WELLNESS
Loving others is a wonderful part of the human
experience. What if we
found ways to respect
ourselves holistically and
celebrate our love for ourselves at the same time
that we deeply honour
others?
lutely amazing you are.
Maybe it could be a very
inexpensive option, such
as going for a walk in the
fresh air or taking the time
to call or email cherished
friends and family members to let them know you
love them.
The truth is that the way
you treat yourself is the
very foundation of the
love relationships you will
allow yourself to have. If
you do not like yourself, if
you are disrespectful with
yourself because you feel
you don’t deserve better
treatment, that is also exactly the kind of relationship you will attract.
The following are some
things you can do to have
a different kind of Valentine’s Day:
THE GOOD NEWS...
The way you see yourself
can change. There is a
wonderfully simple saying
for how that can happen:
“Bring the body, the mind
will follow.” So what if, this
Valentine’s Day, you did
something absolutely fabulous for yourself? Maybe
it would be buying yourself
flowers or taking yourself
to the spa for a few hours
to celebrate how abso-
• Plan in advance to
spend time with people who help you feel
good about yourself,
rather than with those
who are a drain on
your energy and your
self-esteem.
• Choose to volunteer
with an organization
that radiates love to
our planet.
• Find a way to give love
to those less fortunate
~ for example, maybe
your local hospital
has babies who need
someone to hold them
for a little while, or perhaps there are animals at a local shelter
would love to have a
visit from you.
• Rather than continuing to believe the dysfunctional
message
- “You’re nobody till
somebody loves you”
- you can instead
choose to make an
awake, conscious decision to take care of
yourself holistically on
February 14th, while
holding your head
high and feeling proud
of yourself. What a
concept!
Whether you are in a
healthy significant relationship with another person at this time or you’re
not is in no way a reflection on your inner worth
or your ability to love.
And remember, you are
always in the most important relationship of your
life, 24/7 - the one that
you have with yourself.
How will YOU choose to
take good care of yourself on Valentine’s Day this
year?
Candace Plattor, M.A., R.C.C., is a therapist in private practice, specializing
in addictive behaviours such as alcohol and drug abuse, eating
disorders, gambling, internet addiction,