Self Love Throughout Valentine’s Season
Make time for your biggest Valentine. What are you doing to show yourself love and acceptance this year?
Whitney Houston said it best:
"The greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all."
This February, I've been trying to focus on the love that matters most of all: our love for ourselves. The thing is, loving yourself isn't always easy to achieve. Whether it's struggling to embrace your body or dealing with tough issues in your past, the journey to self-acceptance can be challenging. I grew up hearing the message that it was selfish or prideful to take time for myself. And while kindness matters, I've learned that if I don't show up for myself, I can't show up for others. If I'm burned out, I can't provide support for the ones who need me. It's so important to occasionally give yourself the gift of turning down that extra obligation, taking a night in, or treating yourself to something fancy just because. Replenishing your stores of energy looks different for everyone. Maybe it's letting yourself cry on a friend's shoulder when you're having a hard day. Maybe it's choosing to honor your mind and body by eating food that's more nourishing. Maybe it's a long, indulgent morning yoga flow, reveling in what your body can do. Take a moment to think about how you show yourself love. How can you show up for yourself — the true love of your life — this Valentine's season?
This week, I also challenge you to pay attention to the way you talk and think about yourself. Do you criticize yourself for not getting everything on your to-do list done, for thoughts you can't control, or for the way your body looks? Would you speak to a friend in the way you speak or think about yourself? Try listing things that you appreciate about yourself, and count the qualities you admire about the person that you are. (If you're having a tough time with your list, don't be afraid to reach out to a friend or loved one; you may be surprised to hear the little things that they admire about you!) When you catch that inner voice being overly harsh, try to treat yourself as you'd treat a beloved friend, and refer back to the things that you love about who you've become. Because I know that you — the beautiful, unique, vibrant, hardworking you — have so much worth loving, if you only take the time to see it!
