This time of year in particular, there’s a big emphasis on being with a partner and showing that partner how much you love them.  But, have you ever actually done this for yourself?

Valentine’s Day can be a tricky time of year, even if you do have the most amazing partner to share it with.  For some, it can be tainted with personal issues and feelings of self-doubt.

So instead of putting the spotlight on falling in love with someone else, how about this Valentine’s Day we all learn to fall in love with ourselves?

Here’s some ways we can do it:

DO ONE THING EVERYDAY FOR YOURSELF

This can be as simple as listening to a podcast for ten minutes a day that you are interested in, taking time to read a chapter in a new book or just doing a five minute breathing exercise.  Whatever it is, make sure that one thing every day is just purely for you. Don’t think you have time? That twenty minutes that you take checking social media every night or the half hour you take to reply to emails before work, that’s YOUR time that you can choose to spend doing something else, something for you – not for anyone else.

PUT SOME EFFORT INTO TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF

You deserve to be happy and you deserve to be healthy. A healthy body helps make a healthy mind.  Taking care of yourself doesn’t have to be enduring an extensive workout everyday, sometimes it’s the smallest things in your routine that can make the biggest difference to your self care.  Getting a good sleep every night; thirty minutes of exercise every day; staying dehydrated; having a healthy diet and cutting down on the screen time – all of these small daily actions add up to a healthier lifestyle and a healthier mindset.  You just have to stick with it.

LEARN HOW TO FORGIVE YOURSELF

If a friend, family member or even a work colleague make a mistake, nine times out of ten you will forgive without a second thought.  However, it can be a different story when it comes to forgiving ourselves.  We all make decisions that we sometimes regret, but that’s part of life and that’s part of learning.  Don’t be hard on yourself.  Pay yourself the same courtesy that you pay others and forgive, move on and don’t dwell on the past.  Don’t waste your precious energy on things you can’t change or undo.

So, this Valentine’s Day spend some time doing things that YOU enjoy and most importantly, look after yourself.

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