How to Amp Up Your Love This Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is such a weird holiday… I like Imbolc so much better!
The media and big box retailers make February 14th all about celebrating romantic love and partnership. Which of course can make those of us who are un-partnered, or who will be away from their partner come Thursday, feel like they’re losing out.
Now, if you are happily in a romantic partnership, I certainly don’t grudge you your flowers, gifts and romantic dinner. Have at it and enjoy every morsel.
However, partnered or not, if something isn’t quite feeling good about this upcoming Hallmark holiday, I’ve got a new twist for you.
How about we flip this thing, and make it about Love with a capital L?
What if—instead of binge watching romcoms while putting away a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, you decided to turn your Love Light onto beautiful YOU.
If you are single and happy, or single and looking; if you are in a boring or a rocky romantic relationship; and even if you are blissfully at peace with your partner, treating your SELF to some sweet love will improve things even further.
How do you give yourself love though?
This certainly isn’t a practice that most of us were taught by our Moms or anyone else!
Here’s the first step:
Take a breath (or 10) and see if you can tune into what YOU really enjoy and appreciate in life. What activities bring you joy, contentment, release? I don’t just mean dialing down the stress, but what truly brings you emotional peace?
Maybe it’s a walk in nature, maybe it’s a hot and solitary bath, maybe it’s dancing like nobody’s watching, maybe it’s simply lying on the couch and letting your mind wander where it will. It could be a rousing game of volleyball, sleeping in, or having pancakes for dinner.
I was going to give you a list of ideas for loving yourself up today, but then I realized…Only you know what things do it for you.
Take a five minutes today, and tune into what feels like love to YOU. Your head will probably spin off a dozen things that SHOULD feel like self-love, but I want you to drop down into your heart for this exercise.
Your heart will always tell you the truth, and your heart knows YOUR truth.
Write down what comes – even if it seems crazy. And then, choose at least one of these activities and put it on your calendar for this Valentine’s Day. It’s a day of Love, and the most deserving being of your love is your very own self.
Put on your own oxygen mask first! The more you fill yourself with love, the more you have to share with those around you. I know, I know, this is not what most of us learned. But try it out this week, and decide this is your new normal.
Then, watch things magically change in your life.
