Valentine's Day is over and you survived, hopefully without tossing your cookies or giving out any knuckle sandwiches. Now, it's time to get back to what Whitney Houston described as the greatest love of all - learning to love yourself. For some, February 14th was a joyous day full of flowers, chocolate, and quality time with loved ones. Many others who are single or healing from heartbreak may have found the holiday only highlighted their loneliness and feelings of grief. Still some folks may have felt neutrally about being excluded from Valentine's Day, thinking it simply doesn't apply to them.
Whatever your response was to yesterday, let's rally some momentum now and use it as motivation to cultivate more compassion and care for yourself! Self-Love is for everyone. Here are some ideas that won't break the bank to inspire you to show yourself kindness and affection.
Create a Vision Board: Spend some time gathering images, quotes, and words that resonate with your dreams and aspirations. Arrange them on a board or piece of paper to create a visual representation of your goals and desires. Display it somewhere you'll see it daily as a reminder of what you're working towards and why you deserve love and fulfillment.
Dance Like Nobody's Watching: Turn up your favorite music and let yourself move freely without any judgment or inhibition. Dance is a wonderful way to release stress, boost endorphins, and connect with your body in a joyful way. Plus, it's a celebration of your unique expression and vitality.
Write a Sweet Love Letter to You: Tell yourself all the things you love about your personality, talents, accomplishments and dreams. Remind yourself of your innate worthiness of love - not just from others but from yourself. Seal the letter up and tuck it away to read again whenever you need a confidence boost.
Practice Self-Compassion Meditation: Set aside some time for a guided meditation focused on self-compassion. There are many free resources available online that can guide you through practices like loving-kindness meditation or body scan meditations aimed at cultivating a sense of kindness and acceptance towards yourself.
Enjoy a Date with Yourself: Cook yourself a delicious home-cooked meal complete with candlelight, flowers and romantic music. Really relish the food and the ambiance. You deserve to be pampered with the very best ingredients and flavors.
Write Yourself a Pep Talk: Take a few minutes to jot down some encouraging words and affirmations for yourself. Remind yourself of your strengths, resilience, and all the times you've overcome challenges in the past. Keep these notes handy for moments when you need a confidence boost or a reminder of your own worth.
Get Outside with a Nature Walk or Outdoor Picnic: Spend some time outdoors connecting with the beauty of nature. Whether it's a leisurely stroll through a local park or a picnic in your backyard, being in nature can be incredibly grounding and rejuvenating. Take in the sights, sounds, and sensations around you, and allow yourself to be fully present in the moment.
Try a New Creative Hobby: Engage in a creative activity that brings you joy and allows you to express yourself. This could be anything from doodling in a sketchbook, trying out a new recipe, or experimenting with DIY crafts. The process of creating something with your own hands can be incredibly fulfilling and can help you tap into your creativity and inner wisdom.
Of course, there's always the most common and commercialized self-care suggestion of drawing yourself a luxurious bubble bath surrounded by candles, rose petals and your favorite treats. Play some soothing music that you don't already have associations with or a new album you've been wanting to check out but haven't found the time. Enjoy some time away from the noise of life to daydream and let your mind meander. Soak away any tension or worries from the past week, visualizing them dissolving into the water. Emerge relaxed, renewed and ready to continue being your own Valentine going forward.
I can't deny that taking the time to enjoy a bath feels really self-nurturing and often quite rejuvenating. Though your urge to shop may be activated, you can truly do this on the cheap. If you're like me and you're sensitive to pretty much everything, you may prefer a soak bath with just epsom salt.
Image by cromaconceptovisual/Pixabay
Self-love is an ongoing practice that encourages us to grow our patience, compassion, and dedication without putting so much pressure on ourselves. Even if it's a small thing you can do to love yourself more today, try it out until it becomes part of your own self-love language. Incorporating some of these engaging and low-cost activities into your routine can help you cultivate a deeper sense of love, acceptance, and appreciation for yourself.
If you're like me, cynical of center about romantic love, or even if you're not, I have found growing my self-love and self-compassion to be the most important endeavor of my life. It takes work to be more nurturing to ourselves and break the habit of the self-judgment and criticism. Some days aren't going to be our days but I still find the process is totally worth it. The best part about this practice is that it spreads out and encourages others to love themselves which ultimately helps the whole collective and brings more kindness into the world we live in.
Though you'll never run out of chances to practice loving you, try to extend the same compassion and care you do to your loved ones. You are a human being absolutely worthy of your own love, after all. Everyone is! There are no exceptions. ♥️
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