February 2023

It is February, the month of love.
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, you may be focusing on how to express your love to those closest to you. You may buy gifts and cards or plan a special dinner but how do you show yourself, love? Why is self-love often ignored or difficult to make part of your life?
Too often, you speak unkindly and sometimes downright cruelly to yourself. You nitpick everything you think is wrong with you and you often set unrealistic goals and then become angry with yourself for not achieving them. You can easily forgive others but you punish yourself for years for mistakes you made along the way. Why is it so difficult to be kind and gentle with yourself? Why is it acceptable to treat yourself in a manner that you would not treat anyone else? It is important to love yourself a little more. This can have a positive impact on all aspects of your life. Loving yourself can improve your mental health, increase your self-esteem, and improve other relationships in your life.
Top 5 Tips to Love Yourself a Little More
- Make time for self-care.
Self-care does not have to be an elaborate, expensive, time-consuming event. It can be anything that makes you feel relaxed and happy. Take some time to read that book you’ve been wanting to read. Have a DIY spa day at home. Try a new coffee or tea at a local coffee shop. Disconnect from social media for a few minutes and take that time to stretch your body.
2. Treat yourself
Allow yourself to treat yourself from time to time. Take yourself out to lunch when you have free time. Buy yourself flowers to brighten your home. Purchase a new journal to write in daily. Take a nap. Treating yourself is a little splurge to show yourself some love.
3. Be aware of your inner voice
We all have that little voice inside that guides us throughout the day. Pay attention to your inner voice’s tone and comments. Is your inner voice negative and constantly telling you everything you are doing wrong? Is it telling you that you aren’t good enough or are unlovable? These thoughts often play continuously on autopilot in our minds. Be sure your inner voice is encouraging and supportive of you. If not, take time to reframe your thoughts to more positive ones. For example, instead of telling yourself, “I am not good enough” tell yourself, “I am a kind and funny person”.
4. Acknowledge the smallest wins
As you work toward your goals, you may be focused on the end, achieving the goal. Although there is nothing wrong with focusing on the result, you want to make sure you are acknowledging the steps you make in your journey. Too often you focus on the end and don’t fully take in the progress and growth it took to get there. Celebrate the smallest victories along the way. These small victories add up to big victories in the end, don’t miss an opportunity to celebrate progress.
5. Stop comparing yourself to others
It is easy to do, you notice someone on social media who seems to have a perfect life. This makes you think you are less than this person or it intensifies your insecurities and thoughts about yourself. STOP doing that! Nothing positive comes out of comparing yourself to others. Remember, everyone is trying to figure out their lives and even when it appears to be “perfect” online, perfect does not exist. We are all on our journeys and comparing yourself to others brings no benefit to your life. Focus instead on your life and what your ideal life looks like. Once you have an image of that, you can start setting goals to achieve a life that brings you happiness and fulfillment.
Loving yourself can have a positive impact on your life. Take time to show yourself some love this Valentine’s Day and everyday.