How to Be Your Own Valentine

​Happy Valentine’s Day! Whatever, your Valentine’s situation is, I’m here to remind you that you always have a Valentine available and this person should always be at least one of your Valentines.

Any idea who this mystery person is? It’s YOU!

You need to learn to love yourself. If you don’t feel quite there yet, start by doing things that would SHOW love to yourself.

Let me explain that further. Think of a person that you love. You know you love them, but how do you let them know that you love them? What expressions of love do you give to that person? Do you spend time with this person? Do you cook for them? Do you comfort them? Have you ever bought/made them a nice gift they’ve been wanting? Ever treated them to a spa day? Picked them up a cake just because you know they love that kind?

Having read all of that, how can you make sure that you show yourself some extra love today…or any day for that matter? Here are some ideas of expressing love to yourself that you can consider:

• Give yourself a spa day: If going to the spa is outside your budget, that’s ok! You can do a home-spa day! You probably have lots of products around or just some typical, every-day items that can be used for your own spa services! Do some research, get creative and get to pampering yourself!
• Cook your favorite meal: If you don’t know how to cook, that’s ok! There’s plenty of tutorials available on YouTube or on Pinterest. It’s ok to experiment and have fun with it! If you are afraid to cook on your own, see if you can get a loved one who cooks to help!
• Binge-watch your favorite Netflix series: or any show for that matter and do it GUILT-FREE. This is you-time and you deserve it! My classic favorites are Gilmore Girls and Vampire Diaries!
• Read for pleasure: You may love to read, but find that you have no time to read just for pleasure. Set aside time to delve into a book you’ve had your eye on or re-read an old favorite!
• Treat yourself to something you’ve been wanting: Is there something you’ve set your eyes on that perhaps you keep holding off on getting? Maybe you felt as though you were undeserving of it or simply couldn’t ‘justify’ it. It’s ok to splurge on yourself from time to time. Of course, be careful with this, it can become problematic if you make those splurges too often. Be mindful of your finances, so make sure that whatever you are looking at to treat yourself is something you can afford and something you truly want!
• Smell some candles: A few years back, I had a day that was simply not my day. I was in a bad mood. One of my closest friends was with me and we were walking through the mall and saw a candle store. I love candles and she insisted we go in there and just smell as many candles as we could. We did…and it lifted my mood up a ton. I find this to be such an enjoyable activity now. If you’re not inclined to go spend some time in a candle store, light your favorite candle at home and just enjoy the scent!
• Take a nap: One of my favorite self-care activities is taking a nap. Sometimes, you just need to hit the reset button or have some time to relax. I find that if I’m tired and take a nap, I wake up feeling refreshed and as though I just took some serious care of my body and mental health!
• Go for a nature walk: One of my favorite activities is going for walks and hikes. Explore your town, take different routes. Take your phone and listen to music, an inspiring podcast or a walking meditation! I can almost bet that you’ll feel great at the end!

Again, these are just some ideas…make it yours! That’s what’s most important: knowing yourself as well as knowing how you enjoy showing and receiving love.
​
Be sure to subscribe to my E-mail list for additional helpful resources sent to you every week, as well as sneak peaks and new exciting announcements!
 
I need your help to spread that message and to help protect the future generations. I want to share your stories to help spread this message also! Please, if you feel comfortable, sharing your story, I would love to hear them. If you’d like, I would love to share them here also. No matter what part of your journey you’re in, your story can help others! Let’s build this recovery and prevention community!
 
You can send me your thoughts by commenting here, DM-ing me on Instagram or sending me an E-mail!

I wish you wellness and self-love on your way to finding your State of Balance!

You can also check out my YouTube channel for more inspiration!