give yourself the gift of a healthier, happier you!
Valentine’s day is here! Being from Iceland, Valentine’s Day was known as a historical religious day when Saint Valentine was martyred, and never really celebrated. So, it’s fascinating to me all the attention given to finding your love, being in love and showing love on this special day from exchanging Valentine’s cards, themes in blockbuster movies, and chocolate giving everywhere.
On Valentine’s Day, it seems there is quite a bit of pressure to remember the flowers, chocolates, wine, romantic dinners and of course a special card, and just be in love. But what if you don’t have a partner, are not in love, or just don’t feel like celebrating – how do you feel the love?
I’ve always believed that giving love to others starts with loving yourself—the person that you are. As a matter of fact, one could argue that the foundation of loving yourself is necessary for you to be able to truly love someone else.
We have always lived in a society where constant comparison seems to be the norm, but since the rise of social media, this practice of comparison has multiplied, making it more and more difficult to love yourself fully, but here is what I’ve found to be helpful:
- Find your moral compass — your purpose and principles. Ask yourself, how do I want to live my life? Writing this down helps me to discover and create a framework. Once that is done, all decisions are made more simply, with my moral compass in mind. What a relief!
- Stop comparing yourself to others — the grass isn’t always greener on the other side! I try to focus on MY journey.
- Don’t worry about the opinions of others — it’s impossible to make everyone happy. I try to let go of societal expectations. They only slow us down.
- Make mistakes — the only way to grow and learn.
- Be kind to yourself and put yourself first — saying yes to myself has really helped me.
I have always been a very physical person, so I get much of my confidence from sports. But, to be complete, I need mental and spiritual well-being as well, and in later years have started meditating and finding spiritualism through love. A large part of my purpose for this is to help people. I believe that with love and compassion we can make our world an even better place to live in. I have personally gone through the five steps above, and found that I have started to love the person that I am, and feel happier and more confident each day. And as a result, I feel that I have more love to give and share with others, and what could be better?
If you feel a need to love yourself more fully, take advantage of Valentine’s Day to try the five steps above and share the love. And don’t forget to give love to your body—and help your body to love you back.
This Valentine’s Day try something that will make YOU feel good and feel the love, inside and out!
