February 14th is the holiday of love. A day when we easily say "I LOVE YOU" and immerse ourselves in a romantic atmosphere. We buy something special for a loved one or go out of our way to do something that demonstrates our affection. We give flowers, chocolate, cards. And showing our love makes us truly happy. Because being in love is wonderful, isn't it? You have more energy and enthusiasm for life. You have a positive outlook on everything, even the most mundane tasks. Research clearly shows that falling in love has many health benefits, including lowering stress and blood pressure. Feelings of affection and sympathy increase dopamine, which improves our mood and motivation, and also stimulates oxytocin, which helps eliminate pain.
The fact is, being in love is good for us. But what if we haven't met the right person to fall in love with yet? And why should we rely on someone else to fill our hearts with love when all we need is to love ourselves? When we start loving ourselves more every day, it's amazing how our lives become better. We feel better, we look better.
It's so easy to conclude that loving ourselves is essential to our overall well-being, happiness, and success. We just need to focus our energy on falling in love with ourselves. It sounds simple, but unfortunately it's not. Quite the opposite.
Love is often defined as “deep appreciation.” Given this definition, how do we nurture this deep appreciation for ourselves?
Of course, here comes the cliché that we should accept ourselves as we are, with all our flaws, weaknesses and failures. But in love, what is important is care, attention, understanding, kind words and so much more. Taking time for the person you love, creating special moments. Just as any good relationship requires attention and needs to be nurtured over time, so does the relationship we have with ourselves.
Studies show that unrealistic expectations and perfectionism can be our worst enemy on the path to loving ourselves. In the world we live in, “beauty standards” crush us with every social media post. And so, without realizing it, we don’t like ourselves. Along the way, our creator Stephanie has found self-love through struggling with skin imperfections.
“ In my personal battle with skin imperfections and overcoming the insecurities associated with them, I discovered something much more than striving for perfect skin. I realized that every line and every pimple or spot is a sign that I am just a person and that there are no perfect people. This process of self-acceptance and positive thinking taught me how valuable true self-care is - not only through cosmetics, but also through kindness and understanding of our own needs and feelings. This is how I learned to take the necessary care of myself and live in harmony, without reproaching myself for not being able to reach the imposed stereotypes of beauty. I share this with you as a reminder not to be hard on yourself and that each of us has our own unique beauty that deserves to be appreciated and loved exactly as it is. ”
Here are 5 tips from her on how to learn to love yourself:
-Rejoice in the small successes every day and note them. Review what you have written at the end of the week. Whether it's a whole week of skincare routine, a whole week of workouts, walks, or reading books. You are better now and you will see how you become happier!
-Do something nice for yourself regularly. Buy yourself flowers, book a massage, a facial, or just take a day off. Don't put it off, don't think you don't need it. You would do it for someone else, but why not for yourself?
-Be your own best friend. Think about how supportive and empathetic you are to your best friends. Be that way to yourself too. Remember that the only person who thinks about you all the time is you.
-Forgive yourself for your mistakes. Constantly blaming yourself for what you did or didn't do in the past is unproductive and prevents you from moving forward. All that matters is the present and the person you are now. Understand that failures, mistakes, and setbacks teach us valuable lessons. Look for opportunities to grow professionally and personally, building on all your failures, and be careful going forward.
"Don't look for love in the wrong places and in other people before you are ready to give it to yourself. Know your worth so that others can appreciate it too."
Valentine's Day shouldn't be the only day on the calendar when we show our deep appreciation for others and ourselves. Make self-love a daily habit for your happiness and success.