Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it. -Rumi
Happy Valentine’s Day! Love is in the air! Beneath the commercial aspect of Valentine’s Day, which centers around flowers, chocolates (check out this delicious DYI truffles recipe!), jewelry, fancy dinners and other gifts, we can all connect to what Valentine’s Day is REALLY about…love!
Since we’re all sprung from Divine Consciousness, which is pure love, the very essence of our entire being is Love. It is our natural state to feel love in every cell in our body.
Love is important to access not just in a romantic sense, or even just for family and friends, but for yourself. When we experience alternative emotions- hate, jealousy, anger, etc., we are out of tune with our true selves and disharmony arises.
Love is an uplifting energy. Since it is our natural state, as always is the case with nature, when we return back to our natural state then everything flows in a more efficient and powerful way.
When you truly love yourself, everything in your life starts to work better- work, relationships, even your body…and you can achieve higher levels of health!
It is well documented how stress (which can stem from feeling out of tune, or even having small annoyances/angers add up, in an unresolved way), can lead to nervous system, cardiovascular and other health issues (more below).
Besides all the emotional, mental and spiritual benefits of love, it can also have significant tangible health benefits.
How Love Benefits Health
1. It reduces stress
In a 2011 study published in the journal, Emotion, researchers found that couples in a new love relationship showed far fewer stress responses to negative stimulus. These results suggest that love can benefit a number of stress-caused health issues.
When you experience stress, your body releases hormones including cortisol. With the busy and often crazy lives we lead these days, many of us are under near-constant stress, which can keep the cortisol flowing throughout our bodies.
While cortisol is essential for our body’s “fight or flight” response that protects us from imminent danger, we aren’t meant to have it flowing through us at all times.
According to the Mayo Clinic, being in a constant, mild state of stress can lead to a number of health problems including:
- Obesity
- Heart disease
- Sleep issues
- Depression
- Decreased immunity
- Digestive upset
None of this want to experience these things. We can start cultivating more love by starting to be more aware of it all around- through yoga, meditation, new relationships, and practicing self love.
Be gentle with yourself- how you talk to yourself, what you say to yourself.
2. It affects your mental health
Researchers have studied mental health in married and unmarried people. In general, the consensus of such research seems to indicate that married people often self-report lower rates of depression.
This does NOT mean that you have to get married to be happy (I have many happy, unmarried friends), but I take the study as showing that having a good support network- which can come from friends, family, members of societies you belong to, etc. can mitigate psychological distress.
The bottom line? Cultivate loving friendships and relationships, which can make you happier and mentally healthier.
3. It can help you live longer
Loving friendships and relationships can also affect your longevity. Researchers at Brigham Young University looked at how social relationships affect longevity and found that having adequate social relationships improved the chance of survival by 50 percent – a number that is similar to improved longevity from not smoking!
A Michigan State University Study also showed similar results.
4. It can reduce pain
A University of California study demonstrated that women holding hands with or looking at a picture of their loved one experienced an anesthetic affect that reduced their levels of pain when exposed to painful stimulus.
Experiencing love can also release a rush of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine that can temporarily reduce pain levels.
5. It can protect heart health
Researchers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill found that when women receive frequent hugs, their body releases oxytocin.
This release of the hormone corresponded with a drop in blood pressure and heart rate. Frequent hugs and touches with loved ones and partners can help protect your heart health.
Pets can be very helpful in this regard as well, as a source of unconditional love. So get snuggling!
6. Relationships can protect overall health
A 2009 study at Johns Hopkins assessed health at midlife, and found those that have had major life stresses such as divorce or death of a spouse have more chronic conditions, mobility limitations, self-rated health, and depressive symptoms.
We are all exposed to stress- in relationships and life in general.
Again, the one thing we can control is our love of ourselves, and our relationship with ourselves. Instead of beating yourself up, starting saying and thinking positive things when you look in the mirror.
Do something nice for yourself! Get a a massage, a pedicure, take a nice bath and give yourself a mask, etc…
7. Parental Love Affects Wellbeing
Early loving relationships with children are essential in development of good mental and physical health. In some cases, a mother’s love is the most important factor in future well-being.
One study showed that a mother’s love can counteract the negative health effects associated with childhood poverty by providing a buffer against damaging health effects such as risk of developing type 2 diabetes or heart disease.
This buffering of a mother’s love most likely arises by protecting young children from the physiological effects of stress, including elevated stress hormone levels that can cause the long-term damage a lifetime of stress can cause.
But If you did not have an ideal childhood, then you can move past that and create love in your life by choosing your own life’s path and relationships that you want to foster and cultivate!
I know it may not seem fair, but you have so much inner power that I believe you can move past anything negative that might have happened in your past.
You are unique and amazing…let your love and light shine!
As you can see, love does more than make you feel good. It affects you physiologically and psychologically, as well.
So get out and spread the love- starting with yourself!
Happy Valentine’s Day!!
Love,
Kimberly
Thank You!
The inner Love will forever start flowing!!
Wonderful!
Hi Kimberly,
That quote is actually from A Course in Miracles, not Rumi.
It is at the beginning of the Text.
Namaste,
Natasha
The source I found it in lists it as a Rumi quote. 🙂
What a sweet and thought-provoking post.
