Who says you need to be in a relationship to celebrate Valentine's Day? You DEFINITELY don't need to be in one to love yourself! Here are some ways we're showing up for ourselves this V-Day.
1. Create a meaningful self-love ritual
Self-love is no joke, it is a huge part of accepting yourself as you are and embracing the real you! Small and simple rituals can help enhance how you treat yourself and how you see yourself and it doesn't have to be anything too time consuming or too hard! Choose something that is meaningful to you, like your evening routine. Try disconnecting from social media and television and take an extra few minutes to be present while you get ready for bed, take a couple of deep breaths as you moisturize your face with intention, etc. Or when you wake up in the morning, before picking up your phone to scroll, take 5 minutes in bed to set an intention for your day and reflect on how you might keep that intention with you as you move through your day. Notice the things in your day that make you feel good and intentionally create a ritual from them. Slowly but surely, this will help you connect with yourself.
2. Practice self-compassion
Self-compassion fits hand in hand with self-love. It's hard to allow love to grow without compassion. Compassion comes in many forms, but at its core, it's an understanding that lends forgiveness to yourself and others when the unexpected happens. Practicing self-compassion can look like sleeping in one day when your body is craving it, or it can look like setting a boundary with someone when you are feeling overwhelmed, or maybe it is allowing yourself to just rest, with no commitments. Self-compassion is definitely a challenging practice, but reminding yourself to have it can make a world of difference.
3. Drop Comparisons
Social media has made this really challenging! In, fact it has actually made it way worse than it's ever been. Comparing yourself to others is so easy to get caught up in, but realistically, why would we want that? You are who you are and that is the beauty of YOU! You've made friends, deep connections, and meaningful relationships because of who you show up as in those situations. You are loved the way you are, so why are we always trying to compare ourselves to this person or that? Embracing who you are and showing up authentically will without a doubt be one of the most freeing practices you can do.
4. Embrace the concept of surrender
Surrendering can be very difficult for many people. As humans, we love structure and control, but sometimes we cannot have structure and we, of course, cannot control everything. Learning to only control the controllables, and letting go of the things you cannot control can be very liberating (psst.. this is where the compassion comes in). It can ease anxiety, relax the nervous system, alleviate worry and can really mitigate the unnecessary stress we put on ourselves day in and day out.
5. Treat yourself
Well, sometimes, we just gotta do it! Whether it's that 30 minute bubble bath you love, that solo trip you've been yearning for, or those earrings you've had your eye on for months... sometimes you just have to look at how far you've come and realize how worth it you really are! And trust us, you are so worth it, so go ahead and treat yourself. You deserve it <3