Valentine's Day is often celebrated by loving and nurturing others. Through flowers, chocolates, love notes, date nights, or nice bottles of wine, we extend our love and affection to those close to us. Of course, this is because Valentine’s Day is the celebration of love! However, what if this year we chose to focus on loving ourselves first?
In such a busy and hectic world, it can be easy to lose track of our own needs. While it’s important to give during this month of love, we can’t fully care for others unless we first empower ourselves. Think of it as trying to pour into others when our own cup is empty. By giving out everything you have, you are left with very little, if not nothing. Oftentimes, this leaves you feeling exhausted and unable to show up whole for the people that need you most. Allow yourself to overflow with self-love, and your excess can be spent on those you love!
Here are some ways that we can practice loving ourselves this Valentine’s Day.
Have a Self-Care Night
Take an evening off for yourself to practice self-care, whatever that looks like to you. Treat yourself to a massage, a new movie that’s been released in theaters, a night at home with take-out, reality television, and a good cocktail, a date with a good book, or give yourself an early bedtime! If you have children, maybe hire a babysitter for the night, or ask your partner to take over, and you’ll repay them with a self-care night of their own. Take some time to truly appreciate yourself and your desires, with no judgment.
Buy Yourself Flowers
We all know the Miley Cyrus song by now, right? You don’t need to wait for others to treat yourself with something nice. Maybe you buy yourself a beautiful bouquet, some delicious chocolates, or perhaps even a knick-knack or article of clothing that you just cannot live without! Don’t go overboard, but do have fun. This simple act of giving to yourself is enough to showcase the value and admiration you have for your wishes.
Dive Into Your Hobby
When we spend so much time adhering to others, we can accidentally overlook what makes us truly unique; our hobbies. Whether you are a painter, a writer, a runner, a collector, a video-game phenomena, spend some time diving into your craft. I’m going to guess that there’s something you’ve wanted to do for yourself for some time, yet haven’t had the time. I am giving you permission to play and explore your creative abilities. You deserve to make time for what makes you happy!
It is not selfish to love yourself first sometimes. In fact, it’s important to do so to keep your relationships healthy and strong. I hope that you have a lovely Valentine’s Day, caring for not only those close to you, but yourself, as well. You are the only one who truly understands your needs, and therefore, you are the only one who can truly love and nurture yourself. Your happiness is just as important as everyone else’s!
This blog post was originally written for a client.