Thank you Regina!
Love it !! Thanks so much for the information we are definitely meant to love others and be loved.
Yes Zulema, we are already pure love. 🙂
You’d love The Compassionate Mind by Paul Gilbert
I will add to the list, thank you!
Hi Kimberly, you are my inspiration , i enjoy your e-mails so much and just love all of your recipes. Wish you were here in New Zealand i would love to met you although i feel like you are already my best friend. Thanks heaps, love Heather
Hi Heather,
That is so sweet! I have been to your beautiful country an I adored it.
I will be in that part of the world again. Til then, we are always connected in spirit and energy, which surpasses limitations of time and space. 🙂
Love, Kimberly
I like the quote above a lot. 🙂
Ah yes. Wisdom from the great ones!
What a beautiful article. Thank you for the reminder, the love in our lives is precious and we should treat it that way.
Yes and remember that every day we have is a gift!
Wonderful article Kimberly 🙂
xoxo
Thank you Kaylin!
Love this! Thank you so much for such great information.
xoxox Tracy
You’re welcome Tracy, take care and keep in touch! xx
Beautiful! Blessings and Love to you too Kimberly
Blessings to you too Julie!
Kim Snyder I love you! I am greatful for the sound reminders you spread. You have probably heard of The Secret and What the Bleep do We Know. Both movies point out how powerful our thoughs are, I highly recommend watching them again and again. If only everyone in the world could or would drink a ggs every morning and just eliminate junk food and eat a whole food diet , just eat real food, grown and raised properly what a different world this would be. However, one person at a time. Its wonderful that you use your power for good Kim. Keep it up.
Thank you Wendy! I do appreciate that. We are all here to help one another along. This info has helped me a lot as well. I have read The Secret and I do believe that our thoughts create our reality.
Keep in touch and take care! xx
Dear Kimberly,
Thank you for your powerful message. You are changing my life! I have enjoyed reading your Beauty Detox Solution, and I look forward to integrating positive thinking into all aspects of health. I’m finally loving my body!
Be well!
Wonderful Jacqueline! That makes me really happy to hear. Keep taking care, and loving yourself. 🙂
Hi Kim!!!
I have been following the bds for a little over a month now and am really loving it! I’m having a couple issues and have scoured the blog to avoid bugging you but I couldn’t find any clearcut answers! I am having horribly tummy troubles and gas in the afternoons into the evenings. I have a ggs in the am, (about 1 he after my coffee with almond milk–guilty!) and then a large romaine and veggie salad with avocado and lemon juice for dressing. Usually about an hour after this I start getting really gassy, especially if I’ve had a bite of anything else (1 piece of dried fruit for example). My skin has also not quite cleared. I don’t think it’s a candida issue as fresh fruits don’t seem to bother me. I’ve been eating lots of the enzyme salad so I’m not sure what else to do! Thank youfor all you do 🙂
Hey Bethany,
It can take a while for the system to rebuild, and the introduction of lots of raw veggies can create gassiness (I’m not sure what your diet was like before or what your medical background is). Have you tried taking digestive enzymes and probiotic supplements? They can also be helpful.
Make sure you are chewing your GGS really well and not chugging. Try having some steamed veggies at lunch instead of the salad, since you’re having a lot of raw greens in the GGS, and see if that helps. You can build up your digestion gradually, and may be better able to handle more raw greens in the future.
Take care and keep in touch with the Beauty Detox community here! xx
***have the salad for lunch not with the ggs!
Beautiful!
it is true
I so enjoyed reading this, and had a few light bulb moments and feel good feelings in my heart, thanks ever so much for your interesting and from the heart information that you share, god bless x
Thank you Marie! I am so happy to hear that. 🙂
God bless xo!
Dear Kimberly
I am so grateful that I know you with your book. I feel like you are talking to me everyday!! I am doing the Beauty Detox Solution face one and this is my 3rd week. I have a really important question. I am naturally thin but I have a hard time loosing my stomach fat. I eat healthy and never eat processed food. I am from Ethiopia and I know how fresh food test like. Also, can I have some of the left over food for the next day lunch and dinner? will it mess it up with the diet? Also, i am having a hard time finding a time to do all the food that is offer on the phase one..if I eat left over for two to three days will that be bad? I don’t really see any change but I lost 6 ponds in 3 weeks of trying phase one., but my hair is getting dry and my lips also dry. I love all the food though. It is awesome. Thank you for taking your time to do all this for us. Thank you for your honesty. Most people don’t do that. I hope I am making sense to you:) English is not my first language …:) I am looking forward for you next book!! I have been doing your book over a year now but I was not following the phase as i do now. I really want to do phase one for 3 month because I have a bad sugar craving. Thanks again for your time
Elsa
Wonderful words Kimberly!
You are truly inspirational! I am so happy i found your blog last year! I have never felt better in my life, inside and out. I always used to think that being a vegan was extreme until i began reading your blog posts and started realizing that this actually makes sense.
We truly do have to find our own way back to our natural state; love.
This year has turned out to be as it needed to be, i stopped trying to control the outcome of things and started truly understanding what its like to just be.
Thank you for your inspirational posts.
Lots of love!
Namaste
Nice post!