Valentine’s Day and the Importance of Loving Ourselves

At East Portland Pediatric Clinic, the health and wellness of our staff is as important to us as the health and wellness of our patients. That’s why, at our monthly staff meetings, we explore a wellness theme and how we can put it into practice. This month, in honor of Valentine’s Day, we celebrated the Disney movie Encanto and the importance of loving ourselves.

 

 

At the beginning of February, we set up a station in the clinic for visitors and staff to send valentines to each other. We especially love the ones we received from our patients. Along with valentines, our staff also enjoyed lots of secret pal gifts and warm fuzzies.

 

Then, at our staff meeting, we watched Isabela sing “What Else Can I Do?” Afterwards, we talked about not having to be perfect and how we shouldn’t be critical of ourselves. Instead, we should treat – and encourage – ourselves the way we would treat and encourage a friend.

 

Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz – What Else Can I Do? (From “Encanto”)

 

Next, we shared this article on How to Practice Self-Compassion and discussed how we can show kindness to ourselves, as well as accept ourselves for who we are, imperfections and all.

 

We also talked about taking care of ourselves and shared this Self-Care Tips worksheet. Along with general information on self-care, this worksheet also explores how to set specific goals, how to set boundaries to protect self-care, and how to make self-care a habit in your life.

 

And, in keeping with the Encanto theme, we enjoyed arroz con leche and chocolate caliente at our staff meeting!