Self-love isn’t something that can just happen overnight, it’s something that you work on and develops over time. Very often, we find ourselves getting too caught up in the world around us that we become overly concerned with others and lose touch with ourselves. This definitely becomes more present around the holidays.
Valentine’s Day can be a stressful time of year for everybody, no matter your relationship status. Whether you’re stressing over the perfect gift and dinner plans or dreading spending the day alone, it’s important to take some time to yourself to destress and reconnect with your body and mind.
That being said, here are 5 ways to practice self-love and be your own Valentine this year:
- Try some self-esteem/ self-love meditation.
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Separate 5 minutes of your day to fuel your mind with positive and reaffirming thoughts through self or guided meditations (apps like Insight Timer and Headspace are great) and you’ll be feeling refreshed, relaxed and ready to carry on with your day.
- Wear your favorite outfit.
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We feel our best when we look our best and while you never need an excuse to dress up in your cutest or most elaborate outfit, this is still a great opportunity too!
- Write yourself a love note.
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Whether you make a list of your top 10 favorite things about yourself or write a full letter to yourself, it’s important to reflect on and realize all the great things about you. Once you finish, save it in a safe spot for a day when you need a little reminder of how awesome you are!
- Spend some quality time with those that make YOU feel the best (even if that’s yourself).
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It’s always important to surround yourself with positive influences, but Valentine’s Day especially should be spent with the people that you love and love you back. Have a Galentine’s movie night with the girls, go out to your favorite restaurant with your significant other, get lunch with your mom!
- Stay away from social media.
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Social media can be extremely toxic and is often flooded with heavily ‘filtered’ versions of everyone’s life, especially on Valentine’s Day. Relationship or no relationship sometimes it’s better to stay off your phone and focus on yourself rather than worrying about what everyone else is doing.