Will You Remember Self-Love This Valentine’s Day?
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, which means greeting cards are flying off the shelves to be given to loved ones.
If you were to write one to yourself, a Valentine’s Day card, that is, would it be as easy as writing one to someone else?
I ask this because as women, I find that we often do a better job at giving love than receiving it, while the hardest way to receive love is often from ourselves.
It’s even more challenging to love ourselves when big companies have HUGE budgets to spend on TV commercials and advertisements in order to make sure you feel like you’re not good enough, in some way, shape, or form, when it comes to your outer appearance especially in midlife…
Your hair is too gray.
Your wrinkles are ugly.
You need to lose weight to be happy.
You actually go out looking like that?!
It’s no wonder women find themselves looking “outward” for a product that they think is the answer to their problems.
Let’s also not forget all the emotional hurts and pains many bring from childhood into their adult life, sometimes still believing those negative things to be true – whether that being told to not get a second serving since summer is right around the corner or as a little girl watching the women in their life put so much attention on the “outside” and little, if any attention on the “inside” (i.e. improving how they feel about themselves regardless of outside appearance).
My hope is that as we approach Valentine’s Day this weekend, you put your attention on those you love and who love you, of course… but to not forget about self-love.
Having self-love doesn’t mean you are completely satisfied with how you look or feel; rather it means that you accept all parts of yourself by being gentle, compassionate, forgiving, and kind to yourself as you work on becoming the best version of YOU that you want to be.
If negative self-talk has been a part of your vocabulary since you were a little girl, it’s going to require some time, patience, and a shift in perspective.
While you may look in the mirror and see a woman in midlife who “should have it all figured out by now”, the little girl inside is yearning for more gentleness, more self-love.
As February 13th is Self-Love Day, I challenge you to think about how you can incorporate some small self-love practices in your life.
Anything and everything counts, no matter how small.
Perhaps this small act of self-love will snowball into something that becomes a regular practice.
That’s always my hope for you and if you can’t think of anything (or need a gentle nudge), perhaps I can help.
Schedule a time to talk with me during my Office Hours. Consider even that small action an act of self-love.
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Book a time to talk with me here.
