Words Dr. Marita Schauch, ND, Tall Tree Integrated Health Centre
Every February we’re flooded with reminders to prove our love, through fancy gestures, flowers, chocolates, cards or a candlelit dinner. But here’s a gentle truth we don’t talk about enough:
The longest, most intimate relationship you will ever have is with your own body. And like any relationship, it thrives on attention, devotion and consistency. So, this Valentine’s season, what if you became your own great love?
Love Is an Action (And So Is Health)
When we love someone, we don’t just feel love … we DO love. We feed them when they’re hungry. We check in when they’re tired. We don’t abandon them when they’re inconvenient. How does that stack up with how you treat your own well-being?
Think about how you’d care for someone you deeply adore. You wouldn’t skip their meals. You wouldn’t ignore their pain. You wouldn’t keep giving them things that made them feel worse. Yet so many of us do this to ourselves daily.
We override hunger. We ignore bloating, pain, exhaustion, anxiety. We keep pouring coffee on a nervous system that’s already fried. That’s self-abandonment. True wellness begins when you stop ghosting your own needs.
Your Body Is Always Talking
Symptoms are messages.
Fatigue says: I need rest or better nourishment. Cravings say: I’m depleted. Digestive issues say: Something isn’t working here. Anxiety says: I don’t feel safe. Loving yourself means listening before your body has to scream.
In naturopathic medicine, we don’t see symptoms as enemies, we see them as invitations to understand what the body is missing. And when you respond with care instead of frustration, the body softens, just like another person does when they finally feel heard.
Romanticize Self Care
• Make yourself a nourishing meal and eat slowly and mindfully as you would when you’re on a date.
• Buy quality supplements instead of whatever’s cheapest, like a gift for the one you love.
• Create routines that make your nervous system feel safe, like you would create safety for your partner.
• Go to bed when you’re tired instead of powering through.
• Take yourself out for a walk on the beach to get your blood and lymph circulating.
• Finally make that appointment to check in on the health concern that’s been bothering you.
• Spend time journaling or in meditation, like you would spend quality time with your partner.
That’s relationship-building … with yourself.
Consistency Is the Ultimate Love Language
Big gestures are cute. But like real love, healing happens in the small, daily acts.
• Drinking enough water.
• Taking magnesium at night.
• Going for a walk even when you don’t feel like it.
• Saying no when you’re overwhelmed.
Your body doesn’t need perfection, it needs reliability. And when your body learns it can trust you, everything shifts: hormones, digestion, inflammation, energy, and even your mood.
So maybe this year, instead of asking someone “Will you be mine?” Try asking your body: “Can I be here for you?” And then, beautifully, patiently … prove it.
