By Mary O’KEEFE

On Feb. 14 the Chace Taylor Malone Impact Foundation LA hosted a Valentine’s Day discussion at Crescenta Valley High School that focused on how students, and adults, can practice loving who they are.

The event was titled “Self-Love Seminar: Positive Self-Talk” with guest speaker Hayley Gripp. It was held during lunch at the WellNEST Center at CVHS.

Gripp is a co-founder of a wellness brand and is a woman’s and disability right’s activist with a background in the entertainment industry, she also has ties to the community.

“My father is a graduate of [CVHS] and my grandmother is the [founder] of Oktoberfest in Montrose,” she said.

Gripp grew up with Tourette Syndrome, and has faced bullies throughout her life. She spoke to the students about the power of positive self esteem—self love.

Gripp said she was at the school to talk about “self love and figuring out what tools” can be used to help students do this.

Impact student ambassadors Rebekah DeBoskey and Payton Ashe, both CVHS juniors, passed out mason jars as Gripp explained the act of self love. She told the students to write down things they liked about themselves, put them in the jars and then look at those comments to bring positivity into their day.

Often finding traits we like about others are much easier to identify and voice than finding those best traits in ourselves. Gripp spoke how she learned turning inward was helpful for overall mental health wellbeing.

“I have spoken to over 500,000 people on self worth,” she said. “I have advocated for mental health, female empowerment and disability equal rights.”

She spoke about her journey from actress to activist and how after achieving success on social media with over 100,000 followers and attending special events doing “all these cool things” she realized she wasn’t happy. She said those around her saw a happy person on the outside but it wasn’t what she was truly feeling. She realized she had to focus on herself with self love and  self care to balance life and be happy.

According to the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, self love is a state of appreciation for oneself that grows from actions that support our physical, psychological and spiritual growth. Self-love means having a high regard for your own well-being and happiness.

Gripp got the self-love exercise going by sharing what she was writing to be placed in her mason jar. She shared she liked how she was kind hearted and humble.

“And that I am kind of a goof ball,” she added.

Several students smiled and nodded in agreement as she shared her comments. Students shared their self-love images including:

“I love no matter how many times I try something, I never give up.”

“I like that I stick up for my friends.”

Impact ambassador DeBoskey said she felt it was important to have this type of conversation at the school.

“I have struggled myself with [mental health],” she said.

She wanted students to see that she, fellow ambassador Ashe and the Chace Taylor Malone Impact Foundation cared about them.

Ashe said she had struggled with self worth but felt “loved and welcomed” by the Impact Foundation.

“I have found this [Foundation] has made me feel like I belong,” she added.

The Brain and Behavior Research Foundation has tips on how to practice self love:

Talking to and about yourself with love.

Prioritizing yourself

Giving yourself a break from self-judgment

Trusting yourself

Being true to yourself

Being nice to yourself

Setting healthy boundaries

Forgiving yourself when you aren’t being true or nice to yourself.

Tips to follow self-care:

Listen to your body

Take breaks from work and move/stretch

Put the phone down and connect to yourself or others, or do something creative

Eating healthily, but it’s ok to sometimes indulge in foods that are not on that healthy list.

  Mary Okeefe