All You Need is Self-Love

[I apologize in advance if you can’t get the Beatles out of your head for the rest of the day.]

Valentine’s Day is often anticipated with either dread or joy and nothing in between. There also seems to be three ways to celebrate it: celebrating your relationship, celebrating your friendships, or outright defiance against anything that has to do with love (for example, watching a horror movie). There is no right or wrong way to celebrate Valentine’s Day by any means, but it’s also practically impossible to ignore the holiday when you’re being bombarded by advertisements and persistent questions from those around you. All of these ways, and whether you feel optimistic or pessimistic about Valentine’s Day, however, rely on external factors. Is your focus on your significant other? Your ex? Your friends? Or does it feel like it’s you against the world? What if, instead, Valentine’s Day was internally focused on you?

Self-care is everywhere nowadays. Google searches for self-care have been at an all-time high throughout 2020, which is no surprise considering how COVID-19 has forced us to spend more time and be more gentle with ourselves. It seems fitting, then, to make Valentine’s Day 2021 be focused on self-love. I am not telling you to lock yourself up in your room with a face mask and spa music and spend the day alone; however, I encourage you to think about how you can make this day special for you. Perhaps that means taking a walk by yourself, setting aside time to pamper yourself before your big date, meditating on what love means for you, or maybe it actually is enjoying spending the day alone. Whatever works for you, give yourself permission to be a little selfish this Valentine’s Day. After all, the most important form of love, at least in my opinion, is self-love.

Lots of love,

Andrea