By: Rashi Chaudhary
Self-love: 10 Amazing Tips For Learning to Love Yourself More On Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day can be a stressful and anxious time for a lot of people. From the planning involved and trying to make sure everything is set up perfectly, Valentine’s Day comes with many expectations and a lot of pressure!
Honestly, it’s absolutely fine to celebrate and share the love with your beloved friends, family or special ones on this lovely day. But, what matters most is the effort you put into loving yourself first as opposed to others?
In this article, we would like to share some rituals to help you practice self-love this Valentine’s day and beyond, regardless of your relationship status.
Self-Love: Why Is It Important?
Often we hear about the concept of self-love, but it can be tricky to know exactly what it is until we bring it into practice. Being conscious of own behaviour, likes, dislikes, and the choices we make to develop strong self-love can allow us to build connections in our relationships with others as well.
If you are still confused about self-love, well take a look at the list we’ve put together outlining the many benefits of practising self-love all day, every day. Check them out below!
- It helps to understand and care for ourselves more
- It helps to extend kindness towards ourselves which can then extend to others
- It helps us stay optimistic
- It boosts confidence and self-esteem
- It helps us be clear in achieving our life goals
- It helps us be less judgmental as now we know that everyone’s values are not the same
- It helps to strengthen our relationships with others
Many times, we become critical of ourselves and fill our mind with negative thoughts. This can become worse on Valentine’s Day as we can feel left out, lonely and heartbroken at this time of year in particular.
But you know what, instead of ruining your day by being your worst critic, you can learn to make the most out of it through practicing self-love. Here’s how!
1. Stop Comparing Yourself To Others
Image Credit: www.omorganickitchen.com
If this doesn’t lead to a sudden downfall of self-esteem, we don’t know what it is! We all do it from time to time. Browsing through social media and feeling sad about something that you don’t have or you don’t look like can never make you feel that you are good enough.
Therefore, to regain the self-love and warmth it’s essential to stop comparing yourself right now. Everybody is flawed in one way or another. So, embrace your imperfections and seek to be the best version of yourself rather than someone else.
2. Treat Yourself
Don’t wait for others to brighten up your day, instead, do it yourself. Go and buy something that you’ve had your eye on for a while, get your favourite flowers, have a massage or dine out in a restaurant you love.
Valentine’s Day does not mean you need a romantic relationship or partner to celebrate it. It’s about celebrating all types of relationship. So, go out with your friends, spend time with your family or just do whatever you want to increase self-love.
3. Get Up & Hang Out
Lack of self-love is linked to creating loneliness, stress, depression, anxiety and other mental health issues. So, if you feel isolated on this Valentine’s Day, get up and spend the day with your friends or family to alter your mood.
Make it to a regular practice that whenever you find yourself stuck amidst such feelings that drain your energy and make you feel lonely. Remember, to hang out only with people who are supportive and makes you feel more positive as a person. It can do you the world of good.
4. Choose The Right Drinks
Apart from water, a key component to good self-care, as well as for overall well-being, is to choose the right beverages to drink.
We know that water can get boring sometimes and that you might want to find an interesting alternative to increase your hydration. Remember, it’s best to avoid sugary and unhealthy sodas or fruit juices that have minimal or no health benefits to offer. In fact, in some cases, they can make you feel worse.
Learn how to make the process of staying hydrated fun by choosing healthy options like coconut water, lemon water, fresh and chemical-free cold-pressed juices, green tea, nutrient-dense smoothies and anything else you think sounds good for you.
5. Eat Good Food
“You are what you eat”
We are pretty sure that you must have heard about this famous idiom at least once. Eating healthy food promotes a balanced mood to a great extent. On the other hand, eating unhealthy junk food may help satisfy your taste buds temporarily but can cause an energy crash down the line.
It will result in irritation and give you that cranky feeling. For this reason, eat mood-boosting foods to boost your physical and mental well-being and, in turn, your self-confidence. Remember not to just look good but also to feel good also!
6. Forgive Yourself And Move On
“Man is made for mistakes” – You know this is true right?
Making mistakes is part of human nature. Some wrong choices or bad decisions in your personal or professional life should not affect you once it’s in the past.
Learn to forgive yourself and do not regret any of your past actions. If you can never let go of your past, you will no longer be able to enjoy the present moment and welcome a better future.
Keep that thought in mind and move on with life! You’ll feel so much better for it.
7. Write a Note To Yourself
What if we ask you to immediately tell us five things that you love about yourself the most? Can You?
Most likely, you won’t! That’s because you don’t appreciate yourself enough and are unaware of the things that define your personality and makes you who you really are. You don’t need to ask people about the things that you are good at. Nobody knows you better than yourself.
You should spend this February 14 by writing yourself a love note! Write about literally anything that you love about yourself. No wonder, it’s among the best practices to know your worth and take pride in who you are.
8. Always Be Grateful and Thankful
You have access to education, shelter and food to eat. But, think about those who struggle to get either of them or who can never obtain such luxury in life
Appreciating what we have rather than what we don’t have is definitely a road to success. Gratitude opens the door for happiness, health, and a positive attitude towards life.
Be thankful, grateful, and blessed for what you have at this moment rather than what you are lacking!
9. Exercise and Improve Your Self-Esteem
According to recent research, exercise can help to make us feel good and increase our self-esteem. If you don’t feel like a workout at the gym, then do it at home away from the hustle and bustle and enjoy exercising in privacy.
Don’t just limit this to Valentine’s Day though, try to fit exercise regularly into your busy schedule to be a fit and positive person.
10. Seek Professional Help
Although the aforementioned tips for practicing self-love are based on real-life experiences, there is still the chance that you will need a little extra help.
If you never feel happy, accepted, or loved, it is advised to book an appointment with a trained counsellor or therapist.
Final Thoughts
Self-love is all about connecting with yourself. This Valentine’s Day, show some love and care to yourself more than anyone else. Do not wait for others to choose you, rather choose and prioritize yourself!
Love yourself unconditionally by incorporating any of the listed ways of self-love or make up any of your own that brings a positive change both inside and outside. Always love yourself through the good times and the bad, the wins and losses, and live life happily and healthily.
Practice self-love regularly until it becomes a part of your routine. And remember, you deserve all the love that you are eager to offer others!
Here’s wishing you loads of love, happiness, and health from the OMJOOS family!