Ashley Madeline's...: 004. Valentines Day and Self-Love

Today is a day of love. Regardless if you choose to celebrate or not, it's a great day to acknowledge those that you love...although I hope you are doing that the other 364 days a year, as well. You don't need to have an intimate partner to celebrate today. I cannot tell you how much it drives me crazy when people complain about being single today. Today can be about anyone and everyone that you love in your life.

While I love love, I know that it is important to practice self-love. Most of us have heard that you cannot love someone until you love yourself. While this may be true at times, life is all about coexistence and balance. There are times that I'm not necessarily feeling great about myself, but that doesn't mean that I can't show love or feel love for my family, friends, or partner. Let's talk about a couple of ways we can practice self-love each and every day.

One way to practice self-love is through self-care. Self-care involves any intentional actions you take to nourish your physical, mental and emotional health. Some ways I practice self-care include taking a bath, writing, practicing yoga, meditating, watching a funny show, drinking coffee, going on a walk or hike, taking a nap, hanging out with my puppy, painting my nails, eating something healthy, connecting with someone I love, or taking photos. I think a great self-care practice is completing 3 self-care activities each day. Some days I am a self-care expert and other days I completely forget to take care of me.

Another way to practice self-love is by setting personal boundaries in your life. Boundaries are the limits we establish in relationships that allow us to identify what are safe, reasonable, and permissible ways for others to interact with us. Also, boundaries allow you to make a decision on how you choose to respond if someone crosses that limit. You can set emotional, physical, sexual, mental or spiritual boundaries.

For instance, one emotional boundary I have set in my relationships is name-calling. If someone I love or care about resorts to name-calling, then I get to tell them how it made me feel and then choose if I still will allow that person in my life. Setting boundaries can be challenging, but it is also very rewarding. You let people know how you deserve to be treated.

You'll feel more loving towards yourself if you set limits or say no to certain people or activities. It’s important to make sure that the people in your life are supportive. It is also vital to nurture the relationships that make you feel good about yourself. If you are feeling depleted either physically, emotionally or spiritually, identify why and and figure out what you can to do change that.