Therapists
GET IN TOUCH
Book Now
BLOG
Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to reflect on all the ways we experience and show love in our lives. Relationships are deservedly celebrated on Valentine’s Day: partners, pets, family members, and friends. But while you’re planning that romantic date or searching for a beautiful gift, remember not to neglect your most important relationship: the one you have with yourself.
Prioritizing Self-Love
It’s easy to overlook the importance of self-love. Many people prioritize others first: our partners, children, siblings, and friends. While it’s crucial to nourish and maintain those essential lifelines, it’s equally important to care for yourself. After all, you are the only person who knows your innermost dreams, desires, and fears. Your relationship with yourself is one that truly lasts a lifetime!
The best thing about self-love is that you can practice it every day in various ways. After you establish your routine of self-love rituals, it will become easier to budget time for it. Investing in yourself will leave you feeling more balanced, satisfied, relaxed, and nourished.
Cultivating Self-Love
Another great thing about self-love is that there is no right or wrong way to express it! Do what makes you feel good. Forget unwanted gifts or unfulfilling dates. When you know yourself well, you precisely know what makes you feel happy and loved.
Here are a few ways to cultivate self-love:
Pamper yourself.
Pampering is a fun and luxurious way to celebrate yourself if you have the resources. Taking care of your body is a way to nurture yourself. Book a visit to the spa or salon, or treat yourself with a massage or pedicure. Relax in a sauna or jacuzzi. Pampering yourself is all about doing whatever makes you feel like an A-list celebrity. Your body will love you for it!
Give yourself a break.
Taking a mental break is a loving gesture when you’re feeling stressed or burned out. When we have so many demands throughout the day, rest is sparse. So why not deliberately carve out some time for rest? Allow yourself to lie down and do nothing. Take the weight off your shoulders and reflect, rest, or mindlessly exist. Release any expectation or pressure you feel, if only for a moment.
Spend some time alone.
What if you could feel the excitement of a date night several times a week? When you take yourself on a date, you can! Spend time with yourself with a nice lunch, a good movie, or a walk in the park. Dress up and go for a solo night on the town. Doing so will strengthen your sense of self, and it’s also quite fun!
Speak kindly to yourself.
Make kind self-talk a habit. We are often very critical, and even abusive, to ourselves. We speak to ourselves in ways that we’d never talk to a loved one. Try changing that. Make it a priority to talk to yourself the way you’d talk to your best friend. Write yourself a love letter, or write some advice that your younger self would love to hear. Kind words are a pillar of self-love.
Think of all the positive qualities that make you lovable.
If nothing else, take time every day to remind yourself how special you are. We all have positive attributes. Recognize them every day. By making this a daily practice, you’ll build and strengthen your self-worth. You’ll turn yourself into someone you want to love, and you’ll feel valued in the process.
In conclusion
When it comes to self-love, nothing is too big or too small. You don’t have to spend a lot of money or time to love yourself. Dedicate time and energy to cultivate self-love every day, and you’ll feel extra loved this Valentine’s Day.
