SELF-LOVE AND SELF-CARE

A school has many celebrations, and one that I really enjoy is the Annual Sports Meet. The extravaganza and the visual treat of sight and sound it offers, is always cherished. Year after year the team comes up with a different variety of events. The entire program was breathtaking. The students displayed their skills and concluded with great aplomb. The applause was thunderous. The guests were highly impressed with the confidence with which the students performed.

In the track events that were conducted, the girls were not running briskly. They seemed to lack energy. So also, some of the boys lacked stamina. A couple of them almost fainted when the marching contingent assembled for the lighting of the torch and the athletes’ oath.

We may not play games all our life, especially after school or college. But fitness is for life.

Health has become a huge concern now. Are we teaching our children self-care when they are young? What we don’t teach in their early years will be resisted by them as an adult. It is easier to learn, than to unlearn. Self-care is all about consciously taking care of your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. The food they eat contribute to their health. So, giving them healthy food and not tongue conscious food will greatly benefit them.

                       Today’s food is tomorrow’s health.

I am talking as a mother now. I have experimented this with my child. Less sugar, no snacks in between meals, lots of veggies and non-vegetarian food. No exaggeration, even today, this is his eating style. No snacks, less sugar or no sugar, no fizzy drinks, only healthy food. One addition is, daily exercise, apart from eating the right food.

Movement is an important aspect of our life. Children are dropped in school and picked up every day. At home they sit and study, or watch television or play with gadgets. They hardly walk, except in school. So, they are unable to stand for long. If the assembly exceeds twenty minutes, some of them faint.

They should be involved in a sport. Only then they will learn to take care of their body. Their love for their body will help them to keep away from vices.

It is appalling to know that young school students are stressed, they suffer from anxiety and other disorders. Emotional and mental health is crucial to their well-being. Learning yoga, practicing meditation, connecting with nature, involving in activities that bring in a sense of purpose, will certainly contribute to their spiritual well-being.

Self-love will also lead to self-care. Talking to our children with love, appreciating them, highlighting their positive qualities and actions, will help them to be emotionally strong individuals. It will boost their self-image and self-confidence.

Children should learn to love themselves. They should not be defining themselves by their looks or achievements, rather develop beautiful qualities that will help them to feel good about themselves.

What better way to learn self-love than to observe and absorb from their parents. We can role model ourselves, and the way we take care of our body, balance our emotions and work on our spiritual ascendance, will be the right way to inculcate it in our children.

Valentine’s Day can be the day that we celebrate self-love. Only if we love ourselves can we love the world. Look into the mirror today and tell yourself, ‘’Love you so much!”❤❤❤

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting