Matters of the heart is a popular phrase used for movie titles, song titles, and generally anything involving love and romance. February is American Heart Month, so let’s focus on love, but not traditional romantic relationships. Love you have for yourself and how it can influence your own life and others’ lives is an important part of health and wellness. 

The first step in applying matters of the heart to yourself is learning self-appreciation and self-respect. The benefit is creating positive feelings and emotions. A positive vibe is the key in making all other health benefits possible. You may read an entire book on self-help or just a random inspirational social media meme, but the purpose is the same. Having enough respect for yourself to make healthy choices should be first and foremost. Healthy choices to improve mental and physical well-being all starts with realizing that you are worth the effort.

As your self-respect improves and you begin making healthy choices, the next link in the circular chain is self-confidence. The more you find yourself taking a walk instead of watching Netflix or Hulu, for example, the more you believe in yourself and your ability to be more healthy.  An increased self-confidence as it applies to healthy choices makes it easier to go into an atmosphere that might otherwise sabotage your health goals. You can go to lunch or dinner with friends or attend a party knowing that you will make healthy choices from the menu and party buffet respectively. It all starts with learning that you are worth it and then having the confidence to know you are.

With romantic relationships, the ones that last are those that are fulfilling and create security and happiness. Love for yourself is no different. Once your confidence reaches new heights, you are able to bask in the security of a healthier lifestyle. Focusing on the feeling is a great way to maintain that security. Maintaining an active lifestyle and healthy diet is easier by focusing on how it makes you feel versus other motives such as vanity. Again, it all starts with learning that you are worth it, followed by increased confidence, resulting in enjoying the security and happiness of your improved health.

Health-related matters of the heart don’t stop with you. Once you become secure in your healthy lifestyle and look back on your journey, you might begin seeing yourself in others. Improving health isn’t a task that you tackle, complete, and then move on from. It is a lifestyle. When you reach a level of security in your own health, it’s satisfying to help others. Because you understand the internal challenges of improved health, empathy becomes another positive tool. Empathy is more natural for some, however. It can be so much more natural/intense that it becomes a burden to your own health. For those that struggle with being over empathetic, it’s important to remind yourself of the first step, self-respect.

Health matters of the heart is an unceasing, four step circle. The only way you can live a healthy lifestyle is learning you are worth it, then knowing you are worth it, then maintaining the lifestyle. The fourth and final step of helping someone else achieve will only benefit you both if you remember yourself and that you are worth it.