A Self-Love Valentine's Day
Is it just me or can Valentine’s Day be an incredibly self-criticizing time of the year? The whole “love is in the air” concept can be sickening at times (rip haha) and make us question ourselves like: “Why am I alone?”, “Why did he choose her over me?”, “Is it because of the way that I look?”, “Am I ugly?”.
Truth is, the media can be intoxicating to us to the point that it can make us feel insecure about ourselves and/or about what (we) might be lacking in our lives ─ from the way that we look, to the way that we feel about ourselves, to the way that we view our relationship with our significant other(s) (or the lack there of).
All’s to say is, whether we like to admit it or not, the whole concept of Valentine’s Day can sometimes trigger an emotional response within us.
And sometimes, it can translate into the way that we seeourselvesand the way that we seefood.
This time of the year, as crazy as the world may feel right now, try focusing on you and the relationship that you have with yourself. Focus on loving yourself and on just doing your best #YouDoYouBoo. People pleasing is so overrated anyways.
With that being said, here are some tips for a 2021 Self-Love Valentine’s Day.
1. Practice Positive Self-Talk
As humans, we can often be our own worst critics sometimes and can have the unfortunate tendency to focus on the things that we don’t have or that are beyond our control. This year, focus on your own self-healing by…
→Talking to your body nicely. From the #Instababes, to the women that are supposed to represent high fashion ─ it’s no news to us that the media sets these unrealistic expectations as to what we should or shouldn’t look like...or even worse! What is considered to be #beautiful.
Change the way you talk about yourself and your overall perception will change.
For instance, instead of saying “I hate my [ insert body part here ] ” or “I wish I had her [ insert thing you’d like to change here ]”, be grateful for what you have and appreciate all of your little quirks & imperfections.
Switch your internal language by saying “I love my legs because they allow for me to walk ” or a simple, “god, I love my boobs!”. There’s always going to be something that we’d like to change about ourselves and our lives, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting to improve a part of yourself.
Remember that, nobody’s perfect.
→ Taking a social media break when needed. While seeing Kim K-like girls on the #fitspo flood our Instagram feeds can be motivating to kick us back into shape, it can also be extremely devaluating ─ making us miss out on the beauty that we should see in ourselves.
Take a break from it the minute you feel like you are comparing yourself to others.
2. Practice mindful eating
Emotions can sometimes be our own worst enemies. Think about the last time you’ve experienced a loss, a breakup or just a bad day. It can derail you and make you resort to the one thing that restores and provides us with a sense of comfort: sleep & food. Practice mindfulness by…
→ Recognizing the signs of emotional eating
Ask yourself why you’re eating. Is it out of…
Boredom?
Sadness?
Anger ?
Literal hunger?
→ Eating without distractions
Eat to just eat.
Put yourself on airplane mode (no phones, no alerts)
Listen to music while eating.
Sit at a table to eat your food.
Eat with a friend or a group of friends (virtually, if necessary.)
3. Treat yo-self
→ Practice self-love & self-compassion
Love takes on many forms. But the most important kind of love? The kind love you give to yourself. #BeKindToYourself by…
Doing a face mask
Sticking to a skin care routine
Eating healthy
Daily exercise
→ Call a close friend
There’s nothing like the company of someone who knows you inside out, or who you deeply trust. Together, challenge your inner critics and imposter syndromes by…
Partaking in a compliment battle.
Setting up a virtual lunch.
Sending funny media with your own inside jokes.
→ Gift yourself
Let loose a little and enjoy the things you want - whether that be by enjoying your favourite food or by purchasing an item you’ve been meaning to gift/buy for yourself for a while now.
We’ve got a lot of love to give to others, but the love really has to start with yourself. You are your most valuable asset!
Thanks for reading & happy (self-love) Valentine’s Day!
Love yourself :)