Your Guide to Self-Love

Be Your Own Valentine: Your Guide to Self-Love

February 13, 2023

Be Your Own Valentine: Your Guide to Self-Love. The relationships we have with ourselves are equally important as the relationships we have with others. Why? Because the relationships we form with ourselves create a foundation for other relationships in life. The more we put into loving ourselves and treating ourselves with love, respect, and kindness, the better we can build and maintain other positive relationships. The fact is, it can be hard to love other people the way they deserve, ​​unless we love ourselves first.

Sometimes, practicing self-love can be quite a challenge as we tend to be our own worst critic. We judge ourselves harshly because we set high standards for ourselves and sometimes set unrealistic expectations or benchmarks. We blame ourselves, think we are not good enough, compare ourselves to others, and we even sabotage our own successes. We seek approval and want to fit in. We immerse ourselves in our heartaches and so many emotions dance around in our heads.

Self-love reminders:

"Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out?" -Ian Wallace

"Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option." -Mark Twain

“Love yourself so much that when someone treats you wrong, you recognize it.”-Rena Rose

“We are each gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and our adventure to discover our own special light.” -Mary Dunbar

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”-Ralph Waldo Emerson

It takes commitment and courage to change our inner voice and personal actions to allow ourselves to be who we were born to be. We all have it within us. We are all uniquely us, and sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we are worth all of the positive efforts we give to others. It is OK to love ourselves unconditionally and to put our own wellbeing first.

Here are 20 ways you can practice self-love and Be Your Own Valentine today, tomorrow, and always:

  1. Light a few candles and take a hot bubble bath
  2. Forgive yourself and practice forgiveness, it will lighten your soul
  3. Stop comparing yourself to others, you are enough
  4. This life is your journey, be present
  5. Take some ME time. Go off the grid for a day and relax
  6. Take yourself out on a date: a movie, your favorite dining spot
  7. Buy something for yourself that makes you feel good: a new outfit, a plant
  8. Set healthy boundaries. It is OK to say NO!
  9. Love yourself just as you are
  10.  Strive to live healthier each and every day
  11.  Don't dwell on the past, focus on your future
  12.  Surround yourself with people who support you, lift your spirits
  13.  Trust and believe in yourself
  14.  Change your self-talk, think positive, optimistic, and avoid negative thinking patterns
  15.  Say goodbye to toxic relationships
  16.  Your needs matter! It is OK to put YOU first and to stand up for yourself
  17.  Remember that it is OK to ask for help, to ask for advice
  18.  Remind yourself that you deserve success
  19.  Say YES to living your best life
  20.  Dare to dream, dare to take chances

Learning to love and appreciate ourselves is very powerful. We can learn to love ourselves through our weaknesses and strengths, our mistakes and triumphs, our guilt and innocence, and all of our imperfections. We can love ourselves through every shape and size we are. To practice self-love, we have to take care of ourselves emotionally and physically. We have to be our own Valentine every day for the rest of our lives. Our lives are our canvas, our screenplay, and we are the artists and writers of our own journey. Remember: Self-love is not selfish!

Be Your Own Valentine

Tammy J. Colter is an OH staff writer and has proudly served the ObesityHelp community since 1999, helping members and professionals alike. Tammy wears many hats at ObesityHelp, she works as an author, editor, and account manager. Read more articles by Tammy!