It’s February, the month of the heart; the month of love. Maybe even it’s the month of self-love? And what, exactly, does that mean? Can we really come to learn to love ourselves? How can we foster the concept of self-love in our lives?
Perhaps it starts just with being gentle and kind to ourselves, by not being so critical and judgmental towards ourselves.
When I think of wellness, I think of balance in the body, mind and spirit. And when I use that lens to think of self-love, then I have to think about how to try to bring and maintain balance in my own life, to my body, mind and spirit.
What is it that I do to promote balance in my body? How do I chose to nourish my physical body? What foods are in alignment with what I know my body needs? Am I giving myself enough water? Do I move my body in ways that stretch and strengthen it? Do I get enough rest to keep my body healthy and strong? And if there are particular issues that need attention, am I creating the space and time to take care of these issues?
And how am I caring for my mind? Am I supporting it with the proper nutrients to enhance brain function? Am I avoiding flooding my brain with sugar and other toxins? Do I get adequate rest to keep my mind sharp? And am I focusing on those things that are important to me and trying to avoid spending excess time on superfluous distractions?
And am I making choices that tend to my spiritual needs? Do I make time to foster a spiritual practice of meditation or prayer, of walking in nature, of reading or listening to music that allows me to foster that deep connection with something bigger than myself?
Practicing self-love, I would argue, means doing these things that serve our highest purpose, that care for ourselves and that help keep us in alignment and in balance with our entire selves.