Happy Valentines Day to all my love birds, gal pals, Valentine holiday haters, and everybody else! However you feel about Valentines is fine, to each their own. I’m here to talk about something universal; Self Love.
I’m sure you’ve heard the quote something along the lines of; ‘ You can’t love someone without loving yourself first.’ Well that is very true, but that’s another deep conversation that we’re not doing today.
But to touch on this a little… with time and life experiences passing by; you learn more about yourself as you go. You learn what you want and don’t want in life (this applies to relationships, friendships, jobs, and how you spend your time.) I wanted to share this blog as a reminder that you are the most important relationship there is to have, everything else stems from you.
In recent years I’ve learned that Self Love is a constant journey. It’s not a perfect relationship, and that’s the beauty of it. It’s always going to be ever changing, but you want it to be ever lasting. To me Self Love starts with showing up for yourself, being consistent with yourself, and being self aware. I know I’m just beginning to scratch the surface in life on how deep this relationship with myself is, but I look forward to the constant growth and acquiring a deeper understanding of myself as life goes on. I continue to learn so much from others around me and their own perspective on this.
This is what Self Love looks like to me
Setting Boundaries. This means saying NO when you want to say NO, having people respect your space and decisions. Also, not letting anyone disrespect you and make you feel uncomfortable. Don’t be afraid to politely decline a conversation or situation that you don’t want to be a part of, the right people will understand.
Being Patient with Yourself and Forgiving. Sometimes we get down on ourselves for ‘messing up’ or ‘not having it all together, all the time’ and tend to overthink what we just said or did, when in reality no one is giving a second thought to it. Just focus on what can be done differently moving forward in order to correct it, you can’t adjust the past. Also acknowledge that you are human, and are constantly growing from your experiences, life is Ebb and Flow.
“You made the best decision you could with the information you had at the time.”
Prioritizing Yourself. What I mean by this, is to make sure you communicate your needs and express when you need help understanding something. No one else is going to take care of you better than yourself, because others can only follow the example you set for them.
Spending Time with Yourself. Life gets hectic, but it’s important to set that ‘Me Time.’ This also goes hand in hand with setting boundaries. Take time to clear your mind, write out your thoughts, take deep breaths and enjoy the moment with yourself.
This post isn’t me telling you to be selfish and block out the world. My main takeaway from this is to start listening to that inner voice, choose to take the journey of Self Love, but more importantly be kind to yourself. It’s not always easy but it’s worth it.
XOXO Your Wandering Flamingo
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