What better time than Valentine’s Day to show yourself a little self-love and compassion? It’s been a long 365 days since last February 14th, and you’ve been through a lot! You deserve to feel happy and taken care of by none other than you!
11 Self-Care Ideas
- Disconnect from social media. We all need to recharge and recalibrate every once in a while, so instead of uploading all the pictures of flowers and candy you received, take some time (even if it’s just a couple of hours) to enjoy today without the distractions of likes and comments from everyone else.
- Start Journaling. Take even just five minutes of your day to reflect, write down ideas or concerns, or even just doodle on the page. Studies have shown that daily journaling can really help with mental health.
- Treat yourself to a gift! Who says you have to wait around for someone else to buy you a heart-shaped box of chocolates, or a vase of flowers? Even if those kinds of gifts are not what you want, go pick up that new pair of shoes you’ve been eyeing. It might sound silly, but getting yourself something special on a holiday is really nice.
- Meditate or do Yoga. Take some time to yourself to reflect and be quiet. Let your thoughts wander and your body destress. This can be hard if you have kids running around and yelling on the other side of your door, but even a couple of minutes can help you feel more ready to take on the day.
- Declutter! This isn’t usually the first thing you think of for Valentine’s Day, but decluttering your space and throwing out or donating unneeded items can really help with calming the chaos and making you feel all warm and cozy again.
- Join a book club. Book clubs are a great way to disconnect and read that book you have been promising yourself you’ll finish. Then you’ll also have a built-in social activity where you can talk to people with similar interests at least once a month. There are even a lot of great virtual book clubs with Zoom meets if there are no local clubs in your area.
- Make your favorite meal or order your favorite takeout for the day. People can make such a big deal out of going somewhere fancy and luxurious for a Valentine’s Day meal. But your favorite pizza place or homemade meal can be just as special. Extra points if your partner can cook, or you don’t have to pick up the delivery!
- Check something off your to-do list. This may not seem like a great way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, but sometimes nothing feels better than finishing that home project, or half-finished hobby you picked up over the last year that you’ve been putting off forever.
- Sneak in a nap, or sleep in. Listen, if you’re a parent you know that even an extra half hour of sleep can feel like the best gift ever most days. So, if you can get your partner to wake up at the crack of dawn with the kids so you can sleep in, or even just throw on an extra cartoon during the day and pass out on the couch while the kids’ zone out for an episode or two on Netflix, do it!
- Hang out with your friends. Whether you can meet up somewhere or just have a virtual happy hour after the kids are in bed, checking in with your girlfriends can be just the thing you needed to make you feel like yourself again.
- Pamper yourself. Whether it’s an all-out spa day or just some Epsom salt in the bathtub and a sheet face mask. Giving your body some time to decompress and relax is a great way to celebrate the holiday and love yourself!
What are your favorite self-care ideas to show yourself some love?
