… Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all
– Whitney Houston
Every February we are bombarded with pressure to participate in showy displays of “love” by way of candy hearts, flowers, and romantic surprises in honor of Valentine’s Day. Not only does it get overwhelming, it is also alienating for people who find themselves single at this time of year. Instead of falling for all the materialistic hype, choose instead to concentrate on giving yourself the greatest love you can!
Loving yourself, not in a superficial sense but rather in an unconditional way, is the most important gift we can give ourselves. It makes you feel comfortable in your skin, nourishes your soul and makes it much easier for us to share love with others.
Here are just a few suggestions:
- Start the day with positive affirmations – Carmen Harra says, “We have to be very careful with our words, choosing to speak only those which work towards our benefit and cultivate our highest good. Affirmations help purify our thoughts and restructure the dynamic of our brains so that we truly begin to think nothing is impossible.”
Tell yourself “I am” statements with confidence and loving kindness until you truly believe them: “I am in control of my words and actions.” “I am beautiful.” “I am strong.” “I am powerful.” “I am worthy.” “I am loved.” - Ensure that your body receives all the nutrients it needs to thrive – This is one of the most important ways you can show yourself love! Don’t be fooled by marketing campaigns for synthetic “food” that will often leave you feeling depressed, irritable, and addicted. Flood your body with the foods that you love and in exchange also love you back like fresh fruits, veggies and other whole foods. Opt for real honey or coconut sap sugar instead of processed sugar, opt for unbleached, non-enriched, whole grain flour instead of white flour, and go for mineral-rich sea salt as opposed to the nutrient-stripped, heart-damaging white salt. Enjoy a rainbow of foods, especially plenty of GREEN foods. These superfoods contain chlorophyll (a natural detoxifier) which can help release all those toxins that make you feel sluggish, giving you a boost of natural energy and helping you maintain a sense of calmness.
- Get moving, get outside – You don’t have to kill yourself at the gym to be healthy. Find something fun to do that also gets your blood pumping. Ride a bicycle, play a game of volleyball, go for a run with a friend, play catch with your children, do yoga in the park, roller skate, take a walk… and be sure to enjoy the sunshine & fresh air whenever possible! These are all surefire ways to improve your mood while also improving your body’s ability to take care of you. Don’t focus on losing weight, focus on staying healthy!
- Stay informed, learn something new every day – Knowledge is power and ignorance is not bliss … at least not for long! Learn a new skill, take up a new hobby, join a book club. Not only does learning new things naturally help your brain and encourage the prevention of neuro-degeneration, it will also help you to make more informed decisions for yourself and therefore encourage your well-being in more ways than can be addressed in this small space!
- Do not let guilt get the better of you! Your children, your spouses, your friends, your siblings and anyone else who loves you will all greatly benefit, both indirectly and directly, from you taking the time to get healthy. Do not feel guilty for taking the time to savor clean, yummy food, to exercise and have fun, or to relax & de-stress with a book and a bath, or a massage, etc. You not only deserve this time- your body and soul NEED it. Taking the time to do this for yourself will help improve your outlook and attitude on life, which can only be a good thing for everyone else around you too.
Loving yourself is the gift that keeps giving. It makes you more complete, it improves your life perspective and it makes you an inspiration – the utmost benefit to those that you love. In honor of Valentine’s Day, we encourage all of you to find ways to give yourself “the greatest love of all” …and encourage you to continue to do so, every day!