with valentine’s day being just around the corner, love is definitely on the brain.  interestingly enough, when i think of valentine’s day, i do not just think about love in the romantic sense – i think about love between friends and family as well.

what does love mean to you?  merriam webster has several definitions but the two i gravitate towards are: 1. strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties, 2. warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion.  both definitions are simple yet beautiful and tug at my heartstrings.

as i do with most things, i started to think about my clients.  specifically, the ones who seem nearly unable or incapable of receiving love from another, no matter the nature of the relationship.  it is something that is heartbreaking to witness but happens more often than you’d think.  i came across this quote and couldn’t resist sharing it.

“heal, so when someone tells you they love you, you may allow yourself to believe them.”

so many of my clients who come to my office unable to accept love are in that space because they have not gone through the healing process from previous traumas with people who may have said they loved them but did not really know how to love them in the way they needed to be loved.  unfortunately, it is not on the other party to do or help facilitate that healing.  it is up to each person to do their healing individually.

part of why that healing is so crucial is because we want to be able to open ourselves up to people deserving of our love.  this does not mean we are naive and simply accept any love someone is offering if it is not love that suits us.  however, it does mean that we are simply seeing love with a new lens and not completely ruling it out because of previous experiences that did not go according to plan.

do you believe it when someone tells you they love you? have you done your healing?  if not, are you willing to start?

happy (early) valentine’s day – i love you.

xoxo,

k. tap