Valentine’s Day can bring added pressure and stress for the multitudes of women who are busy caring for their spouses, children, elderly parents, and friends. Here are four of the best self-care tips to be happy on Valentine’s Day.
In this article, I’ll share simple self-care practices that you can incorporate into your Valentine’s Day routine to show yourself some love and grace.
Between tending to everyone else’s needs, managing a home, and juggling responsibilities, taking even a small amount of time for yourself may feel impossible on this special day of love.
Yet self-care has never been more important.
When we don’t prioritize our health and well-being, it becomes increasingly difficult to show up for the people who rely on us each day.
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Self-care Tips to Be Happy on Valentine’s Day
Your circumstances don’t require you to avoid the celebrations. But, you may need to take a new approach to treat yourself.
One of the first ways to be happy while celebrating this day is through self-love.
Be your valentine to yourself. How?
By saying kind things to yourself! And just being nice – to you (if you want chocolate, buy it yourself as a gift!)! You’ll thank yourself for a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
Here are a few tips to give yourself a little extra love.
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1 Focus on Truths
Not just by your family or friends. As a believer, God created you and loves you more than you can imagine.
We all remember God’s love most of the time; however, that can get lost when we’re drowning in circumstances that aren’t our choosing, especially on the official day of love. So it’s the perfect time to try these strategies:
- Make it a daily habit to spend a few minutes reading scripture to remind yourself what is true for you as a believer.
- You can also spend time in quiet reflection or meditation. Meditation is an activity that successfully reduces anxiety.
- Prayer is a form of meditation that provides peace for anxious or negative thoughts. God is always with us. He is pleased when we take good care of our minds and bodies.
- Another way to focus on what is true is to start a gratitude list. Making a list (pd link) of who or what you are grateful for provides a tangible way to see the many ways you are blessed. A list of thanks can be impactful as you recognize how even little things can create volumes of gratitude.
- Piggybacking on that idea, a success or reflection list can also offer a glimpse of reality during difficult circumstances. When you master a new skill, meet a goal, or cross a milestone, add it to your list.
You’ll quickly see you have a ton of successes to celebrate – even while going through struggles and hard circumstances.
2 Fill Yourself With Good Things
Filling yourself with good things on Valentine’s Day can help you feel more optimistic. Your physical and emotional health can improve when you invest in taking care of yourself.
- Grab a few minutes of exercise, a walk, or squeeze in an extra workout. Even if you don’t like to exercise, today is the day to move around more than normal. Spend a few extra minutes stretching your muscles and making yoga moves to de-stress and keep tension at bay.
- You’ll also need to eat healthy foods that improve brain health and emotions. Foods like fish, seafood, beans & legumes, leafy greens, other vegetables, olive oil (monounsaturated fat), yogurt, and nuts can effectively promote mental health.
- If cooking is relaxing, plan a special menu with your favorite ‘time-consuming’ recipe. Create a shopping list for the ingredients. Then, shop early to be excited to be home and prepare it at your leisure, expecting a great meal ahead.
- Try to get the right amount of sleep the nights leading up to Valentine’s Day, so you’re not tired – a setup for volatile emotions.
- Pamper yourself a little. Treat yourself to some dark chocolate and take a minute to enjoy it. Take a minute to sample a couple of your favorite herbal teas or brew a cup of coffee. If you have time, enjoy a relaxing bubble bath. Maybe apply a face mask or spend a few extra minutes reading a good book. (pd link)
- Finally, make an effort to brighten your senses. Light your favorite scented candle, use essential oils, listen to uplifting music, or use your favorite lotion. If you enjoy flowers or nature, buy a new floral arrangement or go outside and get some fresh air. Enjoy a few bites of your favorite flavors (as dessert or meal).
3 Reduce the Negatives You Allow
One of my favorites on this list of best self-care tips to be happy on Valentine’s Day is to reduce stimuli that can enhance or lead to negative thoughts. Having more positive thoughts is an effective way to help us be better at being our own company.
