Falling in Love With Yourself: A Different Kind of February Self‑Care
By February, most “new year, new you” resolutions are already fading into the background. If you’re living in or supporting recovery, that can feel discouraging—like one more reminder that change is hard. At Live Tampa Bay, we see it differently. Real growth, especially in recovery, tends to come from small, sustainable acts of self‑respect, not from trying to reinvent yourself overnight.
This month, we’re inviting you to think about self‑care as “falling in love with yourself”—in a grounded, everyday way.
When self‑care starts to feel like pressure
Scroll through social media, and you’ll see a version of self‑care that’s all about perfect routines, pricey wellness products, and never missing a day. For someone already exhausted or carrying trauma, that can feel less like care and more like another performance to fail at.
If you’re in recovery, or if you work in high‑stress roles like law enforcement, ministry, healthcare, or HR, you know that life doesn’t stay on a neat schedule. Shifts run long, crises happen, emotions swing. When self‑care feels rigid and all‑or‑nothing, it’s easy to slip into, “If I can’t do it perfectly, why bother?”
Self‑love as steady and realistic
We see self‑love as a quiet, steady practice, not a makeover. It sounds like: “I deserve to be safe,” “I’m worth showing up for,” “I can ask for help without apologizing for existing.” It’s making choices that protect your health and dignity, even on days you don’t feel motivated.
For someone in recovery, that might look like taking medication on time, showing up to a meeting even when you’re tired, or calling a peer instead of using alone. For someone supporting others, it might mean honoring your own limits, seeking supervision or therapy, and refusing to beat yourself up when you need rest.
4 simple practices to try
You don’t have to do all of these at once. Pick one or two that feel doable:
- Change your inner script. When you catch yourself thinking, “I’m a mess” or “I’ll never get this right,” pause and rephrase as you would to a friend: “I’m having a tough day, but I’m still showing up.”
- Schedule one connection. Put a 15‑minute check‑in on your calendar each week—with a sponsor, a friend, a faith leader, or a coworker you trust. Treat it like any other important appointment.
- Set one healthy boundary. That could mean leaving work on time once a week, saying no to an extra shift, or limiting situations that make it harder to stay on track. Boundaries are not selfish; they’re protective.
- Name one win each day. Before bed, think of one choice you made that aligned with your values: answering a phone call, attending a group, taking a walk instead of using, or simply getting out of bed. Write it down if you can.
How leaders and allies can model this
If people look to you for guidance (on a shift, in a congregation, in a workplace) how you care for yourself sends a signal. When you say, “I’m taking time to recharge,” or “I’ve reached out for support,” you normalize those choices for others.
At Live Tampa Bay, we’ve seen again and again that when leaders are honest about their own limits and needs, it becomes easier for everyone else to speak up. That’s stigma reduction in action: not just in what we say about others, but in how we treat ourselves.