One of the first things people associate February with is Valentine’s Day. No surprise really considering we are bombarded from a commercial angle with all things love before Santa has time to wash and dry his suit for next year! I’m all for celebrating love but my problem with the commercial aspect of Valentines is it can leave some people feeling like there is something wrong with them if there isn’t another half waiting to shower them with the marketers dream that is Valentine’s Day. I love love but in all its wonderful forms, not just the romantic kind. One form in particular is more important than any of the others…your love for self.

When was the last time you showed yourself some love? Do you love yourself? Do you like hanging out with yourself? I am always amazed at the amount of people who come through my door who don’t know how to be by themselves, never-mind love themselves. Yes, company is great but learning to enjoy your own company too is equally as important. Taking the time to enjoy your own company is how we learn and discover things we never knew about ourselves. Things that help us grow and live life how we want to. It is important to note that loving yourself does not mean you are big headed or ego driven. Loving and accepting yourself enough to want to live a better, happier life is completely different to being so in love with yourself that you can’t recognise the areas you need to improve. There is no room for ego on the happier quest.

My Grandmother once told me that if you can’t truly love the whole of yourself then you will never be able to love another half properly (or something to that effect, she had consumed more than her usual tipple of whiskey to be fully comprehensible!).

So, with this in mind, I am encouraging you to start hanging out with yourself more. Nobody expects you to become a hermit but to simply be ok in your own company as well as others. Think about it …

We All Need Time to Reflect – Hanging out with friends and family is all well and good but doing it on a constant basis isn’t. We all need time to reflect and allow our minds time to process things. Being in a constant state of conversation and socialising is exhausting so enjoy the calming effect of zoning out and thinking of absolutely nothing.

Do Things on Your Own – When we do things on our own we are opening the door to new friendships, relationships and possibilities.

Be A Little Bit Selfish – I mean this in the best possible way of course! Do it just enough to allow you to focus on you and only you. Take some time to do the things you want to do and see how good it feels to not have to consider everyone else for a change. Enjoy the freedom of your own choices and your own terms!

Take Yourself Out to Dinner – This is not as scary as you might think! I love finding myself a cosy little corner somewhere and settling in with some good food and a good book. If it seems too much at first then start with a coffee, I promise you will feel empowered (and rather proud!) once you have tried it.

Get Yourself a Journal – You don’t even have to know what to write, in fact the complete opposite can be even more beneficial! Get cosy or go to somewhere you love, whatever works for you, switch off all devices and allow the peace to saturate your mind. Before you know it you will be filling the pages with random thoughts, feelings, ideas and more. Before you come back to the real world, give yourself a few minutes to absorb what came out, this is where you will learn and get inspired.

Take a Class  – try a class on your own, yoga, painting or whatever you like! The mere mention of yoga instils a calming image and who doesn’t want more calm in their lives. Even a walk on your own and allowing yourself to be fully present in it will work wonders. You could always be super mindful and walk to whatever your chosen class is!

Be Verbal – and by this I mean talk to yourself! Once you get past the strange feeling of doing this you will wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. Make a point of looking in the mirror, really looking at yourself and tell yourself only positive things. Once you get more comfortable doing this you will be pleasantly surprised how much you have to say and how empowering it feels. At the very least, always tell yourself ‘ I Love You’. Those of you who have been to any of my sound healing sessions will know the power of saying this out loud.

I could go on and on but I wanted to share just enough to get you started rather than bombard you. Once you start hanging out with yourself more you will naturally know where to go from there. Trust the process and love yourself.

I dedicate this piece to all of us, that we may know love in all its wonderful forms ♥