Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day! Again!
If you’re thinking where you might be able to hide to avoid the onslaught of roses, hearts and chocolates that will be all around you, I have a few ideas for you.
We’ve been brainwashed to believe that everybody wants to be loved up on Valentine’s day and the world expects all singletons to be sad and feel even lonelier than on any regular day.
But why should we? Why should we be any worse off tomorrow, when all we need to feel happy and fulfilled is just a little more of self love? And that’s valid every single day of our life!
I remember the first time I heard about Valentine’s Day! As I didn’t grow up in a Western European culture, this concept only entered my life somewhere in my mid-20’s. What I thought was interesting, was the basic idea of a Valentine: an opportunity for someone to declare their love to their love crush! How cute and lovely to have a day where you had permission to tell someone they populate your dreams? Not sure where all that went because these days, Valentine’s Day has become a commercial holiday that seems to do nothing else but put pressure on singles and couples alike to “show their love’- the more extravagant the gesture, the bigger the love!
Duh!
So let’s see what you can do to enjoy Valentine’s Day even if you are definitely not expecting any surprise bunches of flowers in the office or are not being whisked away to a fancy restaurant!
1. Wake up to feel-good music. Set your phone to wake you up to a great uplifting song instead of the dreaded alarm ring that triggers your fight or flight instinct. (This is a great thing to do every day as science has proven that snoozing the alarm repeatedly increases your adrenaline and cortisol levels and can lead to more stress and fatigue). Feel the music and play it on repeat while you shower and get dressed, maybe even doing a little dance to get that loving positive energy going.
Some great songs to consider are Nina Simone ‘Feeling Good’, Pharell Williams “Happy” or Rihanna ‘Only girl (in the world)”
2. Eat a healthy breakfast. I know with all this dancing you might feel rushed but feeding your body with healthy food will set you up for the day and give you a great foundation for all the things you need to do. Avoid grabbing a sweet bun on the way to work and eat it at your desk (never a good idea by the way!). Love yourself today with a healthy colourful meal made of fresh fruit, nutritious yogurt or check out these awesome breakfast recipes I absolutely LOVE every day of the year!
3. Don’t – whatever you do – have lunch at your desk! Today of all days, the last thing you want to do is sit at your desk by yourself eating that sad take away and hear your ‘loved up’ colleagues talk excitedly about their dinner plans! Who needs to hear that stuff? Instead, call a girlfriend to meet you, grab some yummy food and a juice and take her for a walk in the park or by the harbour. Nothing like connecting with an old friend, do a little exercise to get your head cleared and lungs full of fresh air to make you feel better about yourself. Not to mention this exercise will help your body relax and your brain and flood you with even more feel-good hormones.
If you like to take a little time off and increase the power of that walk, you could consider finding a quiet spot and doing a quick Inner Smile mediation for increased happiness. This is an easy way to bring a smile on your face and to remember that true happiness only comes from within and it is your own responsibility.
4. Pamper yourself! If there was ever a time to book that mani-pedi, massage or facial you’ve been planning for a while or even going for that personal training session you’ve been delaying, today is the day. With all the women in relationships busy getting fat in overpriced restaurants, this is your time to shine – literally! You if want to be really daring, maybe you can consider booking yourself a great photo session to get a beautiful portrait done (check out this great photographer who can bring out the best in you). Whatever you choose, make sure you let your light shine because the world needs to see your true authentic self!
5. Settle in for a great night at home with your favourite book or TV show, a nice meal and (if this appeals) a nice glass of bubbles! In this crazy world we live in, we spend way too little time in our own company, thinking and planning, looking inside what makes us feel really unique and special. If you want to spend a little time looking at increasing your chances of finding your Soul Mate by the next Valentine’s Day take this Love Match Test right now and book your free appointment to learn more about how relationship coaching can help you on that journey.
