Self-Love vs. Self-Care: The Real Difference and Why It Matters

Written By Catherine Roten

In this episode, I talk about:

  • The key difference between self-love and self-care

  • Why self-love is about being, not doing

  • Simple ways to bring more love and presence into your daily routine

The Powerful Shift

I’m sharing something that completely shifted the way I think about taking care of myself…the real difference between self-love and self-care.

This realization hit me while I was at the Soul Led Speaker Training with Stephanie Ross, where I got to connect with so many incredible women, and even speak. One of them, Cailee, shared something so simple yet so powerful: Self-care is what we do. Self-love is how we be.

That moment stopped me in my tracks. Because while I’ve always talked about self-care, the workouts, the healthy meals, the routines, I hadn’t realized how much I didn’t realize the difference in this versus being. The part where I simply sit with myself, feel present, and allow myself to rest, reflect, and receive.

In this episode, I unpack what self-love actually looks like, why it’s so different from self-care, and how I’m learning to make space for both. It’s a short reflection, but one that I hope helps you see your own practices in a new light.

Catherine Roten