14 Ways to Show Yourself Love
It can be difficult to get caught up in all the lovey-dudey, gooey stuff that Valentines Day always manages to ooze. But what people often forget on the day where love is celebrated, is to actually show themselves some love and care, whether you're single, with your significant other or spending the big day on Zoom with all of your pals. So with that in mind, here are a few things you can do to show yourself some love this Valentines Day.
1. Take time for yourself
Regardless of what it is, from going for a walk to listening to music in your bedroom, take some time out to be on your own, with your own thoughts and feelings and just enjoy your own company for a while. I know we've been locked down with our families for quite some time now, so it's important to get in that me-time before heading back down to mingle with your household again. Whether you live with your parents, your partner, your friends or even a family of your own, it's always important to take some time out for yourself.
2. Give something new a try
I know loads of people who have taken this time to learn a new skill or to take up an activity that they wouldn't have ordinarily done otherwise. For me, this was running, but for other people it could even be learning how to knit or cooking a dish that they've never tried before.
Find something that interests you, or that you've been curious about, and give it a go! You'll be coming out of lockdown having learnt something new that you can show off to all of your family and friends the next time you see them.
3. Talk to a friend
We all need our friends, especially during uncertain times, such as this. The thing is, your friends will likely be feeling similar to how you feel right now, so you'll all be able to understand each others' frustrations and apprehensions. But that aside, talking to your friends should make you feel happier, even if it's just for the time that you're on the call for.
It'll also enable you to check-in with your friends to see how they are generally and just have a nice catch up. You could even emulate a good, old-fashioned coffee morning over Skype on a Saturday morning, whatever works best for you!
4. Practice gratitude
Take some time out to spot the good things in life right now. I know that it can be difficult, but if you look, you'll soon spot some goodness in the world somewhere. Whether your flowers have finally started blooming after days of being closed or you've enjoyed a walk in the sunshine for the first time in weeks, it's important that you stop to notice those little things in life that would have otherwise been ignored due to the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
5. Set yourself some realistic goals
Having goals and crossing things off your list can make you feel like you've accomplished something, even if it's really small. So if your goal is to run 5km over the course of a week, and you do it, then think about how much happiness that will bring you! The same goes for anything really, you could even just set a goal to finish a book or complete a jigsaw puzzle,no matter what it is, the feeling you get when you actually do it will be the same.
6. Plan a meal or two
I recently wrote a blog post about meal planning, with tips about how to do it effectively. Meal planning can do wonders, especially when life is busy. As well as making you feel more organised, it will also give you something to look forward to at the end of a busy day. Let's say your favourite thing to have for dinner is fajitas, and you know that you'll be having fajitas later, then how much better will that make your day? I know it would be awesome!
7. Take part in a digital detox
Funnily enough, I posted a guide to an effective social media detox last month, as it's becoming an increasingly popular practice nowadays. But taking some time away from social media will help you to distance yourself somewhat from fake news and fake people, to name a few things. It really does wonders for your mental health, believe me, I've done it a few times before. But when you eventually come back to social media, you'll feel refreshed and clear-minded again!
8. Get to know your love language
This refers to how we deal with others showing us some love. Apparently, there are five love languages:
- Words of Affirmation - saying supportive, uplifting things to our partner
- Words of Service - doing or saying things that are helpful for our partner
- Receiving Gifts - giving your partner presents or trinkets to let them know you're thinking of them
- Quality Time - engaging in meaningful activities or conversations with your partner
- Physical Touch - showing your partner affection
Where it's important to understand your partner's love language, it can be beneficial to make an effort to understand your own love language. Evaluate how you can implement these things in your own life as opposed to using them to show someone else love or affection.
For example, you could do the following things:
- Say supportive and positive things to yourself
- Do things that you will find useful in the future, like prepping dinner to give yourself more time later on
- Treat yourself to something that you'd enjoy, even if it's just a takeout coffee from your favourite establishment
- Try yoga, go for a walk or engage in your favourite hobby
- Be kind to yourself, have a bath, light some candles and give yourself some chill out time
9. Try meditation
I understand that this might not be for everyone, but you don't have to do everything on this list in order to show yourself some love. But if this is something you've done before, or if you've always wanted to give it a go, then now is the time to sit down, relax and get in the zone!
10. Get into a morning or an evening routine
Routine can structure our day, so if we're feeling a little wishy-washy or are simply feeling like your day merges into one, then think about establishing your own little routine. It doesn't have to be anything special, nor does it have to be meticulously planned out, just structure your day with small things and see how that works.
It'll help to firstly get into either a morning or an evening routine, that's often how people start! For example, your morning routine could be as simple as:
- Get out of bed
- Have a coffee
- Get a shower
- Eat breakfast
- Start the day
But then your evening routine could also be just as simple:
- Cook dinner
- Eat dinner
- Chill out
- Get ready for bed
- Lights out
Let me know if you'd like me to do a blog post detailing how I structure my day, or if you'd find it useful for me to do a morning or evening routine article as I'd be happy to do that for you guys!
11. Go out solo
This is quite different to the first point I made about taking time out for yourself. This involves making a conscious decision to go out and do things by yourself, even if it's just to the supermarket for a loaf of bread and then driving the long way home again. Getting out and about whilst being in your own company really does help to clear your mind and ground yourself again as an individual.
12. Have a pamper evening
I often find that pampering myself gives me a whole new lease of life. I can go from feeling lethargic and sluggish to energised and ready to take on whatever the day throws at me. So having a pamper evening, especially the night before a busy day, will set you up especially well. Even if you don't have a busy day planned, it can be nice to simply have some alone time and feel spectacular for it! Your pamper evening could include:
- Doing a face mask
- Shaving/waxing
- Exfoliating
- Moisturising
- Doing a foot treatment
- Doing a cuticle treatment
- Painting your nails
- Washing your hair
- Deep conditioning your hair
13. Try being creative
The good things about creativity is it could be applied to literally anything. Whether it involves renovating your home, setting up a blog, painting a landscape, experimenting with latte art or even deciding where to hang pictures in the house, it all grows from a seed of creativity. Channel that and apply it to something fun that will make you smile!
14. Go for a walk on your own
Going for a walk in the fresh air has been proven to help improve the quality of sleep you get, it increases concentration levels and it even aids in clearing the mind, helping to feel refreshed at the end of the walk itself. Going on your own is the vital part here as you'll be noticing things that you may not have noticed had you been with someone else or simply driven past instead.
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I hope you enjoyed this blog post, let me know in the comments how you've been showing yourself some love or even if you have anymore pointers for my readers! I'll see you again very soon with a brand new blog post for you :)
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