By Quynh Chau Stone, Founder of The Source of Hope, Stone International Wellness Center

A new year, a new you. Starting your new year right could be creating an elaborate list of things you want to accomplish, but a new year can also mean a year of time that can be dedicated to yourself and your loved ones.

One of the things I recognized over these past three years is that so many of us have experienced death, struggle, hardships- an emotional roller coaster of unprecedented extremes. I’ve learned through these times that it is important to take a deep breath, look beyond your surroundings, your so-called comfort zone, to understand who you are, what you are doing, and what is happening right now to you and to your community. 

A small migraine here, a headache there, a sudden body ache, some things you seem to be too busy to take care of. These small issues could become bigger problems. Not taking the time to recognize these issues, allowing them to grow, fester and snowball into something more chronic and permanent, is not healthy. This behavior is self-destructive, and self-destruction is not what you want for your health. Self-care, self-love, these things can help you and heal you.

What does it mean to self-love, to self-care?

Self-love, self-care, these are not unfamiliar concepts, but they are incredibly important in traversing the harsh realities of life. I love myself, I feel good about myself, my hair, my skin, my body. I feel good enough about myself to take care of myself, to take care of the people that I love, my friends and family. Self-care can be simple.

Taking deep breaths, mediation, pray. For me, it is so important to start my day with prayer. Self-care can be external. Having a spa day, massages, facials, holistic treatments. I take the time to self-love, self-care, because it is important and if there was anything that I learned, it is that your health is your wealth. Self-love, self-care is the epitome of this.

But what is love?

Love is the common denominator in how we relate—to God, to others, to ourselves. As followers of Christ, love is our trademark.

Love is a tricky word. It’s most often understood as an intense feeling of deep affection. Biblically, love has a much deeper and richer meaning; it transcends a feeling or emotion. This is what we see in 1 Corinthians 13. Paul tells us that love isn’t merely a feeling but a way of relating to others. While most of us are familiar with 1 Corinthians 13, slowing down to read it empowers us to enjoy the subtle beauties we may otherwise miss. In this timeless passage on love, Paul uses poetic symmetry to deepen his point. He lists eight things love embraces and eight things love resists.

In these verses, Paul instructs us about what we need to hold close and what we need to let go. He empowers us with a framework to respond to any situation in love. Sometimes we will need to do things that are out of the norm; sometimes we will need to not do things that feel natural to us. In both situations, love empowers us to respond beyond our feelings so we may impart life to others.

            Self-love, self-care is so important to one’s health. Taking the time to spend with your love ones may just be what you need for your health. I challenge you to take a moment to mediate, take a walk, spend time with your loved ones, your pets. Enjoy some delicious nutritional clean food. Enjoy the beautiful surroundings because life is not promised, and we’ve got to be thankful for what we have at this moment. 

Thank you and have a blessed day and rejoice in the good things in life.

-Quynh Chau Stone