5 Ways to Show Yourself Some Love This Valentine’s Day
On Valentine’s Day, we are often inundated with messaging about showing love to others. While showing love to the special people in your life (family, friend or significant other) is important, what about showing love to yourself? Sometimes, we may think that showing yourself love or putting yourself number one is selfish, but if you don’t take care of yourself, how will you take care of others? If you don’t love yourself first, who will?
Try one of these five ways to show yourself some love this Valentine’s Day (or any day, really):
Treat Yourself: There are so many ways to treat yourself, so we suggest that you pick one and go for it. No time on actual Valentine’s Day? Commit to treating yourself this weekend. Some ideas: a long bath (with a bath bomb or some essential oils); a massage; a face mask; read a book; indulge in a chocolate or coffee you don’t usually allow yourself to get; spend time with an old friend; spend time with no one; go to bed early; stay up late; your choice!
Set an Intention (Not a Resolution) for The New Year
The New Year - the time to reflect on the previous 365 days and start to think about the next - is coming. I am on a list-serve for people who are looking for sources to write articles for them, and I have seen so many requests for ‘attainable goals’ and ‘resolutions people should actually set’ for next year. I have a different idea: set an intention not a goal or resolution.
So, why trade the check boxes for something more abstract? I’ll tell you why. Where your mind goes, your actions will follow. What is the quote - you become what you think about all day long - right? So, if you wake up and you set an intention for your day, that thought is cemented in your mind. With that thought in mind, you may catch yourself acting in line with your intention during the day. You may also catch yourself acting in ways that do not align with your intention, too, but my guess is that you may have not noticed those actions had you not set your intention, and now that you notice them, you can choose what to do about them. Make sense?
What is an intention? An intention is a guiding principle, something that we have purposefully chosen to try to incorporate into our lives. In my mind, an intention is set to grow something (often within ourselves) rather than obtain something (like a slimmer body or a fancy new car). Our intention drives where our will goes, and where our will goes, so does our action. More simply: our intention is the purpose behind our action.
Why set an intention rather than a goal or resolution? If you read this last paragraph and your eyebrows raised and you thought about just hitting the back button right now, look, I get it. When I first started hearing people talk about intentions and desires and manifesting, I was ready to quietly back towards the door, too. I was all about checking things off of my list. If I could set a goal, I could accomplish it by paritalizing and knocking off those to-dos one by one. I either succeeded or I failed. It was black and white. An intention isn’t like that. An intention isn’t so cut and dry, and it is isn’t so tangible. That is a little weird and scary when you’re not used to it, so stay with me here.
Letting Go: What Does It Mean to Let Go and How Do We Begin?
Confession: I am a yogi who sometimes really doesn’t like being told to “just let it go.” The practice of non-attachment goes right out the window when I have something on my mind. After I take a few steps back from the situation that is causing me to death grip my feelings, I am usually able to begin letting go. But in that moment - when I am venting and brainstorming all the ways I am going to change the frustrating situation and my zen husband is passing along words of wisdom - there is nothing I want to hear less than those words: let go. How does one even ‘just let go’? I have heard myself say. What does that even really mean?
The practice of ‘letting go’ is exactly that. It’s a practice.