I came a across a most wonderful book, and I’d like to share it with you!
It is called Love For No Reason by Marci Shimoff. Click here to see the book online. When Ella saw me reading it (we read together in bed every night) she asked what that means…”love for no reason.”
It is, I explained, being in a state of love, feeling love from inside, versus loving overselves or someone else because we/they are a certain way or because they give something we want. It is another way of saying “unconditional love.”
I’ve always felt that it is through unconditional acceptance of myself that I was able to work through, or go beyond, what could have been an eating disorder when I was in college (I wasn’t always the weight I wanted to be), and many other personal challenges now that I think about it!
And it is exactly that unconditional acceptance and care (that works so well with myself) that I aim to bring to my work (It doesn’t feel like work…it feels like living my passion) with patients.
The tricky part, I find, is in distinguishing unconditional acceptance from tolerance, and defining it with boundaries and parameters that actually allow for self-love.
This is where Marci steps in! By drawing on what is known about chakras (energy centers in the body) and sharing information from many professionals who have been investigating these same subjects (she refers to them as “Love Luminaries”) Marci walks you through exercises that help you to determine where you may be blocking unconditional acceptance of yourself, thereby increasing self-love and, at a deeper level, shifts the perspective on love so that it is not something that we seek after, but instead, it becomes (actually, she helps you to realize that it is) something that comes from within.
Wow, that was quite a mouthful!
Do you sometimes (or all the time) hear a voice that criticizes yourself or others? The “Why did I do that?,” “I’m so stupid,” “What is wrong with me,” “I’m not good enough,” “Sound too good to be true” voice that chimes in (it seems) at the worst times, right when you are already feeling down and wondering if things will ever get better, or thinking that they won’t.
Ah ha! Caught her! Marci teaches you about that voice and gives you the tools for understanding that voice and becoming free of the vicious cycle listening to that voice creates. Yep, it is possible to be free of self-criticism, and thus living in self-love, without being narcissistic!
For example, if you have been trying to lose weight, and then find yourself in front of an empty container of ice cream, and the numbers on the scale don’t seem to go lower…throw out the scale and pick up this book!
Or if you think of the times when you are exercising regularly and eating “the way you are supposed to,” but it just doesn’t seem real to you, or know it would only be temporary, I think this book could really help. And not just for weight loss! If you are feeling stuck in any way, there are enough exercises and stories in this book to help you get unstuck.
It is not about trying again the same way you’ve tried before. It is about discovering that there is another doorway, maybe you didn’t know the doorway was there, or even that you could blow the doors right off! What if you could just be you, and feel great in your body, and be healthy, all at the same time?!!
I’m here to help you figure that all out. I know it is possible because I did it in my body. I believe it is possible for you too.
Be your Valentine, and love yourself for no reason! Thank you Marci.
Dr. Doni
DONIELLE WILSON is a women’s health expert and Naturopathic Doctor with a private practice in New York City, Port Jefferson, NY, and Connecticut. She specializes in showing women and their loved ones how to achieve their wellness goals by finally getting the answers they’ve been looking for to their most perplexing health challenges. To learn more about Dr. Doni and her unique approach to achieving health naturally, please visit Dr. Doni today.