Even before this month started, reminders of Valentine’s Day already flooded our waking hours. Streets, malls, and stores were filled with flowers, candies, and stuffed toys. Red and heart-shaped decorations were everywhere. People have been posting on social media about their Valentine’s day plans, gimmicks, and celebrations.
Of course, February is a celebration of love. My Valentine, Tatang, and I are blessed to have been celebrating for 36 years (and counting).
With all the Valentine’s Day excitement, I hope you haven’t forgotten the most important person in your life—YOU, of course!
Love starts with the SELF. Remember, we can’t share what we don’t have. The same is true with love. Before we love others, we must first love ourselves.
“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” —Lucille Ball
Instead of telling you how to love yourself, I would like to share some of the ways I practice my self-love.
Start and end each day with meditation.
I’m a big believer in meditation. It jumpstarts my day. If I don’t meditate after waking up in the morning, the rest of the day won’t feel right. Meditating before I go to bed at night also helps give me a restful sleep.
It doesn’t have to be long and complicated. Find the meditation style that works for you. It can also be in different forms, like prayer or exercise like yoga.
If you’d like to explore, I recommend Calm. It’s an app for sleep and meditation.
Surround yourself with the right people.
We’ve heard of “eliminating toxic people from our lives.” Perhaps there would be less toxic people in our lives if we surround ourselves with the right ones.
I recently saw this on social media.
The people surrounding us are a reflection of us.
I’m thankful for my family, friends, and students. Thank you to the people who surround me and help me be strong.
Celebrate yourself.
Embrace compliments. This is one of the most simple ways to celebrate yourself but, it does wonders to your confidence and self-awareness.
Accept and say “thank you” when people say something nice to you like…
You are beautiful.
Wow! You’ve lost weight.
You did a good job!
You’re so smart.
I want to be just like you.
I’m so proud of you.
Ibang klase ka! (You’re one of a kind!)
You inspire me.
Remember to compliment yourself as well. It’s not about bragging. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging your strengths.
Keep making plans.
Sometimes, our busy life swallows us up. We get so overwhelmed with our everyday responsibilities that we forget to look ahead. We forget to make plans for a dream-filled future.
I trust, live, and enjoy God’s plans for me. I keep updating my vision board with new goals. When the time is right, God will open doors.
Remember to make plans for YOU, aside from those involving the people in your life.
***
Hopefully, my approach to self-love inspires you.
Don’t forget to also celebrate love any day of the year. Let’s love our SELF and the important people in our lives like every day is Valentine’s Day. Happy Hearts Month everyone!
