As the month of February comes to a close, Spring Valley’s “February Self-Love Challenge” allowed students and staff to take the opportunity to constantly reflect and take part in the simple pleasures of life. I, for one, had enjoyed every part of it. 

The self-love challenge included miniature tasks, such as stating three positive affirmations to one’s own self or writing an inspirational quote in the mirror. These tasks take less time than a normal chore but can boost self-confidence in a long shot. It allows for effortless relief or self-reflection. 

Though promoting “self-love” is a common topic, one may not choose to act upon it due to certain circumstances. The question of, “Who even does that?” poses as a blocking stone for a student who may not think it ‘fits in’ or is considered ineffective. 

As someone wishing to improve their self-love and mental state of confidence, I find these challenges worth a mile. When dealing with weighted workouts, one can only improve in form with a straight mind and consistency, so improving self-love calls for that level of consistency, which the challenge so effortlessly provides. 

Day 13 on the calendar imposed that participants start their morning with five minutes of meditation. From that point on, I acted on waking up ten minutes earlier to stretch, meditate, or “warm-up” dance every morning; it brought a smile to my face. It gave me energy. It released a gold light in my mind that if I’m able to conquer being mindful in the morning, I can do it anytime. 

The challenge allows us to show ourselves love and appreciation in the slightest bits, but it does not completely give the mind and body full satisfaction. Feeding our bodies with nutritious food, eating sweets, dancing when music comes, and even looking to no procrastination in schoolwork, can give us the balanced life we all want to have. Consistency is key. 

The next time a “self-love” challenge is posed to us, we should look upon adding to it. Self-love should not be just one month; these little actions can make a huge difference in lives.