We talk a lot about serious, healthy relationships — the kind where you choose someone every day, where you make time for them, care for them, support them, and want things to work. I’ve been married for over 20 years, and I can tell I found my person. Between highs and lows, we grow together, you learn together, and we choose each other every day.

So that’s the thing: if I can put that much intention into loving someone else, why wouldn’t I do the same for myself? After becoming a mother and stepping into new seasons of life, I realized that the relationship I have with myself sets the tone for everything else.

Being in a serious relationship with myself doesn’t mean I’m selfish or that I love others less. It means I chose myself. It means I make time for what I enjoy. It’s about speaking to myself with respect, celebrating my wins, forgiving my mistakes, and choosing not to abandon myself when life gets busy. The more I prioritize that relationship, the happier and more fulfilled I am. And this balance changes how I show up for my husband, my son, and the people around me.

There’s also something slightly ironic about the phrase, because we’re so used to defining ourselves through who we’re with. But this is different. This is about being committed to YOURSELF and YOUR HAPPINESS. Love doesn’t have to be something you find outside of yourself first. It starts with you. And that’s why I’m in a serious relationship with myself.