February is usually associated with romance, flowers, chocolates and hearts. Many of us long for the fairy tale Valentine’s Day experience and may get a case of the winter blues if we don’t have a special someone to celebrate with. However, whether we are single, attached or somewhere in between, we can always give more love and care to ourselves.

With life being so full and hectic, it is easy to forget to nurture and spoil ourselves. Many women (and men!) are so busy looking after everyone around them that they forget to take time out to do special things for themselves. Often, we put ourselves last on the priority list and seem to find time to do everything else but those special little self-care rituals that re-energize and nurture us. Sometimes we will even refuse to take gifts or break-time that is offered to us because we believe that it is somehow noble or powerful to do everything on our own.

Learning to receive is so important and necessary for a healthy, balanced life. Giving and receiving are like two sides of a coin; they are interwoven and interdependent and you can’t just do one or the other. The cycle must be completed. When we only give to others, eventually we become drained, bitter and exhausted. The remedy for this is to give back to ourselves.

To all the “givers” reading this, we want you to make yourself a promise right now. Promise us you will not put off making your self-care a priority this week! Book that massage or pedicure now. Treat yourself to one of your favourite beauty products or a nice meal. Take a yoga class, go for a walk on the beach or get up 20 minutes earlier to meditate in the morning. Whatever it is, get to it! You will thank yourself, and probably everyone around you will too!

Happy Pampering!

xox

Elise Jene