Frueh Time: Loving yourself

By Phil Cobb | February 23, 2026 |

Love is in the air. February has been designated as the month of romantic love dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries. Who knew?

When I think of Valentine’s Day I think of romantic love, flowers and candy. Honoring loving relationships with friends, coworkers and family is important throughout the entire year not just during the month of February.

What about love for yourself? This is often neglected but so important. Self-care sometimes gets a bum rap and makes others think people are selfish if they take time for themselves. I used to think self-care meant I had to spend lots of money to have a spa day complete with massage, pedicure and facial. Do not get me wrong, those are all nice but caring for yourself can also look a bit different from a spa day.

Your small daily habits can also say a lot about how you love (or don’t love yourself). Do you take your daily medication for your chronic illnesses if you have high lipid levels, diabetes or heart issues? If you neglect them occasionally, that can be a detriment to your health. What inhibits you from caring for yourself? No time, do not think it is important, not seeing that it really is having any effect on your health, afraid to admit you have a health issue? Did any of these excuses ring a bell with you?

As I get older, I finally realize I need to take better care of the body I have so it works efficiently and effectively for an exceptionally long time. I know I need to avoid unhealthy snacks (my biggest downfall) but that is hard for me. I realize I must make a conscious effort to say no and make a healthy choice for me. No one is saying caring for yourself is easy, but it is worth it.

A few years ago, I was an advisor for a student-ran diabetic support group. If you are a diabetic, you know it can be time consuming and a bit daunting to manage your insulin through food, medication and monitoring. This can be even more difficult for college students. The students soon learned the behaviors some college students have can wreak havoc on their blood sugar balance and in turn cause them to feel bad physically for a few days. Even with that knowledge and experience of not feeling good it can be easy to go back to those old habits that are not good for us, but some people pay a higher price for unhealthy habits depending on what health issues they have.

Now is a wonderful time to do some self-reflection and to realize what habits are increasing your wellness and what habits may need to change because it is affecting your wellness in a negative way. Remember small daily changes can make a dramatic difference to your overall wellbeing. Here’s hoping for healthier habits for us all. Thanks for spending a little Frueh time with me.

Judy Frueh is a native to Nodaway County. She lives on a farm with her husband Randy and her dog Phobus. Judy has two children who both live in Nodaway County as well as three adorable grandkids.