[Self] Love is in the Air
When most people think of February, I find that their minds usually go to Valentine’s Day, “the day of love”. People are usually busy buying their significant others Valentines and planning what to do on that day to show the other person that they are loved. While it’s important to show your partner that you love them, I wholly heartedly believe that it’s also vital to show yourself that you love you.
Whether you’re in a relationship or not, it’s important for us to know what healthy love looks and feels like. A lot of the times, healthy love first looks like healthy SELF love. In my personal and professional experience, we as humans are so ready to pour into others and tend to neglect ourselves. We give and give and give and seem so fearful of “taking”. How come? Personally, I don’t think we have done a good enough job of normalizing the importance of taking care of ourselves and prioritizing loving ourselves. It’s all about “getting out what you put in”, “the grind” and “hustling”. But what if I gave myself that same energy? We tend to put ourselves and our needs last and give all that we have into our relationships without taking a moment to grow the relationship we have with ourselves. Again, how come? We are all worthy of the love we give to others. Read that last statement again and memorize it.
If you’re unsure where to start and you’re asking yourself “how do I do that?”, here are a few ideas:
- Setting your own boundaries and saying “no”- Admittedly, I have been on a boundary soapbox lately. Boundaries are so important, and people will begin to respect your boundaries once you start respecting and reinforcing your own boundaries. You are allowed to define what this looks like for you. Remember, “No” is a complete sentence and rest is not a reward.
- Prioritizing your mental and physical health- Please for the love of all that is good, make and keep all of your appointments! Get that physical, schedule that dental cleaning, go ahead and make that therapy appointment. Yes, this requires time and energy, but wouldn’t you use that same time and energy for someone else? Show up for yourself by taking care of yourself.
- Celebrating your wins and being kind to yourself- I know this one can be a difficult one for some people. We tend to minimize our achievements and forget all the progress we’ve made. Life is lifeing right now, so please give yourself kudos and acknowledge how far you’ve come!
- Forgiving yourself when you make a mistake- Another difficult one for some people but an important one. We all make mistakes and most of the time, these mistakes aren’t as “major” as we think they are. Sure, people might remember something you’ve said or done but we are all humans, and we all make mistakes. Forgive yourself and keep moving forward as best as you can.
- Practicing gratitude- At the beginning or end of each day, list the things that you are grateful for. A lot of the times, we get through the day without realizing that we made it through. That, in and of itself, can be something to be grateful for.
- Spending time with people who support you and build you up- I don’t think we realize just how much the people around us impact how we view ourselves, our moods, where we go in life, etc. Whether you believe it or not, the people around you have influence over you. Surround yourself with people who build you up.
This isn’t an “end all, be all” list, but it can be a start. I hope you begin to prioritize yourself and show up for yourself with the same energy and consistency as you do for others.