Valentine's Day is a day that can be tough for many people. Our capitalistic world tells us in order to feel loved on February 14 someone, other than ourselves, must do something elaborate to demonstrate that love for the world to see. People spend money they can't afford to make us, and themselves, feel like they have kept up with the Joneses. Women feel bad about themselves if their partner doesn't give them something that they can post on social media to show the world just how special someone else thinks we are. But do we treat ourselves like we are special?
We shouldn't need someone else to send us flowers, a card, a teddy bear or chocolate to feel loved. We need to spend more time and energy loving ourselves. We can't love or be loved if we don't love ourselves and demonstrate that self love each and every day. How do we start to show the world and ourselves that we love ourselves? It's the simple things that matter when it comes to self love and self care. And best of all self love and self care don't have to cost a thing! Think of all the ways you neglect yourself each and every day and reverse that. Here's some easy examples to get you started . . .
- get 30 extra minutes of sleep
- take the time to enjoy a hot bath rather than your typical quick shower
- cook yourself a healthy meal
- walk outside for 5 minutes with the purpose of enjoying the fresh air
- call a friend that you've been missing just to say hello
These examples demonstrate just how easy it can be to start to show yourself some love. And it doesn't have to cost a thing. Of course, there are lots of ways to spend money but the point is you don't have to. There are many small adjustments we can make in our day to day lives to take care of ourselves. If we don't take care of ourselves we won't have the energy to take care of others. And, do you know how hard it is to love someone who doesn't love themselves? If we want someone else to love us we need to show them that we love ourselves by the way we take care of ourself. So on this Valentine's Day make self love your top priority. I promise you won't regret it.
#SelfLove #DrT4ABetterWorld #ReclaimReframeRenew #BlackPsychiatrist #MentalHealthAwareness #TherapyforBlackGirls
