Self-Love in a Season of Longing

If Valentine’s Day brings up loneliness, longing, or old wounds, this episode is for you.With Valentine’s Day approaching, I wanted to talk about self-love, not just for this season, but for all year long. In the therapy room, this time of year often brings up feelings of loneliness, abandonment, and worthlessness, especially for people who wish they had a partner or someone to celebrate with.In this episode, I reflect on how love was modeled for me growing up, how those early experiences shape our relationship with self-love, and why many of us are still carrying younger parts that are waiting to feel seen, chosen, and loved.We talk about turning inward, offering compassion to the parts of ourselves that didn’t get enough, and learning how to nurture core wounds like fear of rejection, abandonment, and not feeling enough. This episode invites you to extend the love you often imagine giving to others back to yourself.The episode also includes a short, guided self-love exercise to help you gently reconnect with your younger self and offer care in a grounded, compassionate way.Lakay Within: I also share about Lakay Within, a healing space created for Haitian women to slow down, reconnect with themselves, and feel safe in community. The next gathering will be on March 10th, and more information can be found HerePlease note: This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not a substitute for individual therapy.If you’re listening from California or Texas and are interested in therapy services, you can learn more about working with me by visiting my website Get full access to Aurelie Zephir LMFT at aureliezephir.substack.com/subscribe