Healthy February

Hey you! Did you know that you're very special? There is no other person in this world like you. You deserve to be loved not only by those around you but by the most important person in your life — YOU. That statement above is hard for most of us to hear and when someone does give you a compliment it is usually followed by a but...but if I was 20lbs lighter, but if I just had a better job, but if I drove a nicer car, but, but, but...

Practicing self-love has been the most challenging for me. I can list 50 things wrong about me in 8secs and take an hour to list two things that I love. What the heck does loving myself mean? Are we talking about bubble baths, pedicures, and shopping? Nope! Self love isn't about being self-absorbed or narcissistic; it’s about getting in touch with ourselves, our well-being and our happiness. YOU can go to the gym everyday and pick up weights and run on a treadmill, but if you are missing that one thing that connects it all together the only thing gained are the calories burned. Adding the exercise of self-love we can push through our limiting beliefs and live a life that allows us to take those amazing compliments from others and feel good about ourselves.

This February do yourself a favor, take a deep breath, give yourself a little hug and start practicing the following to love yourself.

1. Start each day by telling yourself something really positive. How well you handled a situation, how lovely you look today. Anything that will make you smile.
    
2. Fill your body with things that nourishes it and makes it thrive.
    
3. Move that gorgeous body of yours every single day and learn to love the skin you’re in. You can’t hate your way into loving yourself.
    
4. Don’t believe everything you think. There is an inner critic inside of us trying to keep us small and safe. The downside is this also stops us from living a full life.
    
5. Surround yourself with people who love and encourage you. Let them remind you just how amazing you are.
    
6. Stop the comparisons. There is no one on this planet like you, so you cannot fairly compare yourself to someone else. The only person you should compare yourself to is you.
    
7. End all toxic relationships. Seriously. Anyone who makes you feel anything less than amazing doesn’t deserve to be a part of your life.
    
8. Celebrate your wins no matter how big or small. Pat yourself on the back and be proud of what you have achieved.
    
9. Step outside of your comfort zone and try something new. It’s incredible the feeling we get when we realize we have achieved something we didn’t know or think we could do before.
    
10. Embrace and love the things that make you different. This is what makes you special. Be realistic. There is no person on this earth that is happy every single moment of every single day. You know why? Because we are all human. We make mistakes, we feel emotions (good and bad) and this is OK. Allow yourself to be human.
     

"You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection." ~Buddha