A Note to Self

By: Valerie Reyes Editor-in-Chief

February is the month all about love. But it doesn't have to be just about being in relationships and valentines, it can also be about self-love and self-care.

When it comes to self-love, there are many ways to go about taking care of yourself. Now is a great time to make yourself a priority as we are still fresh into the new year. www.bbrfoundation.org says, “Self-love is a state of appreciation for oneself that grows from actions that support our physical, psychological and spiritual growth. Self-love means having a high regard for your own well-being and happiness.” This is a journey that may be easier for some and harder for others.

A good way to start is by setting small goals for yourself that you know you can accomplish. Once you start seeing those goals being made, it will motivate you to keep pushing yourself.

As you’re making your goals and working towards them, take baby steps to practice self-love such as saying words of affirmation to yourself every day. A big part of your self-love journey is changing how you talk to yourself because it can be easy to be hard on yourself. If you don’t know where to start, there are many self-love books out there that can be used as a guide.

During your self-love journey find things that will bring enjoyment, whether it would be journaling about your days, meditating, exercising or disconnecting from technology for a few minutes. See what is working for you and what isn’t, then, from there start incorporating these things into your daily life. “Engaging in a self-care routine has been clinically proven to reduce or eliminate anxiety and depression, reduce stress, increase happiness and more. It can help you adapt to changes, build strong relationships and recover from setbacks.” says www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org. There are many things you can do to practice self-care; you just have to test different things out and find something that you look forward to doing every day.

Self-love doesn’t have to always be about eating healthy, getting enough rest and skincare, it’s okay to go out and treat yourself to some new clothes, shoes or even as crazy as getting a tattoo or piercing. If we take care of how we look physically, it can help us boost our confidence and feel great about ourselves.

University of St. Francis, Sophomore, Darcy Ancel says “Selflove isthe best kind of love because it helps us to take care of ourselves mentally, physically and emotionally. Self-love has an impact on how we see and treat ourselves."

While working on yourself during this journey, you want to make sure you have a great support system that you can rely on. It’s important to surround yourself with good people who will also push you to do your best or even take part in this journey with you because sometimes it can be hard to go through this alone. Be sure to know your worth and set boundaries within these relationships so you can be treated with respect.

You don’t just have to practice self-love during the month of love. Use February as the start of your journey to focus on how you can create a more confident and powerful version of yourself. Before you know it, you will reach your goals and feel https://kerrikeberly.com/2018/08/10/

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