Friends, let’s face it: Valentine’s Day can be a stressful holiday. You might find yourself overwhelmed by the pressure to do something special for your partner—or maybe you don’t see the need to celebrate the holiday at all. Either way, if Valentine’s Day makes you feel more anxious than excited, then it might be time to create your own tradition.
Take it from Leslie Knope, the main character from NBC’s workplace comedy Parks and Recreation. In the show, Leslie invents her own holiday on February 13 called Galentine’s Day so she can honor the important female friendships in her life. In a similar vein, we propose a new Valentine’s Day alternative: taking it as a day to practice the self-care you deserve, whether you’re single or not! We’ve pulled some tips from Anna Borges’ The More or Less Definitive Guide to Self-Care to inspire you to devote some time to yourself this holiday. Read on for more!
♡ ♡ ♡
Baths / There’s no shortage of ways to turn a bath into a sanctuary, from bubbles and oils to music and candles. If you want to elevate your experience, make a ritual out of taking relaxing baths with natural sea salts—the ocean has a long history of being used for its healing powers. Or you can just take a long, no-frills soak at the end of a long day. On top of just being lovely, regular hot baths have been shown to help lower blood pressure, ease joint pain, and lower heart rate.
Flowers / I’m going to let you in on a secret: You can buy flowers for yourself. You don’t have to wait for someone to give them to you!! That might seem obvious to you, but it did not to me, and it’s life-changing. Fresh flowers in your space brings automatic color and aroma—and OK, a little whimsy and romance, too. Alternatively, if you think sending yourself flowers is a little too extra (it’s not), you can recruit a friend to do a swap where you both send each other flowers instead and everyone wins.
Indulge / Indulging as a means of self-care isn’t really about blowing your money on something expensive or otherwise numbing your feelings through consumption; it’s more about allowing yourself to feel true, genuine pleasure in a given moment. (It’s hard not to be present when you’re eating the fancy chocolate or snuggling in a really wonderful set of sheets, y’know?)
Pamper / They may *way* oversimplify the concept of self-care, but sheet masks and bath bombs became the misguided face of the self-care movement for a reason. Spoiling yourself feels good. It’s relaxing and comes with a glow. If you’re not into that kind of thing, you can make up your own definition of pampering. It just means indulging yourself with attention and comfort in some way. Get a massage, enjoy a fancy meal, get your hair done before a big event or just because, or clear your weekend of plans so you can sleep in as long as you want.
Read / There are few activities that promise a distraction as immersive, rewarding, and entertaining as reading. Read books, articles, comic books, blog posts, and poems. Read far and wide and expand your world one page at a time. Read the stuff you actually like and don’t force yourself to finish a book you aren’t feeling. Life’s too short!
Rom-Coms / Romantic comedies transport you to a world where everything is bright and shiny, and the worst conflicts are minor misunderstandings that can be smoothed over with a grand gesture. It’s the visual equivalent of grocery store fondant sugar cookies. It’s balm for the soul.
Skin Care / Anyone who is really into skin care will tell you that it’s about more than hygiene: It’s a lifestyle and a coping mechanism. As the world explodes around us, taking care of your skin is a small, controllable project you can take on. Writer Jia Tolentino aptly summarizes the draw of taking obsessive care of our skin in The New Yorker, calling it a “psychological safety blanket.” And it’s a pretty simple security blanket, all things considered: It’s a small ritual of self-love that gives your brain a mindfulness break while also yielding physical benefits. When your skin feels and looks healthy, you wind up feeling better too. Not to mention that your skin is your largest organ and it keeps all your blood and guts and muscles from spilling out. You owe it to that miraculous meat sack to take good care of it.
♡ ♡ ♡
With these self-care tips, we hope you’re set for the most calming, relaxing self-care Valentine’s Day ever. And for more tips on all things self-care, as well as mental health resources and advice on living your best life, be sure to check out The More or Less Definitive Guide to Self-Care by Anna Borges, available now!
