February is considered the month of love because of Valentine's Day, a nationally recognized holiday. It is not just about romance and sweethearts though. Instead, it can also be a month for self-care, self-love, and fostering relationships with family, friends, or someone special all while spreading the love by caring for others in your life.

But what about self-love? After all, the most important relationship we have, is the one we have with ourselves. Expressing self-love is one of the most important things we can do for our wellbeing, and it can be practiced in so many ways. Showing gratitude for ourselves and our personal accomplishments and holding ourselves with the highest regard is a way of prioritizing our own happiness.

How do we carve out the time for self-care with all our daily responsibilities though?

We want to share a few tips to help you along your journey of self-love this month:

• Extend your time per day to up your skincare routine, enjoy a bubble bath or hop in for some Botox or a HydraFacial. Allowing some you-time dedicated to detaching yourself from the outside (and online) world can do you a world of good. This self-dedicated time will allow you to truly feel grateful for the present moment regardless of any external stress you might be experiencing.
• Give yourself personal goals to work towards will help you motivate yourself; whether it’s long-term goals or short quick ticks off your to-do list. Feeling that you’ve completed something for yourself can provide the best sense of fulfilment and pride. This could be as simple as making your bed for the entire week or going on a bike ride (don’t forget to enjoy the scenery) or finally trying that laser treatment; something that only you can do for yourself.
• Stop comparing yourself to others because you are truly, uniquely you. Our favorite tag line is discovering the beauty of true confidence. All too often, we compare our achievements, looks and success to others but forget that there is only one unique version of ourselves and this is something to be celebrated! Comparing yourself to a version of someone you see online isn’t realistic and can impact your physical and mental health. Women are not happy, successful, or perfect 100% of the time, remember this when scrolling on your social media!
• Release yourself from toxic relationships or that job you have outgrown or anything weighing you down or holding you back. We tend to keep toxic things in our lives even when we know they are not bringing anything to the table in terms of friendship or joy. Respect yourself by cutting ties with the things that act as negative magnets in your life. The liberation you will feel will be greater than, and incomparable to, any other proud moment you’ve felt.
• Ask yourself "does it really matter?" Don’t be so hard on yourself and take things to heart. Does what he/she said really matter? On a greater scale, you cause yourself more stress by overthinking and caring about all the little things, when you should be taking note of the bigger things to come.

Finally...When our mental health suffers, our physical wellbeing will soon follow suit, so we should take care of our mind and it will take care of everything else. When we feel happy and content within ourselves, we are more likely to succeed in all areas. Remember the famous saying goes “if you can’t love yourself, how are you going to love others”.

Don’t forget to pay it forward by reminding someone daily how great they look; how nice their smile is - just because.

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you and remember to give us a call to get started on your journey of loving you!