Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to shower yourself with self-love. Whether or not you have a partner or date to celebrate the holiday with, don’t forget about yourself. Self-love on Valentine’s Day – and any other day of the year – is so very important.
Valentine’s Day can be so much more than chocolates and teddy bears. It’s a great time to reflect on why you’re so wonderful, pamper yourself with positive thoughts, and love yourself for who you are.
Incorporate one or all of the ideas below to give yourself some self-love this Valentine’s Day.
Reflection
Every day is a good day for reflection – and so is Valentine’s Day. Reflect on who you are, where you’ve been, and where you’re going. Embrace your insights and recognize any changes you might want to make.
When you reflect, you’re able to see patterns or habits that you either like or dislike. Build on the ones you like and make changes for the ones you don’t.
Reflection is a way for your to look internally and be mindful of who you are and embrace the choices you have made. It allows you time to be honest with yourself. In this honesty, make adjustments as needed in your life, and remember to be kind to yourself.
List of Love
This is exactly what it says. Write a list of the reasons you love yourself. Don’t be shy – write a long list. It should definitely be long. Each of us has so many reasons to love ourselves. Some may be silly, but when you take this exercise seriously, you’ll realize who you are and why you love being who you are.
If for some reason you realize there are some things you don’t particularly love, that’s okay. Make changes and reevaluate next month or next Valentine’s Day.
Maybe on your list is that you read every night before you go to bed, or that you make time to connect with your parents or loved ones at least once a day or week. You might love that you are passionate about being a vegetarian and the way you experiment with new recipes. Or that you volunteer in your local community. The list can be endless and include anything that you love about yourself. Maybe you absolutely love the way you love your cat.
Keep the list. Add to the list. Enjoy who you are and love yourself.
Personal Acts of Kindness
Being kind to yourself is so necessary in life. It’s easy to fill ourselves with negative thoughts or high expectations that are hard to reach.
Instead, encourage yourself when you’re feeling down or upset about something. Tell yourself that you look or feel great. Be positive and kind in your thoughts and inner voice. What we say to ourselves matters. Your inner dialogue should be positive.
Buy yourself a flower, or write yourself a love note. Take a moment to be kind to yourself.
Internal Gratitude for Self-Love on Valentine’s Day
Wake up in the morning and say ‘thank you’ to yourself. Be grateful for who you are and appreciate your uniqueness, the way you care for yourself, and the fact that you get to live your best day today. And even if it doesn’t seem like your best day, live it as though it is.
Internal gratitude is a perfect way to give yourself self-love on Valentine’s Day. Honestly, we can’t expect anyone else to be grateful and appreciative of us if we aren’t for ourselves.
Appreciate the way you love yourself and others. Be thankful for how you are in this moment looking for ways to celebrate yourself.
Thank you for being you.
Recognition
Recognize who you are, how you perceive yourself, and how you think others perceive you. This recognition falls into mindfulness. Be present and honest with yourself. Understand yourself and the environment you create for yourself and those you surround yourself with.
Congratulate yourself on accomplishing something that was difficult for you, and that no one else knew was. We all experience things differently and what one finds easy someone else may find hard. So maybe no one is recognizing you for what feels hard. Recognize yourself.
Acceptance
Accept yourself. This is a hard one for so many of us. You are who you are. And if you don’t like that person, you have the power to change. But only look at that change as an option if it’s a change for you and not what you think others want to see in or from you.
When you accept yourself you provide yourself with self-love. You understand yourself, who you are, and what you expect from yourself. Nobody is perfect. Yes, some people seem perfect, but they aren’t. So each and every one of us has to accept ourselves, and that means accepting all of who we are.
Remember, this acceptance is about you and you alone. Give yourself an internal blessing to be who you are and adjust if only you think you want to or need to. Sometimes, you just need to accept that you might not be the best at something, but if it’s your personal best – that’s all that matters.
Prioritize Yourself on Valentine’s Day for Self-Love
Put yourself first, especially if you’re searching for self-love on Valentine’s Day. Oftentimes, we can get lost in doing for others. But make sure to carve out time for yourself in your day. Whether you focus on a hobby you love or take a few minutes to meditate before dinner.
Give yourself permission to be a priority in your own life. Take a few minutes on this holiday to do just that. Commit to yourself and do something you love just for you – because it makes you happy and puts a smile on your face.
Self-Care
There are so many ways to bring self-care into your self-love on Valentine’s Day list. Self-care is something that we should all practice every day of the year. Check out this article on self-care and think of implementing at least one idea into your day.
Whether it’s mental self-care, nutrition, or social support, to name a few, make time for it.
Another way to look at self-care is to pamper yourself. Spend time on yourself in a decadent way. Take a bubble bath, eat some chocolate, or maybe use a face mask before bed. Pamper yourself and enjoy it.
How Will You Self-Love on Valentine’s Day?
It may be hard to fit all of the above into one day. But remember, it’s not just on Valentine’s Day that you should focus on yourself and your well-being. It’s a good day to get started though.
Pick one or all the ideas from above and give yourself time to love yourself. We all can use a little more self-love.
Let me know in the comments below how you’ll be practicing self-love!
