Valentine’s Day is known for being a romantic holiday where you celebrate your love with someone else. That’s fine if you have a significant other, family, friends, children, co-workers or someone that you want to factor into your plans. The holiday is also the perfect time to focus on one of the most important relationships in your life – the one with yourself.
Whether you are spending time creating the perfect date night for Valentine’s Day or spending it solo, be sure to carve out some time to honor yourself during the holiday of love. Self-care isn’t selfish. It is necessary for our health. After all, how can we keep giving to others if we don’t care for ourselves first. Below are a few helpful self-care tips to show yourself some love.
Beautify Your Home
The Christmas decorations are likely all put away by now, but why not take some time to declutter and beautify your home so that it is more comfortable and relaxed. Once your home is less cluttered, you’re likely to feel more productive and at peace. Outshine has a variety of beautiful home décor pieces to help organize, store, and beautify your home.
Go Screen Free
If you are able, take a tech-free time out for a few hours, or even an entire day. There’s no need to feel bad about being single and seeing social media updates about what others are doing for the holiday. You might be surprised at how rejuvenating even an hour or two of screen-free time can make you. Instead of screen time, read a book, make yourself a cocktail, or do a puzzle.
Home Spa Time
This is one of the simplest ways to feel relaxed. Spend the day trying out a new face mask, some new beauty products, painting your nails, lighting some candles, a bubble bath, or whatever makes you feel pampered. You could also try your hand at making a few home DIY products for your spa treatments. Pinterest has tons of recipes for just that.
Take Time to Exercise
If you’re having an off day, consider taking a power walk to clear your mind and energize yourself. Yoga is also perfect if you are looking for something that is a bit more relaxing. With exercise you are likely to see a good boost to your mind and heart rate that will improve your mood. Exercise releases endorphins and produces serotonin which are known as happy hormones.
Hire Help and Take a Break
Self-care if often great in theory, but if you are a busy professional it may be a little unrealistic. Who can take time to relax in a bubble bath if you have a million other things on your to do list and mind? To give yourself the mental space for self-care, consider hiring help. Send out your laundry so it comes back clean and folded. Hire someone to clean your house, walk the dog, or babysit the kids for a day so you can focus. Have your groceries delivered for the week. Consider any task that might just take even one thing off your to do list.
Make Yourself a Nice Dinner
Restaurants are notoriously crowded and overpriced on Valentine’s Day, so why not stay in and spend the evening trying out a new recipe or perfect an old favorite. Splurge on high quality ingredients, take your time, and enjoy a favorite beverage while cooking. If cooking your own meal doesn’t sound relaxing, or you want a break, order your favorite take out and have it delivered.
Have a Movie Night
Relaxing can come in many forms, and for some it may be a movie night. If you’re a movie buff, grab some popcorn, put on your favorite movie, and immerse yourself in a movie of your choice. Just because it’s Valentine’s Day doesn’t mean you have to watch a romantic film. Choose anything that would make you happy and indulge yourself.
Commit to Sleep
If you don’t routinely get seven to eight hours of sleep a night, this may be the best thing you can do to improve your clarity, energy, and health. If you can’t get your sleep all at once, don’t downplay the power of a good nap. Naps have been shown to improve memory, mood, and performance.
Bottom line, let go of the guilt. Don’t ever view self-care, whether it’s Valentine’s Day or any other day of the year, as selfish. Find time for simple acts that make you happy this holiday and year-round. You’ll likely find that you will have more capacity to love and care for others after you have spent some time loving yourself.