4 Self-Love Rituals To Try This Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day gets a bad rap for being a cheesy Hallmark holiday but it breaks my heart when I hear people say that they don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, that they hate Valentine’s Day, the “anti-Valentine’s Day” movement.
After all, Valentine’s Day is what you choose to make it and love is love. Of course, self-love (and love in general) shouldn’t be limited to one day a year but being reminded to share and receive love is always a good thing.
Let this be the year that you start creating a new Valentine’s Day tradition by incorporating meaningful self-love rituals into your day. Whether you are in a romantic relationship, celebrating with friends or spending the day with your amazing self, these practices are for you.
Each one of these self-love rituals supports you in getting re-connected to yourself and nurturing yourself from a place of acceptance. We all need love and we all need to spend more time loving ourselves.
Date Yourself
Yes, girl, you heard me right. Treat yourself to a date night! Whether you create the perfect loving atmosphere in the comfort of your home, take yourself out to your favourite cozy cafe to curl up with your latest novel, or find yourself in the middle of a theatre with a bowl of popcorn, hang out with yourself for a while. Yep, just you.
Mirror Work
This sounds exactly like what it is – time for you to sit in front of a mirror and look into your heart. This can feel a bit strange and oddly confronting at first, but it can also be incredibly powerful work.
Find yourself seated comfortably in front of a mirror and gaze into your eyes. Just sit, gaze, and notice what you see. No judgement, no attachment, simply noticing. Can you look even deeper, moving past your eyes? Can you connect to the person within? Notice how this feels for you as you move through this practice.
After a few deep breaths, repeat some self-love affirmations as you continue to gaze into your own eyes. Here are some examples, but try to use affirmations that feel authentic to you.
I am worthy of love
It is safe for me to be vulnerable
I choose to be happy
I am learning to love you
I release the need to compare myself to anyone else
Write Yourself a Love Letter
Taking pen to paper, write yourself an open and honest love letter. Let yourself know how deeply loved you are. Focus on all of the things that make you uniquely beautiful and strong. You may even want to write this love letter to yourself at different stages of your life, offering the person that you were at 7 years old, 15 years old, 23 years old, etc. the love that you may not have felt like you were receiving (but needed) at the time.
Heart Activation Breathing
This is a deep breathing technique that places emphasis on the heart. It helps us align our breath, our heart, and our mind. Naturally, it supports in lowering blood pressure, decreasing stress, and enhancing a state of serenity.
- Close your eyes and place your right hand over your heart.
- Begin to take deep, diaphragmatic breaths. Inhale for 4-6 counts, exhale for 4-6 counts.
- As you breathe, imagine the breath moving in through your heart and out through your heart.
- Repeat this for 3 minutes or longer, always with your focus on your breath moving through your heart space.
- If it feels natural to you, you can mentally repeat the phrase “I deeply and completely love and accept myself” as you inhale.
These are four simple yet powerful self-love rituals that you can try this Valentine’s Day and continue to use in your self-care routine. But don’t forget – celebrate love every day, not just this holiday.
I would love to know which one you decide to try and what you thought about the experience!