A Love Letter to Thyself Valentine’s Day has come and past—but love and hate are all year, regret and remorse are all year round. I am not speaking of the relationship between one and his/her/their partner but of the relationship one has with thyself. I have made many, many mistakes in my lifetime. At times, I have hurt people enormously with my words, I have disappointed those I care most about, I have been selfish when I should have thought of the needs of others as well. And so I can go one like this, whipping myself like the medieval flaggelants who used whipping as a form of expulsion of their sins. I am religious, so I do ask and often do ask God for forgiveness. But there are secular ways as well, one of the strongest being self-compassion. Self-compassion-- for me-- is about giving youself the same room for growth and forgiveness as you would (or ...