The theme for this month’s Positive Living posts address self-love and self-care. This is an ideal time to open your hearts and minds and take active steps to reflect and refresh practices on new ways of engaging in wellness. Positive Living is about taking charge of your life by making choices that are beneficial to your body, mind, and spirit. The month of February is symbolized by love and what better person to love than yourself?
Self-love and self-care are acts of kindness not only toward oneself, but towards other people and the world. To be of service to others, your own physical and emotional well-being must be a priority. By practicing self-love and self-care, you’ll become more balanced, confident, and calm. Stress should be reduced because you’ll graciously recognize how to say “no” to protect yourself from overload and when to say “yes”.  Finding time for self-love and self-care will not make everyday challenges go away, but you’ll be better able to cope with them because you’ll feel more in control.
Now is the time to begin. It doesn’t require massive changes. Just initiate by taking five minutes each day for you. Post that time in your schedule and list the activity that you’ll be doing. You may decide to unplug from social or news media, meditate, stretch, take a short walk, or read inspirational material. When you begin to take time for yourself each day, your self-worth improves, and this carries over to other parts of your life because you’ll feel happier.
Therefore, start with a one- week plan and build a repertoire of acts of self-love and self-care. Repeat these or other strategies the following week and continue repeating or revising your plan so that you’ll have one month of at least five minutes (or more) of love and care for you each day. Be patient and forgiving with yourself if you miss a day just as you would do for others; then get back to your plan.
Expressions and actions of self-love and self-care come from our hearts and minds and allows us to give ourselves the gifts of grace, respect, and worthiness.
Please visit my website often this month as different tools and resources to help you prioritize strategies for self-love and care will be posted each week. https://www.lorakosten.com/
Blessings towards a new you in 2022! 
Lora
