Lifestyle

3 Ways Self Love Will Skyrocket Your Impact In 2022

Published

4 years ago

February 5, 2022

Throughout the last couple of years of global pandemic, many celebrities have opened up about their personal struggles and how they are pivoting to a different mindset, choosing self-love over previous behaviors.

In a recent interview, between Oprah and Adele, in November , Adele stated that she loved herself and had become open to loving and being loved by someone else. “Everything is timing…You have to get clarity on what you really want in the soul of yourself.” When Oprah asked her, “What do you really want?” her response was, “Peace of mind and stability.”

Given the toll that job losses, health problems and a worldwide pandemic have had on society’s well-being, self-care has certainly come to the fore. Whilst some have balked at the term—saying it evokes a sense of narcissism—it’s been proven that a dearth of self-love can seriously affect your health.

Low self-esteem, caused by a negative self-image, is linked with depression, poor physical health and a lack of mental well-being. Since depression is an increasingly common and destructive blight on modern society, self-love might be the ‘antidote’ that we all need.

Host of the TV channel, ‘You Are Amazing’ on The Best You TV, and co-founder of ‘The Infinity Life’, Barbie Layton—aka Intuitive Barbie—has devoted her career to helping others literally fall in love with themselves. According to the renowned author and motivational speaker, self-love is a powerful emotion that opens one up to a new realm of personal and professional possibilities. As a vocal advocate of learning to appreciate oneself, she offers some practical advice.

Step one: Fall in love with yourself where you currently are

Whilst falling in love with the world, and yourself, may be the first step towards self-acceptance, further action is required to see a monumental life-change. A common complaint amongst adults is that they have no time for themselves. Kids, careers, and chores conspire to subjugate dreams and aspirations. There are so many other pressing duties.

But, Barbie maintains that transformational self-love must ‘reanimate’ old passions, whether it’s music, singing, painting, or something entirely entrepreneurial, like starting your own business. Part of appreciating yourself involves bringing your dreams to life and then carefully nurturing them.

In fact, according to recent studies, repeated bouts of self-compassion are strongly linked with resilience and success. The mood-enhancing effects can improve job performance and help us to do more than we ever thought possible, both privately and professionally.

Step two: Practice extreme gratitude

“Firstly, you have to tune into a frequency of gratitude. Native Americans would offer a prayer of thanks for the three hundred hands that had brought the food to their table. When I cook, it’s the same thing. I say thanks for the beautiful ingredients laid before me. I thank inanimate objects like my car, fridge or microwave because they carry an energetic frequency. And they’re there to support me. I’m acknowledging that everything is working with me, and for me, as opposed to against me.”

Barbie explains: “Extreme gratitude—as I call it—enables me to fall in love with the world around me, allowing me to easily shift out of a negative mindset and into a positive one.

Step three: Be the VIP of your own life

Turning that science into an art-form, Barbie believes that everyone should act as the ‘VIP’ of their own life. She explains: “Loving yourself means occasionally treating yourself to the better things in life. It’s not about consumerism, or spoiling yourself, but it’s an attitude that says, ‘I deserve the best.’

With pandemic-related job losses still affecting the economy, it can be easy to get into a ‘make do’ mindset where you never really put yourself first. Barbie says, “It doesn’t have to be something huge. Love yourself and act as though you are worthy of good things. Not only will it change your life but also the atmosphere around you, shifting people from a mindset of lack and fear to freedom and abundance.”

Barbie continues, “If you listen to a frequency of 528 HZ on the Solfeggio Frequencies, which sounds like Hyuuu (the tone of creation, love, and DNA) for thirty days, it can play a small part in opening up your energies to love or ‘above’ frequencies, which is the frequency where manifestation occurs. YouTube contains many free tracks. We have all watched people go through metamorphoses like the caterpillar that becomes a radiant butterfly. Above all, stay in childlike wonder and suspend disbelief that things can get better. Thank everything that supports you now and step into a better version of yourself every day just by shifting your perception.”

Lifestyle

When Seasons Shift: Dr. Leeshe Grimes on Grief, Loneliness, and Finding Light Again

Published

4 days ago

February 22, 2026

Michelle Langton

Some emotional storms arrive without warning. A sudden change in weather, a holiday approaching, or even a bright sunny day can stir feelings that don’t match the world outside. For many people, the hardest seasons are not defined by temperature; they are defined by what’s happening inside, where grief and loneliness often move quietly.

This is the emotional terrain where Dr. Leeshe Grimes has spent her career doing some of her most meaningful work. As a psychotherapist, registered play therapist, retired U.S. Army combat veteran, and founder of Elevated Minds in the DMV area, she understands how deeply seasonal shifts and unresolved grief can affect people. Her upcoming books explore this very space, guiding readers through the emotional weight that can appear during different times of the year.

What sets Dr. Grimes apart is her ability to see clearly what many people overlook. Seasonal depression, for example, is usually tied to winter months. But she often sees it appear during warm, bright seasons, the times when the world seems happiest. For someone already grieving or feeling disconnected, watching others travel, celebrate, or gather can create its own kind of heaviness. Sunshine doesn’t always lift the mood; sometimes it highlights what feels missing.

The same misunderstanding surrounds grief. Society often treats it as a short-term experience with predictable phases and a clean ending. But in her practice, Dr. Grimes sees how grief keeps evolving. It doesn’t disappear on a timeline. It weaves itself into routines, memories, and milestones. People learn to carry it differently, but they rarely leave it behind completely. And that’s not failure, it’s human.

Her approach to mental health centers on truth rather than pressure. She encourages clients to acknowledge the emotions they try to hide: sadness that lingers longer than expected, moments of joy that feel out of place, and the waves of loneliness that return even when life seems stable. Instead of pushing for quick recovery, she focuses on helping people understand how emotions shift and how to care for themselves through those changes.

Much of her insight comes from her military years, where she witnessed the emotional toll of loss, transition, and constant survival. She saw how people continued functioning while carrying pain that had nowhere to go. That experience shaped her belief that healing requires space, space to feel, to speak, and to move through emotions without judgment.

In her clinical work today at Elevated Minds, she encourages people to build small, steady habits that anchor them during difficult seasons. Journaling helps them recognize patterns and name what feels heavy. Community support breaks the cycle of isolation. Therapy creates a place where emotions don’t have to be minimized or explained away. And intentional routines, daily sunlight, mindful breaks, and calm evenings help rebuild emotional balance.

Her upcoming books expand on these ideas, offering practical guidance for navigating both grief and seasonal depression. She focuses on helping readers understand that healing is not about escaping pain. It’s about learning how to live with it in a healthier way, honoring memories, acknowledging loneliness, and still allowing room for moments of light.

What makes Dr. Leeshe Grimes a compelling voice in mental health is her ability to bring language to experiences that many struggle to explain. She reminds people that emotional seasons don’t always match the weather and that there is no single path through grief. But within those shifts, she believes there is always a way forward.

The seasons will continue to change. And with the right tools, compassion, and support, people can change with them, finding steadiness, softness, and light again, one step at a time.