Take a Break
First, the obvious and probably one we should work on daily to improve our overall health is taking a break from social media’s negative influence, the news, and knowing minute details of every current worldwide event.
Stay informed, but you can catch the headlines every few days and still be in the know without getting bogged down in all the negative details.
Smile!
The first tip can help you with the second: turn your frown upside down.
Doing things to make yourself or others smile can go a long way toward improving your level of happiness.
Can’t think of anything?
Smile anyway.
Smiles are contagious!
Reduce the Noise
Reducing auditory stimuli is another quick tip to be happier.
Turn down the music and the television.
Not just the news but little squeaks or creaks in your environment that remind you of things you haven’t finished.
Which leads me to be productive.
Working on completing one task (no matter how small) to meet a goal, cross something off your to-do list, or make your environment more pleasurable can be a great feeling.
Sometimes, fixing a squeaky door or leaky faucet can make all the difference! Yes, even on this special day of the year.
Adjust Your Daily Routine
Finally, a great way to reduce the negatives is to create a self-care routine for special or busy days.
If you suspect you won’t be able to do your normal self-love practices – or are worried you may not feel up to it – this is a great excuse to adjust your routine and create a self-care plan for a busy schedule.
Or, you can build a plan that sets you up to be your own Valentine!
Examples of Self-love Practices:
- Spend a few minutes lingering in bed before you get up to flex and stretch your muscles. Roll your shoulders and rotate your neck in circles. Do a few deep breathing exercises.
- Get extra ice water ready while drinking your morning tea or grabbing coffee. Busy schedules interfere with fluid intake and leave you dehydrated and tired when you don’t drink enough water.
- Spend a couple of extra minutes doing meal and snack prep so you’re not tempted to grab fast food or multiple sweet treats on the run.
- Eat a healthy meal.
- Enjoy a long, hot shower.
- Even if you stay home, get ready, and wear clothes like you’re going out.
- Replace your ‘to-do’ list with your ‘I’ve done it’ list, and write down everything you’ve done with a positive note. Rested, relaxed, read a poem, etc.
- Call a family member or friend you haven’t talked to in a while, and stay in the present moment while you visit.
- Focus on being kind to strangers if you get out. Smile to cashiers, food delivery people, etc.
- Plan a fun activity for the near future.
- Do a bed check at bedtime: Did something make you especially happy today? Can you do it more often, and should it be a daily habit? Add it!
(NOTE: You don’t need to use all the above ideas to build an effective self-care routine for your busy days!)
According to research, one of the best ways to be happier when you’re out and about is by talking to strangers like you know each other – or are even friends. Doing so can create happiness for both the stranger and you. It’s incredible to think talking to someone you don’t know at your grocery store would help, but it works!
Helping others can also be a way to improve happiness (whether you know them or not).
Helping others by volunteering or sharing a monetary gift can boost your mood and emotional health.
I think helping people is a beautiful celebration of love for others.
On the other hand, this holiday provides the perfect opportunity to spend quality time with close friends and family. It’s probably my favorite way to improve my emotional well-being because it usually creates fun or deep conversations!
In conclusion, many effective self-care ideas exist to help you be happy and at peace.
However, the success of this long list is that you don’t have to do all of them.
You can be happier in most cases with just one – as long as you put it into action.
Which of the best self-care tips to be happy on Valentine’s Day will YOU choose?
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Be sure to grab your FREE Self-care Starter Guide! Lisa Kimrey is a 33-year veteran registered nurse (RN), speaker, and author of the Bible study, The Self-care Impact: Motivation and Inspiration for Wellness. At Mylifenurse, Lisa combines her nursing expertise with Scripture-based encouragement to show readers who serve and care for others how to begin and maintain their self-care journey – without feeling guilty or overwhelmed – to feel happy, healthy, and rejuvenated.