Be Your Own Valentine

Written by: Sabine Roggermeier; Immersion Coaching

So here it is, the day we celebrate love! Traditionally we are getting loved from the “outside” that day. Well, and who doesn’t like to receive a thoughtful gift from a loved one; whether it is a friend, your child or a romantic partner? But what if you were your own Valentine? What would you gift yourself with? How would you show yourself your undying love?

I remember recently hearing a lady talk about the alarming thought that occurred to her one day of never being able to run away from herself ever—not even for one second—no matter what she did. She said: “It’s a scary thought! It’s hard enough for me to be in the same room with a person I don’t like for an hour, but the idea of spending my whole life with someone I can’t stand is a nightmare! I thought I’d better learn to really like myself.” Now doesn’t that emphasize how important it is to not only love the people we have in our lives, but to start the whole love thing with ourselves?

Last week on the Immersion Coaching call, our group focus was seeing ourselves clearly. To see ourselves in the correct light is such an essential part of being in love with ourselves, so I feel this focus goes very well with the topic of being your own Valentine.

My suggestion was to do a simple, yet profound mirror exercise: You stand closely in front of a mirror. You want to be able to focus on only your eyes and fade out the rest. Try zooming in on your eyes in a way that makes you forget the rest. Your body is simply becoming the living shell for your true self, not a source of critical thoughts. As you gaze deeply into your own eyes look beyond them and be present with yourself. You stand there and you recognize the wonderful soul that is you. The real “you” reaches far beyond your living shell, the actions you took today or any accomplishments you achieved throughout your lifetime. The real “you” is truly infinite; it truly is love.