Today is the day. Hearts are hanging from door to door, restaurants are packed under reservations, and let’s not forget the roses. Yes….the red ones. It’s Valentine’s Day! And whether you are single or in a relationship, you should celebrate. Yes, you read that correctly….single or in a relationship, you should celebrate. Personally, I like to treat this day as a second birthday to myself. I refuse to exclude myself from today because I am single. But, it does not have to take Valentine’s Day to celebrate you.
There are more people to give and receive love from than one
I woke up to a PDF card from my best friend this morning. It read ‘Happy Valentine’s Day Bae. I am so grateful to have you in my life and you have no idea how much positivity you’ve brought to my life’. Obviously, I cried a little. She went on to tell me how much she values my friendship, honesty and loyalty. It was the sweetest thing I’ve ever read. These are the types of relationships that I will nurture and cherish forever. And that’s what Valentine’s day really is about.
Be kind
Yes, to everyone, be kind. But first and foremost to yourself. You are a person who matters and should be handled with care. It’s important to handle yourself with grace and thoughtfulness. There are countless ways to do this. If you enjoy writing, write a love letter to yourself. Detail the things you love about who you are. Or if you enjoy scenery, take yourself out for a walk in the park, admiring your surroundings.
Something I’ve been trying to implement is positive-self-speech. This is when I speak to myself while looking in the mirror. Self-affirmation is so important. I’ll admit, it was a bit odd for me to do in the beginning, and that was because I was not putting life to the words I was speaking. It was a different approach for me and looking at myself in the mirror for a long period of time was not something I did often. It sounds like an easy task, but as someone who rarely practiced self-kindness, it took some time to get used to. But once you do, it’s a beautiful action of affection.
Take care of yourself
When discussing the post for today, Fisayo had written something I want to quote, because it resonated with me greatly- “I learned last year that I was neglecting myself and what I needed for myself mentally/emotionally. There’s a clear difference in my mood when I don’t go to the gym for even just a week.”
While it’s common for many of us to be altruistic or even work-dedicated, self-care is a practice you should implement in your everyday life. It can be as little as five minutes eating your favorite fruit, or an hour working out in the gym. How you conduct yourself is dependent on your self-balance. Take time to acknowledge your stance, and take good care of you.
Treat yourself
To some of us, this is music to our ears, and to others this is something we tend to shy away from. Today, give yourself the permission to indulge in something you enjoy. Bask in your favorite clay mask, or get that perfume you’ve been eyeing. Treating yourself is a way of self-celebration and a beautiful courtesy to who you are. Allow your treat to compliment the self-love you intrinsically have for yourself. Pamper yourself in a long bath. Visit that museum exhibit you’ve been eyeing for sometime. Or, buy yourself something you’ve been wishlisting!
It’s super sweet to see couples celebrating their love today. I love romatinc love and always will. But, it’s so important to remember all the other people in our lives that we should give love to. Text your bestfriends, your parents, your siblings, your grandparents. The absence of a romantic relationship doesn’t mean that you are alone. Nurture all your other loves, and most importantly nurture your self-love. A romantic relationship will come around one day but it’s hard to feel worthy of love when you don’t love yourself. And when it does, your heart should be happy and healthy.
It's hard to feel worthy of love when you don't love yourself. Click To TweetSo, I hope you love yourself and remind the people that you do life with of the love you have for them. Because, we could sometimes take these people for granted even though they really are the ones who keep our world together. This way, you won’t feel that terrible feeling of loneliness or that unwarranted pressure to find someone to complete you. But rather, someone to complement you. As you would already be whole.
This post was written by Rae and edited by Fisayo. Rae is a Brooklynite residing in London with an unhealthy love for nutella who loves to write and travel. She blogs at Wandering Adventurer, and is loving Mirror Me a lot, so you’ll be hearing from her a bit more.