Courtesy photo: Look around. Love leaves little reminders everywhere. Sometimes it even shows up in the shape of a heart on the sidewalk.
Why the most meaningful gift this season may be the compassion you give yourself
By Audrey Herrera-Castillo
The holidays often arrive in a flurry of activity: gatherings of family or friends, food to prepare, gifts to buy, entertaining, deadlines, and endless to-do lists. In the middle of all this motion, it’s easy to forget the most important relationship of all, the one we have with ourselves.
At LOYL, Love of Your Life, we believe self-love is not a luxury; it’s the foundation for every other form of love in our lives. This season, we invite you to pause, take a breath, and remember: You are the love of your life.
Most of us live with a steady stream of thoughts running through our minds, many of them far from kind. Think about the words you silently tell yourself during the day: “Why did I do that?” “That was so embarrassing.” “I’ll never get it together.”
We’d never say these words to a friend, yet we speak them to ourselves without hesitation. Now imagine how often that voice has repeated in just the last week, month, or year. The weight adds up.
The first step toward self-love is awareness. By noticing this inner dialogue, we create the opportunity to shift from criticism to compassion.
Another way we chip away at ourselves is by comparing our lives to others. Social media makes this almost automatic: the polished family photo, the perfect holiday table, the dream vacation. Behind each carefully selected image, there is always more than we can see. Everyone carries struggles, disappointments, and imperfections.
Perfection is an illusion. Comparison steals joy. The truth is simple: Your path is uniquely yours, and it is worthy.
At LOYL, one of our core pillars is abandoning the quest for perfection. When we let go of measuring ourselves against others, we make space for joy, gratitude, and self-acceptance.
Courtesy Photo: Love doesn’t melt away. It shows up in the snow, waiting to be noticed.
Awareness alone is powerful, but the next step is even more transformative: making a conscious choice. Each time we notice a negative thought, we have the chance to pause, breathe, and choose differently.
Instead of “I’m not enough,” we might say: “That was smart!” “I love my smile.” “I am kind.” “I am worthy of love and care.”
Even the smallest shift matters. As one of our brand pillars reminds us, it’s about forming rituals that bring joy. Little practices, repeated over time, build resilience and lightness.
The holiday season can feel overwhelming, but it also offers endless moments to notice what is good: the smell of a pie baking, a shared laugh at the table, the sound of a child’s excitement, even the mess in the kitchen that means people are together.
Gratitude is a simple ritual that grounds us in the present. Finding even one thing to appreciate about the people around us, their laugh, their cooking, their creativity, can shift stress into connection.
At LOYL, we like to keep things simple, fun, and inviting. Here’s one playful practice to try this season:
The next time you’re shopping online, whether for gifts or everyday items, check the box that says “This is a gift.” But instead of writing a note to someone else, write it to yourself.
Some message ideas are: “You are worthy of this and so much more. Keep going!” “Your smile is contagious, share it today.” “Remember when you parallel parked perfectly? You’ve got this.” “You are doing enough. You are enough.”
When that package arrives, you’ll be surprised with your own words of love. It’s a small but meaningful ritual, a reminder that kindness to ourselves can be just as delightful as kindness to others.
This season, amid the swirl of activity, we invite you to meet someone extraordinary: Yourself.
Courtesy Photo: Everyday moments can carry love. Today, it came in the form of green chile salsa.
At LOYL, our mission is simple, to remind you that the love you seek outside yourself has always been within. By embracing your starting point, letting go of perfection, creating joyful rituals, and finding your unique path, you reconnect with the treasure that is your own soul.
Through free biweekly emails, we share small acts of self-love. Gentle prompts to help you practice compassion, forgiveness, creativity, and joy. One email offers a new idea. The next simply reminds you to pause and try it out. No pressure, no perfection, just simple steps back to yourself.
The greatest gift you can give this season may not come wrapped in a box. It might be the gift of self-compassion, the gift of choosing love over comparison, the gift of pausing to smile, breathe, and remember: You are worthy of love, just as you are.
Join us at theloveofyourlife.org to sign up for free biweekly self-love practices. Follow along on Instagram @meet_theloveofyourlife or on Facebook at LOYL – You Are. The Love of Your Life.
Wherever this season finds you, surrounded by family, sharing moments with friends, or spending time in your own company, may it also find you in the presence of the most important relationship of your life: the one with yourself. Self-love is a gift you can carry into every moment, every season, and every connection. When you remember that you are the love of your life, you bring more light, compassion, and joy into the world.
Courtesy Photo: Your future self deserves surprises too. Write a gift note to yourself with every online order, and unwrap love when it arrives.
Audrey Herrera-Castillo is a native New Mexican, 14 generations strong, and CEO of Momentum Santa Fe. She created The Love of Your Life (LOYL) as a space to remember that the most important relationship is the one we hold with ourselves. Discover simple ways to practice self-love at LoveOfYourLife.org.
