Self Love for the Soul
Ahhh, yes, Valentine's Day/weekend...This holiday can bring up a lot of feelings depending on your perceptions and expectations. There can be a lot of pressure surrounding this weekend to be a part of some extraordinary romantic fantasy and/or to measure our current reality up against the perceived reality of others. It can be difficult to turn our attention to the inside with this external pressure coming so fast from the outside.
So, let's take a deep breath, and remember, that we are together...and can take this opportunity to implement tools of self love.
Often, in our childhood, we are taught that "self love" is synonymous with "selfish" and this could not be farther from the truth. For many of us, we learned that the giving and receiving of love to/with others is most important, but without loving ourselves, we miss out on the deepest kind of love we can have. The truth is, we cannot truly love others until we love ourselves.
I’m here to say…self love is the biggest gift we can not only give to ourselves, but any human in our lives. Modeling the daily practice of self-love is how we teach our children (and loved ones) self-esteem, appreciation, and self-care. By creating a deeper, less critical relationship with ourselves, we can better love on those around us.
As we begin to define this precious tool...Here are a few definitions I have discovered over the years...
SELF LOVE IS....
full acceptance: of our failings and flaws and loving ourselves anyway.
embracing: our talents and beauty
taking care: of our body, mind, and spirit
patience: with your shortcomings
mindfulness: paying attention to our thoughts and emotions without judgement
being present: in our relationships, with our kids, with our partners, with our life
With this weeks challenge, we are joining forces to push back the inner critic voices of "not enough" and turn up the inner compassion voice of unconditional love...and we are directing this love to our inner child...because that little one in all of us is truly deserving of our love. Everyday.
SELF-CARE
Mirror Exercise:
The quote above is from Louise Hay, a motivational author and the founder of Hay House. She authored several self-love and healing books, including, "You Can Heal Your Life".
Action Step:
Take a few minutes and breathe. Allow yourself to sit or stand in front of the mirror. Looking in your own eyes, face to face, find that inner child (see yourself as a 4 year old).
And tell that little one, "I love you. I am here with you always."