To My Beloved Self,
I’ve come to know you quite well and over the years we’ve gotten quite acquainted with each other. With Valentine’s Day bounding its way closer love is constantly on the mind more often than not. Couples holding hands, bouquets of roses, heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, expensive gifts that are supposed to show how much we adore our partner, yet we neglect ourselves; yes, I am talking to you. You become so wrapped up in the dates and the gifts and the gestures that you forget that loving yourself is just as important on Valentine’s Day just as any other day. You don’t have to stop loving yourself and taking care of yourself to show your boyfriend your undying love, especially on an international holiday built on love. The holiday is portrayed by our society to be about giving your absolute all to your significant other, to shower him with goodies and gifts and cards and sex, but it doesn’t have to be only about him. Granted, spoiling Cameron is fun, and I can safely say he does indeed deserve it, and I hope you’re going to be spoiled by him as well, but your love and admiration doesn’t have to just come from your boyfriend. No matter the day, whether it be Valentine’s Day, an anniversary, Christmas, or whatever, you always need to think of yourself. Your own confidence, your own responsibilities, your own beliefs, your own emotional state, your own love for yourself. You cannot depend on your significant other’s Valentine’s plans to determine your happiness. Putting all that emotional faith and weight into materialistic gestures, that may not always live up to your expectations, is unhealthy. You need to love yourself before you can love anyone else, or at the very least know what you deserve, so don’t rely on Valentine’s Day to fix everything. No amount of chocolates or hoity toity gifts are going to fix a rough patch in your relationship, it’s not going to fix yourself loathing, it’s not going to make a lasting change on your emotional health. You need to love you for you. Disregarding the gifts, you need to spoil yourself in some positive self-talks, journaling, self-care and whatever betters your psyche. To love and to spoil and to wrapped up in another person and their love and care for you is something unlike any other. But to love healthy and to love your partner the best you can, you need to take care of and learn to love yourself. You are human. You deserve love, not only from others around you, but from yourself. On Valentine’s Day, love doesn’t have to just be for your boyfriend, it can be for yourself. Every day, no matter what you go through, you are deserving of the same amount of love as any other day, Valentine’s Day is no different. So, this week while planning dates and thought-out gifts for Cameron, think of him and your love for him, but also for yourself. You deserve it.
All the best,
Me