you're never alone

February is often celebrated as one of the most romantic months of the year. Although candy and flowers fill the shelves of local grocery stores while restaurants prepare for candlelit dinners, February isn’t all romance and roses for everyone.

I can remember many Valentine’s Day shared alone with my head buried in work, girlfriends, gossip and a glass of wine, and even the occasional disappointing date with “Mr. Right Now”. In other words, Valentine’s Day isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be for the lonely. February can be a fairly disappointing month for those of us reminded, that while others are celebrating partnership we ourselves feel very “alone”.

Traditional Valentine’s Day does us an injustice by making us believe that we need to look outside ourselves for somebody to make us feel whole or loved. True love is actually radiated from within our hearts and it requires us truly falling in love with ourselves to receive love in return. Don’t get me wrong, having partnership and somebody who we love and loves us in return is a beautiful thing and definitely part of the human experience but it isn’t the only piece. Buddha said,  “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”  His statement couldn’t be more correct about love.

So regardless of whether in partnership, marriage, friendship, or if you’re feeling completely alone this season it’s important to start the vital practices of Self Love! So what are some ways you can begin simply practicing self love? Here are just a few of my favorite practices:

• Alone Time

This may feel counter intuitive to those of us desperately seeking companionship. But it is the most vital part to getting to know ourselves. Take time to reflect on the things that you love about yourself. What makes you unique? What makes you different? What makes you special? These are all the reasons why you are lovable and why you deserve to love yourself deeply and be loved in return. Try this with meditation, journaling, or even simple silent reflection. It is the most important step in your journey to self love so practice it everyday.

• Self Care

Take time to spoil yourself. It is easy to get caught in the rigmarole of day-to-day life. Treat yourself as you would treat somebody special to you. We often find ourselves spoiling others to make them feel loved or important but how we care for ourselves says a lot to others about how to care for us in return. Being in the spa industry, spa and wellness treatments are my favorite way of self-care. They leave me relaxed and re-invigorated. Your self-care could be as simple as getting a massage, going to a yoga class, or getting some energy work! Whatever you choose make yourself a priority first!

• Cultivating Joy

This one has been a work in progress for me. Sometimes when we are alone it is easy to fill our time with activities that we believe are benefiting our future. Although planning for our future is extremely valuable it is very important to live in the moment. It’s hard to live in the moment when the moment is filled with what we perceive is loneliness. These moments either perpetuate depression or cultivate joy. Fill your moments with action and activity that bring you joy. I’m a creator so Joy for me comes when I’m creating something new. It could be a developing a new cleansing program or business plan. Find what makes you feel inspired! Whatever it may be, find something that excites you and fills your heart with happiness and make it part of your daily routine.

Constantly remind yourself that you are loved! You are adored by the people you influence on a daily basis. You are valued by all the staff here at Living Water Wellness, but most importantly you are loved by God and the Universe! So let’s get to loving ourselves!

Happy Valentine’s Day

*Gift yourself with one of our discounted Valentines Day Gift Certificates implementing Self Love, through Self Care. Click here to check out the promotion!

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