Love Yourself

Traditionally, Valentine’s Day has been a celebration of love between couples and loved ones. The 14^th of February is filled with gift giving and the expression of love for others. However, in a world filled with chaos and confusion, many people have forgotten how to love themselves.

Life comes at us fast and very often the hustle of the day becomes a distraction. It is a way for us to avoid facing ourselves and truly learning who we are and where we are at mentally, physically, and spiritually. Many of us try to run from our past trauma and do not take the time to understand or comprehend our feelings and emotions. When you do this, you prevent yourself from loving yourself. Life is about accepting who you are. We are all journeying on a path that is not always straight and easy. There are many winding roads and obstacles that we must face. There are times where we will disappoint ourselves and others but we cannot allow that to define who we are. Our failures are just steppingstones to improvement. True love of self comes from accepting our flaws and short-comings and actively working to improve them. It comes from rising when you fall and accepting the things about yourself that you cannot change. True love of self is when you take some time in your day to treat yourself, pray, meditate, exercise or engage in any other activity that helps you to relax, focus and face the challenges that are before you.

This Valentine’s Day I encourage you to show the world of love to others but I also encourage you to show some love to yourself. You are meant to be loved and appreciated and that begins with you spending sometime in selfcare. You cannot love another whole heartedly, unless you have learnt to love yourself. This does not mean that you should engage in self destructive behaviours without any concern for the consequences but rather it means spending some time trying to understand why you engage in dangerous or toxic behaviours and looking at the ways in which you can improve. The journey of self-love is not a selfish one but rather one in which you improve so that you can be a better friend, lover and member of your community. Your ultimate goal is to become the best version of yourself so that you can contribute to the creation of the best version of society. So, love yourself today and every day.

Sending love and peace your way.