasp. While gaining insight about introspective feelings can be achieved by any means, there are certain tools that allow you to express your ideas about these emotions in a more effective way.

One of these tools is poetry. Poems can either help you express the feelings you experience or generate new thoughts, which inspire you to look at things from a different perspective.

Whether it's about love for yourself or for others, poetry can help you understand and embrace the beauty of being human.

Here are 7 poems about self-love and self-worth where I explore my feelings about worthiness and belonging.

(I find poetry is a great medium for expressing myself and finding meaning in life.)

7 Self-Love Poems Worthy of Reading

I've heard it said

that self-worth comes from within.

To feel strong and true,

you must be content with where you've been.

It's so tempting to look around,

to compare yourself to others,

and measure your worth by what you've found.

But you're more than a number.

You're more than the sum of what happened to you in the past.

You are more than the mistakes that you've made.

You are more than the words people say when they don't know how to love you, or just don't care enough to try.

I have been walking down this road for a long time now.

I have seen friends fall away, and I have seen friends walk away.

Sometimes I think that my life has been wasted,

but then I see someone smiling and trying to move forward despite facing a myriad of obstacles.

I have to keep moving forward, too, even as I walk with uncertain steps.

I am not the same person that I was years ago,

and yet I still feel the same pain when others hurt me and when it's self-inflicted.

But now, through tears, I realize no one is going to fix this on this path I'm on,

because my heart can only be fixed by me.

My destination: I'm traveling to a beautiful garden.

In this garden grows a variety of flowers and plants.

In this garden grow some weeds that are trying to make it their own.

Often the weeds look so pretty, but they're toxic.

But there's one plant in the garden that's quite special.

This plant is called "self-worth" and it's so beautiful it can't be touched.

It's made from the most precious of materials: The things we think about ourselves.

No one can take this plant from you, but if you let them, they can make it their own.

I have been rejected,

and I have felt shame.

I have been afraid, and I have felt hopelessness.

But I still am worthy ...

because no one can take my worth from me, unless I let them.

I still move forward, trying to keep self-love and self-worth intact.

The garden beckons, and I have to take care of it.

I was always a little different.

I could never find my place in the world.

My mind would wander, and I'd take off,

flying high above the clouds.

They say that's bad.

They say to stay put.

But when I am up there, flying free,

I think of the great things I can be.

I want to be that person who gives people hope.

I want to be the one who gets people through the day.

I want to be successful.

I want to be loved.

But most of all, I want to unconditionally love myself - for once in my life ...

if only to resist gravity.

 I am not a victim of circumstance.

I am the master of my destiny.

I will follow my dreams to the very end.

I will achieve what I set out to do.

I am strong, and I am powerful.

Others look up to me for strength and guidance.

My power is derived from within, never from others.

I have unlocked my potential and I can use it as needed.

I am unique,

I cannot be replicated by anyone else.

My uniqueness is my greatest strength, and I will use it wisely.

My thoughts are clear and focused on the present moment.

My thoughts are not cluttered by self-doubt and uncertainty.

With a clear mind, I can move mountains with ease.

I can walk with my head held high in the gentle breeze.

I have a number of questions

I need to ask myself.

I have many things

I need to tell myself.

Please forgive me for not being honest with you.

For not being your friend,

but rather an enemy, at times.

I'm sorry that I've been so hard on you,

and I promise to never give up on you.

I hope you can forgive me and maybe even grow to love me again.

My feelings of self-love and self-worth are dormant, and I need to reawaken them within.

I wish I could see myself through loving eyes,

and not the ones that try to criticize.

I wish I could see myself as I am, in reality,

and not how people think I should be.

I wish I could see myself as a friend,

and not the way someone might want me to bend.

I wish I could see myself with an accepting heart,

and not with self-rejecting thoughts from the very start.

I wish I could notice the beauty all around me,

but it's tainted by self-doubt exceedingly.

I wish I could look at myself and see,

that who I am is who I want to be.

Every day I'm getting stronger,

and every day, that strength is getting sweeter.

I don't want to be afraid anymore.

I want my heart to stay open, even if it hurts.

I've had enough of the pain, and now it's time for something new.

My voice is rising like a wolf howling at the moon—it's coming alive and speaking my truth, and I want to listen to it.

I know now that I am worthy of love that is not conditional, and nothing will stop me from finding it.

I am a flower, blooming in the sun.

I am a bird, singing the praises of a new day.

I am a river, rushing and rippling on my way.

With each breath I take,

I feel strength in my body and mind,

strength to rise above any obstacle that comes across my path.

I choose loving and accepting myself, rather than self-loathing and self-wrath. 

Final Words - The Poetic Beauty of Loving Yourself and Knowing Your Worth 

Radiating through the poems, self-love is the idea that you believe you deserve to be treated well by yourself and others, and that you treat yourself with love.

Self-worth is how you define yourself as a person of value.

It’s important to note that self-love and self-worth are both necessary to live a healthy life, but also that they can come and go, or change in their intensity over time.

As you can see in the poems above, self-love and self-worth can fluctuate during your lifetime.

If you can draw upon a deep well of self-love and self-worth, you can more readily forgive yourself for errors you commit.

In the same way, if you struggle with self-love or self-worth in certain areas of your life, it may be helpful to look at those areas with fresh eyes.

Perhaps you have been underestimating how capable you are in those areas, or you realize mistakes are part of the human experience.

When we write poetry, we can explore our own emotions and understand more deeply what makes us tick.

When we explore our own emotions, we can come to a deeper understanding of ourselves, our history, and the world around us. In this way, poetry is self-empowering.

When we understand ourselves, we can find and express our truest selves in the world, which leads to greater self-love.

When we write about how the world affects us and how we see it changing for the better or worse, then we are exploring our place in the universe.

This helps us understand our own self-worth—how valuable and vital we are to the functioning of the universe.

When do you feel most like your true self?

What strengthens your sense of self-esteem? When do you feel you have great value?

Write about what you discover!