Show Yourself Love This Valentine’s Day in Your Personal Journal
When was the last time you wrote or received an honest-to-goodness love letter? Not an email, not a text, not a Post-It note, but a hand-written, sentimental, heartfelt letter?
In preparation for this Valentine’s Day, whether you are buying chocolates for your co-workers, doing something special for your significant other or boycotting the holiday altogether, don’t forget to show some affection to a very important person: you. Write a love letter to yourself in your personal journal and take the time to appreciate all of your wonderful qualities (and silence your inner critics)!
1. Find a quiet time and place where you can write peacefully without being disturbed. Create a warm, comfortable atmosphere—light a few candles, pour a cup of tea or glass of wine, put on your favorite CD and take a few deep breaths before you start writing.
2. Try to step outside of yourself and imagine that you are a person who knows and loves you well, perhaps your best friend or a close family member. What would she write to you? What does she love and value about you? What does she admire and respect about you? What parts of your personality make her want to spend time with you? Jot down these notes to help you remember while you write your letter.
3. Open your personal journal and write the letter, keeping in mind everything you brainstormed earlier. Take your time, choose your words carefully and write only messages of support, appreciation and gratitude. Sing your own praise, and don’t be shy about it. This doesn’t have to be a serious, somber exercise, however. Have fun with it, and add humor if you like. It’s your love letter, so write whatever you would be happy to receive. You might feel a little silly or awkward writing to yourself at first, but just keep going and it will become more natural.
4. Sign your letter and read it again on Valentine’s Day. Treat yourself especially well that day because you deserve it. Put your letter away in a safe place where you can read it when you need a boost, or seal it in an envelope and ask a friend to mail it to you at some point in the next year. One day, when you least expect it, you’ll find a love letter waiting in your mailbox!
What most surprised you about this personal journal love letter?? What is one thing you said that stuck with you?
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