Valentine’s Day is an interesting time for all of us. Some of us are super happy and in love, glad things are working out for you guys. Some of us are newly single, chronically single, or heck, even happily-ever-after single. And some of us just want to eat ice cream and watch The Notebook on repeat. Whatever mood you’re in this Valentine’s Day, I invite you to consider that this is actually the perfect time to fall in love with yourself. Ok, I know what you’re thinking, only single people make the excuse of falling in love with themselves on Valentine’s Day to feel less lonely, but you’re wrong. Spending quality time with yourself and doing things that make you feel good is simply a great mental and emotional health practice. Like really think about it, when was the last time you took a step back from your busy career, school, and social life to give yourself some attention. We often look to others for validation for the love that we desire and fail to invest in ourselves and make us the priority. But not this year!
Time to put that #SelfCare2019 hashtag to use because this Valentine’s Day it’s all. about. you. Whether it’s finally blocking your ex’s number for good or treating yourself to that new Gucci belt because you aced your class or simply taking a long bubble bath with essential oils — whatever it is, do it, because you deserve it. So this Valentine’s Day, no matter what your relationship status, I encourage you to put self-love first by incorporating any (or all) of the following suggestions into your plans:
1. Go On An Instagram Hiatus
Woohoo, it’s the “most romantic day of the year” and on Feb. 14th, Instagram is the last place you want to spend your time on when you’re tending to self care. Your timeline is going to be blowing up with sappy love posts and people trying to outdo one another on who loves who more. If you’re single, it’ll make you feel like shit because it’s just another reminder that you’re spending this day alone. If you’re in a relationship, you’re just comparing how others are celebrating Valentine’s Day versus how yours is actually going. Either way, social media is the devil. If you know seeing these posts will make you feel some type of way, just delete the app for the day. No one’s going to judge you! You’re merely taking care of yourself and I AM 100% FOR IT.
2. Cook A Fancy Meal
Crack open that Chrissy Teigen cookbook that just sits on your desk collecting dust. It’s time for you to make that recipe you never had time to make. No more excuses! Set aside an hour the day before for buying ingredients and doing the prep work and then start cooking with a glass of wine on Valentine’s Day. Enjoy the process of creating, smelling and tasting something new — it can prove to be extremely therapeutic. Invite your boyfriend, girlfriend, or friends over to taste your meal and just take in the compliments. Nothing says #SelfCare2019 like good food and great company, am I right?
3. Indulge in Retail Therapy
Have you heard Ariana Grande’s song, 7 rings? BECAUSE THAT IS MOOD. Now while we all aren’t rich enough to buy our friends Tiffany rings this Valentine’s Day, we might have some wallet space to buy ourselves something nice. According to Shape Magazine, some solo pampering boosts your body image and immunity, encourages optimistic thinking, makes you more encouraging toward others, and can even strengthen your relations. Such a valid excuse to splurge (or slightly splurge), IMO.
4. Work On Your Side Hustle
Everyone has their main hustle (working your typical 9-5 job) and their “wish it was main hustle”. The latter category is that side project you’ve always wanted to do – whether it’s starting a food blog or a podcast or creating a prototype for an idea you had when you were drunk. What’s been stopping you from going full throttle on that side project? A lot of times people have these grand ideas like I want to be YouTuber or I want to be a talk show host, well yeah, doesn’t everyone? But what are you doing in order to achieve that? Start mapping out what you can do to build up your side brand – because who knows, what if it really takes off? I’d start by making a list of things you’ve wanted to do and prioritizing them by most achievable — what better way to spend Valentine’s Day than going full entrepreneur mode!
5. Have a Rom-Com Marathon
I know what you’re thinking, why would someone want to torture themselves with unrealistic expectations of love on the one day that’s all about love? That’s exactly why. They are unrealistic expectations, aka, this does not happen in real life. Doesn’t mean that we can’t hope that it’ll start raining and we’ll bump into the person of our dreams and our eyes will lock….okay, I’m getting carried away. But rom-coms are the way to go this Valentine’s Day — think big batch of popcorn, snuggling in the comfort of your couch, and flipping on a movie that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Hey, at the end of the day, isn’t Valentine’s Day all about achieving that warm and fuzzy feeling inside?
So there you have it, Valentine’s Day isn’t all about flowers, chocolates and spending time with a special someone, but it can also be about dedicating some time to you. Incorporating these self-care ideas into your Valentine’s Day this year can help you feel re-centered, but don’t just stop there! You can (and should!) make them a part of your everyday routine. Now go drink some champagne and start working on this list!
Connect with me on:
Instagram: @nehaltenany,
Twitter: @omgnehal
