loveyourself thisvalentine'sday andbeyond!

As I was researching Valentine's Day, I had no idea that the holiday, celebrating Saint Valentine (often heralded as the saint of love), has very little to do with history, and actually more to do with belief.

There are many blogs and historical accounts of how Valentine's Day came to be. Whether you believe it was any of the three different Valentine martyrs that died on Feb 14 (none of whom were particularly romantic according to historical accounts), or the cover up of the rowdy Lupercalia pagan festival, or the link that Geoffrey Chaucer (the famed author of Canterbury Tales) made to love birds and their mating season in mid February, the true origins of this Hallmark holiday remains entirely elusive. So what better reason than to reflect on what it should mean to you!

I have yet to meet anyone that does not like love in their life. For me, I like to be reminded to celebrate love in all its forms - the love of my pets, my friends and family, the beauty of nature, the extraordinary wonder of existence, and yesmy favorite bottle of wine.

To love yourself you must know your real self, not your relative, conditioned self. Instead of trying to manufacture a sense of emotional self-love through affirmations, it will be more useful to let the direct experience of your inner consciousness reveal itself naturally.

- Deepak Chopra

Deepak Chopra, M.D., a world-renowned speaker and author on the subject of meditation and alternative medicine, recently shared with GMA, these 5 self-care strategies that he makes sure he gets every day for his self-care:

Sleep! It sounds simple but is elusive for so many of us - but Deepak shares how sleep is "the best way to consolidate memories and cultivate a reflective, alert mind"

Deep meditation, self-inquiry or any kind of mindful exercise, all of which "counter stress and over-ride the exaggerated fight/flight response". Movement, exercise & yoga for mind body cognition. Deepak explains that improves more than just physical strength and fitness, it is "also the best ways to integrate mind and body".

Focus on healthy emotions, like love and joy, compassion, empathy and gratitudewhich Deepak claims actually decrease the inflammation in the body!

Eat healthy, organic, plant-based diet with maximum diversity!

Reflect on how your mind and body reacted to these strategies. Which ones did you discount as not fitting, and which do you think you could try to commit to? Remember there is no one-size-fits-all formula, so find what works for you - just aim for small achievable changes!

Riddle

What can you break, even if you never pick it up or touch it?