In this month, where we set aside a special day to celebrate love, remember that love isn’t just a feeling you have for others; it is also a feeling you have for yourself.
So, love thyself this month!
Throughout our lives, we have all strived for perfection, or what society defines as “perfection.” We want a perfect body! We want 6-pack abs. Unfortunately, that type of thinking puts our bodies and lives in a negative light. We diet, binge and abuse our bodies to try to obtain “perfection.” Or, we simply give up, and do not care for our bodies at all.
I challenge you today to stand in front of your mirror and really study and look at your body. Get to know your physical body; your real physical body, not the distorted one in your head. Most of all, love what you see. See the person you are and are meant to be, not the mom, dad, brother, sister, friend, or coworker that you think everyone wants you to be. Just be the best version of YOU that you can be.
During this month of love, everyone should strive to love themselves by striving to be the healthiest person s/he can be. Eat balanced meals and incorporate activity into your daily life. When the body and/or mind is out of balance, that’s when you have cravings for the “bad” stuff, like junk food. As your body and mind become balanced, as separate entities and with each other, then you become in tune with your body and can learn what you need to flourish.
As the year is still early, go and get a physical if you have not done so recently. Get all of the usual numbers checked (e.g., cholesterol, blood pressure, TSH levels). See if you are deficient in any vitamins. Consider also seeing a Chinese medicine practitioner, s/he will study your tongue, listen to your pulse and ask a lot of questions to learn what your body needs to be balanced. Once you have a complete picture of your body, then you can truly set goals to balance your body and mind.
The road to a balanced body and life is difficult. However, when it comes to balance, you are your own roadblock, and the journey starts with loving yourself, AS YOU ARE!
The March 2012 issue of Real Simple has a great quote from Miss Piggy, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye.”
And, I would just like to add, “even if that beholder is yourself.”
