20 Easy Self-care ideas for Valentine’s day

Practicing self-care during Valentine’s day:

Valentine’s Day is the day of love. That is the definition we have been brought up on since childhood. However, despite the cliché, V-Day is not just about couples celebrating their romantic love. It is the celebration of any kind of a loving relationship, be it a parent-child bond, sibling relationship, friendship, romance, and last, but not least, your relationship with yourself.

Why you should practice self-care or treat yourself on V-day?

Singles often dread the fourteenth of February, thinking they will be lonely and miserable, but they forget that they could use this opportunity to invest some time in self-love and care. 

Self-care during Valentine’s is as easy as bubble baths and facials and doesn’t necessarily have to be for single people. You always need some time with you, to introspect and look back, to understand where you are at and where you are going. So, why waste this auspicious occasion, moping around because you are single or are in a long-distance relationship or because you think it’s all about your partner? 

Valentine’s Day is also about YOU, as an individual. Indulge yourself in some self-care during Valentine’s and come out the other side with a glow-up like nothing else. No idea how to go about it? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with all the self-care tips for Valentine’s Day. 

Here’re some easy ways to treat yourself during Valentine’s day:

1. Take a bubble bath 

Turn on the tap, take your favorite bath salts, light some aromatic candles, pour that bubble bath, and then step in and soak down. Let your muscles release all their tension as you soak in the fragrant foamy water.

2. Read a book

Curl up beside the fire or the window with your snug blanket, a cup of joe, and a book you’ve been wanting to read. And just lose yourself in that fictional world, away from reality. Yes, self-care during Valentine’s, or for any time that matters, is this simple. Giving yourself a break from reality.

Related post: The best books I read for self-growth.

3. Solo Movie Night 

Sounds sad? But it isn’t! Put on that incredibly hilarious comedy or that egregiously bad horror movie, and sit down with a bucket of popcorn or a glass of wine. You’ll have quiet and peace and no comments from other viewers or people beside you.

4. Dress-up 

Brighten up your looks. Paint your nails; if possible, get a manicure and pedicure. Put on your favorite dress. Wear makeup. Not for anyone. Just because you feel good doing it. Self-care during Valentine’s means it doesn’t have to be about impressing someone else. 

5. Have a Spa Day

 Treat yourself to a spa day, or a massage or a facial, or all of them. Take care of yourself, find your inner peace.

6. No Boyfriends Needed

You don’t need a boyfriend to have fun on Valentine’s day. Knock it out of the park by having a roaring wild girls’ night with your best friends.

7. Indulge in your hobby 

In today’s hustle and bustle, we all have left our hobbies behind for lack of time. But occasions like Valentine’s are opportunities for us to pick up where we left off. So if you like to paint, unveil that easel again, or if you play the guitar, strum those tunes again. Remind yourself why you were once so passionate about that hobby, and relive the passion.

Related post: How this single skill helped me reduce my anxiety.

8. Social without Social Media

A lot of us feel the pressure of occasions like Valentine’s Day on us because we are constantly bombarded about it on our social media. Just like social media is a way for us to connect with others, it also builds a tremendous expectation, and when we fail to live up to that expectation, we feel low. 

So, one of the best ways to treat yourself this Valentine’s is to take a whole day or week off from all kinds of social media. Block out all that obnoxious noise and bask in the peace.

Related piece: How to have a total mindset detox.

9. Make yourself your favorite dish 

You are the VIP today. One of the easiest self-care ideas for Valentine’s Day is to whip up your favorite dish, preferably dessert, and lose yourself in the delicious goodness. Self-love is all about pampering yourself; giving in to your heart’s demands.

10. Shop till you drop

This uncertain time has made sure we don’t ever go shopping again. Okay, exaggeration, but still. Shopping malls are not a good idea in this situation, but whoever said you can’t shop for yourself? 

Gifting yourself something is one of the most important aspects of self-care during Valentine’s. So go to the online stores and order things that you take a fancy to. An online shopping spree is all you need.

11. Mindful meditation 

Yoga and meditation always give you peace of mind. Take this day to block out the noise of the rest of the world and practice mindful meditation. If you don’t know the procedure, look it up on YouTube. 

12. Photograph

Go through your photo albums and reminisce about the good times gone by. This is an instant mood lifter. Maybe hit up that one friend from high school who you really got along with but couldn’t stay in touch. Call your Mom and ask her how she’s doing.

This is the day you connect with those loved ones who you have sort of got out of touch with due to your hectic schedule, and have long conversations with them, taking a trip down the memory lane, and laughing about stories that now belong to a different age and time. Finding emotional fulfillment is also a part of self-love.

13. Contribute 

With the pandemic raging on, humanity is on the verge of ruins. The economy is worse than it has ever been. Millions of people have lost their jobs; people are starving.

This is the time to contribute to a cause, to pledge an amount of money for the needy. Self-care during Valentine’s will be incomplete this year without donating to a cause, for the emotional fulfillment that lies in giving others is true, incomparable. 

14. It’s a beautiful world 

Buy some pretty flowers, some nice aroma candles, make a bowl of potpourri and decorate your favorite room in the house. If you want a festive mood, you can even use fairy lights, confetti, pink and red pillows and teddy bears! When you are in an aesthetically pleasing environment, your mood will automatically be in accordance.

15. Chocolates and ice-cream 

Treat yourself to lots of chocolates and ice-cream to get the sugar rush! If you maintain a strict diet all year round, believe me, you so deserve this cheat day. Don’t rob yourself of it. If someone asks, you can just say you’ve been struck by Cupid’s arrow ,and it has birthed a ‘love’ for ‘sweetness.’

16. Work on yourself 

Pull out your journal and start pouring your heart out. Figure out where you are struggling and which areas you have down. Discipline yourself. Make some realistic goals for yourself that you will try to achieve every quarter. Work on your personal growth. Here’re 100 questions you need to ask yourself to grow.

17. Dance Dance Dance 

Turn up the volume of the speakers and dance like nobody’s watching to your favorite party songs. Alternatively, you can choose to work with your emotions by listening to your favorite sad songs/ballads. 

18. Listen to something motivational 

It can be a podcast or your favorite motivational speaker on YouTube. Listen to something that awakens you, that inspires you to do better. Let your mind be enlightened with the wisdom and knowledge of these motivational coaches. I have listed my favorite podcasts here. Check it out.

19. Thank you for the compliment 

Write down ten compliments to yourself. Harder than you think, huh? But this is what will make you realize your self-worth; you will recognize the goodness in you. And if that is not important for self-care during Valentine’s, then I don’t know what is.

20. The Road Ahead 

Go on a long walk or long drive, and indulge in some soul-searching. Practice mindfulness; be attuned to everything going on around you. This cannot be stressed enough, but your mental health is more important than anything else. 

At this point in time, you need to know how you can keep yourself balanced and calm through all the obstacles, more than anything. Get in touch with your inner being and take Valentine’s Day to rediscover YOU all over again.

Self-care during Valentine’s day – conclusion

Valentine’s Day is the celebration and triumph of love and hope. Whether you are with your partner or by yourself, make sure to devote time just to yourself, even if it’s for a few hours. Because as you know, if you can’t love yourselves, you can never love another.

You neglect yourself during most of the days of the year, and it is perfectly alright for you to take this one day in the year to focus on loving, understanding, nurturing, and pampering yourself. These were just a few self-care ideas for Valentine’s Day, but I’m sure you can come up with more innovative ones suited to you. May Cupid’s arrow fill you with all the love.