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What comes to mind when you think of February?
I’d venture to guess that most of us think of Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day is nice, for a Hallmark holiday, but it’s also a lot of pressure. You’ve got to find the right card, the right gift. And what if you’re not in a relationship? Then Valentine’s Day is a reminder of that fact. Ugh. Who needs it?
Nobody.
Still, Valentine’s Day exists. The month of love exists. So let’s take this chance to reframe it.
Show yourself some love
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So what does that mean, to show yourself love?
Lots of times when we talk about loving ourselves and self-care, we start rattling off all the things we can do to take better care of ourselves — our bodies, our mental health, our insomnia. Pretty soon we have a list, like this:
Sign up for yoga!
Start a journal!
Walk three miles every day!
Toss out the Tostitos and stock up on fruit!
Meditate, dammit!
Holy hell, I’m exhausted just reading all that. For sure, each of those things are good things to do for ourselves. We’ve even talked about them here. But maybe we don’t need more to do, or more to feel badly about not doing.
Maybe loving ourselves is a warm bath, a good book, a nice nap
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Now I’m not advocating you nap in the bathtub. That would be dangerous. And dumb. I’m simply suggesting we determine how we can show ourselves some love without putting more on our plate.
I’ve said this before, but I think it comes down to
Mindfulness
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You’ve worked all day. Maybe it was a crazy day. Maybe it was a run of the mill day. In either case, you can love yourself simply by thinking, “I did it. I got through. Go me!”
That’s mindfulness.
You have to attend a meeting (or appear in court — don’t ask!) on behalf of your kid. You’re stressed. You want it to be over. And then, bam, it’s over. Take a moment to recognize that you made it.
That’s mindfulness.
That’s self-love.
And practicing mindfulness and self-love helps build
Resilience
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But you knew I was going to say that.
It’s easy to forget all we’ve survived. But taking a moment to say, “Wow, I got through it,” pins that memory and its attendant strength in our mind, making it easier to recall the next time life throws us a lemon.
Your assignment for the next 7 days
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Is simply to notice the small wins and say “Go me!”
I realize I couched this entire newsletter in a “February, month of love” theme, but loving yourself is something to practice every day of every month of the year.
No signing up for yoga class required!
Thank you for joining me again, friends. I’ll see you next Saturday. Have a wonderful week and if you’re finding this information helpful, I hope you’ll encourage others to subscribe!