Love Yourself this Valentine’s Day
By Ashley Manship, LSW – February 2, 2022-
Maintaining good mental health during the Valentine’s Day season can be a struggle for some teens and adults, especially for those who may not have a significant other to celebrate the holiday with. It is important for older youth to keep in mind that February 14th can be a day dedicated to loving on your friends, family, and most importantly, yourself.
This is the perfect opportunity to give yourself the proper pampering, love and attention you’d otherwise be giving someone else. So if you’re one of the people out there who is single this year, here are a few things you can do to make the best of Valentine’s Day!
1. Write yourself a love letter. The most important relationship you can have is the one with yourself. Celebrate you and the progress you have made in your life. Take time to think about the future you imagine for yourself. This is the perfect time to fall in love with yourself and all of your accomplishments and future aspirations!
2. Take a break from social media. Sometimes seeing other people’s #couplegoals posts on Valentine’s Day might make you feel envious or insecure about your relationship status. Take at least a 24-hour break from scrolling social media, or at least be mindful of your scrolling.
3. Spread the love! Valentine’s Day isn’t exclusive to romantic love. If you’re not getting flowers this year, give them! This may be somewhat more challenging with lingering COVID restrictions, but get creative with safe ways to accomplish gift-giving. Buy some inexpensive flowers at Walmart or another local store and deliver them to a nursing home, friends, church members, etc. I truly find that nothing feeds the soul like making others smile.
4. Use this time to connect with your single friends. Plan something special for yourself and your single friends. It can be something as simple as hosting a socially-distant or virtual dinner with others so you can enjoy some laughter among friends. This can help mitigate any negative feelings you might have about the occasion.
5. Finally, do everything you would do if you were in a relationship! Let’s be real, most dates always end in binge watching Netflix anyway (or at least that’s how it is for me and mine). Make dinner for one, carve out time for your favorite hobby, or prioritize pampering yourself. You don’t need a partner to do that!
Valentine’s Day can be a wonderful day to reflect on the love we feel for the ones most important to us. Act on that love, and remember that the most important people in our lives don’t always have to be our romantic partners.
