The Hardest Person to Love Sometimes Is...

We've been talking L-O-V-E all this week on the blog in honor of V-Day and I know some of you might be rolling your eyes. If you're not really into the whole Valentines thing, I get it. I'm right there with you (although don't tell my kids). But keep reading. You need to hear this, okay.

Because today we're talking about the hardest person to love sometimes: You.

Yep, we're calling you out here. Cause we really need you to love yourself. We know that Valentine's Day can be hard for a lot of people. Maybe you're in a rough spot with your partner. Maybe you're grieving a loss. Maybe you just don't want to be reminded of all this lovey-dovey crap.

And that's okay.

But no matter what February 14th means to you (and especially if it sucks for you), we need you to remember that there's still a person in your life worthy of the utmost love. It's YOU.

So how can you love yourself, even when times are tough?

I'm all for fancy coffee drinks, indulgent books, and pedicures. Who isn't? But that's not the type of self-care and self-love I'm talking about here. No, I'm talking about the kind of self-care that can be a lot harder when it feels like your life is a mess.

I'm talking about taking time to meal plan and grocery shop so the weekly lunch-packing and dinner-making goes more smoothly.

I'm talking about saying no to binge-watching Netflix and instead going to bed early so you can catch up on sleep.

I'm talking about getting up early to exercise, meditate, or whatever it is you wish you had more time to do each day.

I'm talking about pushing through feelings of guilt and making yourself and your needs a priority every once in a while.

I'm talking about looking in the mirror and saying something nice to yourself each day. Because it's important to talk to ourselves the same way we talk to our kids, partners, and loved ones.

So, ask yourself: How often do you do any of the above things for yourself? And be honest. If the answer is rarely or never, then we want you to fix that ASAP. We want you to be your own Valentine. Be kind to yourself. Tell yourself something nice. Get up and do something that you’ve been putting off, especially if it will help your own mental health. Make yourself a priority. And please, do this more than once a year.

Because we spend so much time pouring into others and loving others that we forget to love the most important person: OURSELVES. And that has to change.