Valentine’s Day is Over, but Self Love is Still in
Question for You: What’s been the hardest part of self-love for you—giving yourself permission, quieting self-criticism, or truly believing in your worth?
Valentine’s Day may be over, but the journey to loving ourselves is ongoing. This month, we’ve been digging deep—recognizing our battle scars, challenging negative self-talk, and learning to be kinder to ourselves.
So let’s look at what we’ve uncovered so far and where we’re going next. If you’ve missed any part of this journey, don’t worry—there’s still time to catch up!
Week One: Identifying Our "Good Girl" Tendencies
In the first week, we explored the ways we get stuck when asked what we want. Decision paralysis, anxiety over prioritizing our own desires, and waiting until everything is "perfect" before taking action— are hallmark signs of ingrained "good girl" tendencies. We’ve spent years prioritizing others, often at the cost of our own needs. This is your time to start unlearning that conditioning and embrace decision-making with confidence.
Week Two: Seeing Ourselves with Kindness
In week two, we looked in the mirror—literally and figuratively—to identify how we speak to ourselves. So many of us have internalized self-criticism from cultural and parental expectations, holding onto beliefs that we must constantly be improving to be worthy. The challenge was to identify those negative dialogues and flip the script, replacing self-criticism with self-kindness.
What’s Next in Our Journey of Self-Love
For the rest of February, we’ll continue softening our views of ourselves because if we struggle to recognize our worth, we’ll have a harder time believing when others see it in us. But let’s get this straight—this isn’t about doing it because we want romantic love or others to see our worth. This is about loving you for you.
In South Asian culture, the pressure to have your life together by 30—especially marriage—can feel suffocating. We’re often led to believe that if we haven’t found a partner by then, we are somehow falling behind and completely ineligible. This pressure can push us into relationships that aren’t the right fit or make us settle for less than we deserve. Whether you’re single by choice or circumstance, offering yourself compassion and acceptance will always be worthwhile.
What You Can Expect in the Next Two Weeks
Week Three: Embracing "Soft Love" – We’ll confront deeply held beliefs about success and love, challenging the rigid expectations we’ve internalized.
Week Four: Belonging to Ourselves – Our final focus will be on self-validation and recognizing that we don’t need external approval to feel whole.
Missed a Lesson? Catch Up Anytime!
If you’re just joining the self-love journey, you can still catch up! I’ve shared mini-lessons and reflections on:
✔️ Releasing “good girl” conditioning
✔️ Flipping negative self-talk
📍 Find them on Instagram & TikTok —save them for later, share with a friend, or DM me with your thoughts!
