Finding Me Again: A Journey to Self-Love

On this Valentine’s Day, I feel it’s important to give love to myself.

I’ve spent so much of my life trying to be who I thought everyone else wanted me to be—trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, a good wife, a good mother, a good employee…the list goes on. But I never stopped to ask myself: Who am I without all those titles?

There have been many moments when I truly disliked who I was. I never felt good enough. Yes, sometimes others may have contributed to those feelings, but more often, it was my own inner voice—harsh, critical, and full of comparisons. I constantly measured myself against people I believed “had it all.” I’m not even sure how I decided who those people were, but there was always some invisible standard I felt I had to meet.

Since being diagnosed with MS, it’s been even easier to hate my body and question my identity. I’ve lost many of the things I once believed defined me: being a hiker, a piano player, a teacher. And now, I’m left to figure out who I am—on the inside.

It’s been a scary, yet deeply enlightening journey. It’s taken 44 years and a life-changing diagnosis, but I’m finally beginning to understand what true self-love means.

When I feel God’s love, it is unconditional. And that’s the same kind of love I must give to myself. In meditation, when I allow myself to fully feel that love, it sometimes feels like my heart might burst—but in the most beautiful, expansive way.

Self-love isn’t selfish. When I feel that complete, unconditional love for myself, I don’t want to keep it to myself—I want to share it. I want others to feel it too.

Throughout my life, people have told me I need to be more confident, care less about what others think, and recognize my worth. And truthfully, I never realized how little I truly valued myself. But now? I finally see that I’m perfect just as I am. And so are you.

We all deserve to live as our true selves—not the version of us others expect or need, but the version that feels real and right to us. I’ve spent too long trying to get others to like me before ever considering how I felt about myself.

But I want to be happy. And the truth is: **I don’t care what anyone else thinks—**including you! (Sorry, not sorry.)

If I do what I love and what brings me joy, I know I’ll be better for everyone around me.

I LOVE who I am.
I am, at my core, a happy person.
I love reading.
I love crafts.
I love music.
I love my family and friends—unconditionally.
And I genuinely love the life I’ve been given the chance to live.

I want everyone to realize the incredible power that exists within them, too. I want to live my purpose.

Today, for the first time I can remember, I truly don’t care what anyone else thinks.
As long as I’m living authentically and having fun, I’ll be just fine.

I lost me somewhere along the way—but I’m coming back.
And I’m not going to keep myself small anymore.

Redefining Independence: My Journey with MS and Support