This time of the year comes with mixed emotions. Some people enjoy this day as they are immersed with love, receiving gifts, candy and chocolate. It can be a dream for someone but let’s face it, this is not everyone’s reality. Love is amazing…don’t get me wrong but not everyone receives this amount of love, on the day we know as Valentine’s Day. So do not allow social media or any media outlet make you feel bad for spending this time solo.
I must admit it’s nice to be thought of…I would be lying to you if I said it wasn’t. But we must remember that no mater who we are with, single, married or in a complicated relationship, it’s imperative we care for ourselves and provide self-love.
The subtitle for the magazine this month is Normalize Self-Love and I intentionally titled this because people attend to put themselves last. You make sure everyone else is okay, checked off all the boxes in making sure everyone else feels good…but what about you? It’s not until something happens or you are depleted before you think about the last time you put yourself first. And let’s face it, making yourself a priority is different for everyone.
We attend to think we have to lavish ourselves, (I mean if that’s what you need then lavish on!) but it does not have to take all of that. A nice pedicure and manicure is good and it feels great to receive some type of service, but what are you doing on the inside? What are you doing mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, to get yourself together? When was the last time you collected your thoughts, explored your dreams, crossed off things from YOUR goal list and not your routine TO DO list, (we are only in February, its time to check in on those resolutions) or quality some time to yourself to just be? A time where you are not doing pick ups, drop offs, grocery runs or sitting in the waiting room, while your child attend extra curricular activities after school. Let’s face it you deserve to show yourself self-love, everyday and most importantly on Valentine’s Day.
3 Ways To Show Yourself Some Self-Love
Believe it or not, some people do not know how to be alone. They bounce from one relationship to the next, avoiding themselves. It’s time for you to get to know yourself, we are evolving human beings and we have to check in every once in a while. What time is better than the present? You can learn a thing or two about yourself and by doing this, it will allow you to figure out what you will or will not tolerate in future relationships, (this includes friendships and family relationships).
Write down your feelings: awareness is important. When we are aware of our emotions we can do something about it. This is something you do not want to hide, journal how you are feeling to get a baseline of where you are emotionally.
Get Active: write down activities you like to do to boost your mood. This can go a long way, a walk outside or a exercise video has a way of boosting your mood and making you feel good about yourself.
Pamper yourself: Buy yourself some flowers, who says you have to wait for someone else to do it? If candy is something you like, add that to the shopping list. Light a candle and here’s a tip on candle smells: lavender helps with mood, pine scents help with stress, citrus smells helps with energy, and peppermint helps with concentration.
Remember this: no one can make you happy. If we depend on other people to make us happy, we are in for a rude awakening. Be intentional with adding yourself to your calendar. It can start with once a week and increase to an hour a day. It may sound impossible at first, but think of things that you are doing that are considered time wasters, scale back on those things and introduce these three activities to get your personal time started. If you need any assistance at all, be sure to check out our magazine here for tips. Let me know how this goes for you in the comments and I look forward to the well needed discussion. And remember no Valentine…no problem! Show yourself some self-love.