February 14th can be a hard day for many of us. The pressure of being in a relationship, or being in a perfect relationship can feel exhausting, but Valentine’s Day is a day for love, so why not use it as a reason to love on yourself? Single or not, prioritizing yourself is important and essential to staying grounded and present, whatever your relationship status may be.

Self-care doesn’t have to be a face mask and a glass of red wine (although those sound great too) it can also be as simple as learning how to say no, asking your body what it needs, saying goodbye to a toxic relationship, or just taking a moment to sit outside.

Let’s use this Valentine’s Day as a reminder to nurture ourselves and to reconnect with who we are. We’ve picked 5 self-care tips to help you reconnect with yourself this Valentine’s Day (and any day).

Here are 5 tips on loving yourself

1. Revisit the relationship with your body

You’ve probably heard a version of the quote, “Your body is the only house that you will ever truly own.” And it’s true, sometimes thinking about maintaining our bodies with the same effort as we would maintain the integrity of our home is enough to wake us up. Maybe this is the first time in a long time that you’ve had the space to really be present with the body you live in. Maybe it’s the first time that you’re able to ask, “how does my body feel?”

This can mean taking a long bath, scheduling yourself a massage, exercising, or taking ten minutes in the morning to stretch. Try any body-focused practice for a reminder of the strength and power that lives inside of you and your body.

2. Go outside

There’s something so healing about the outdoors. All of our senses are heightened so naturally we become more present. Being in nature comes with a sense of freedom, a child-like curiosity that shouldn’t go unnoticed or overlooked when thinking of self-care.

Spend time walking through a park, a trail, or your neighborhood. Even sitting in silence with an open window can help to expand our perspective of the world we live in. If going outside isn’t your thing, maybe a stroll through your local plant nursery or purchasing your own new plant-pal will give you that feeling of wholeness with the universe.

We can learn a lot by the way we interact and care for nature. Use this tool to reflect on yourself and the freedom you have to enjoy who you are.

3. make your favorite meal

Either alone or with a partner or friends, treat yourself to your favorite meal. Cooking, especially when cooking a meal you love, is a great way to practice mindfulness. Everything from writing a grocery list, shopping and handling food, preparing and serving; all of these things create a mindful ritual that can feed your sense of independence, self-worth, and appetite.

You can have this time to reflect and indulge alone or share your home-cooked meal with friends or a partner. Either way, good food is an overlooked, but an important tool in expressing love for yourself.

4. Spend time with friends

A special way to spend Valentine’s Day is with your friends or your community. Celebrating love amongst those that you feel safe and uplifted by can help to remind you of the reason for the season: Love! Make your friends cards, tell them what you love about them, or just share a conversation over a cup of tea.

“Galentine’s Day” or February 13th is a day for “ladies celebrating ladies” thanks to our girl Leslie Knope. You can be sure to find Galentine’s Day events in your area or create one of your own. You can also check to see if there are any Valentine’s Day celebrations in your area, this can be an opportunity to put yourself out there and practice confidence and positive self-talk.

5. Do whatever you want to do

What have you been holding off? What have you been daydreaming about but never felt there was enough time or space to do it? Take this day to do what YOU want to do. Is it dancing in your room blaring Alicia Keys’ “Fallin’” on repeat? Is it making reservations for one at the nicest spot in town? Journal, watch The Office (again), shave your legs, call your mom, join that hot yoga class you’ve been too nervous to try. Whatever it is, do it because you want to and because you love yourself enough to.

Remember, Valentine’s Day self-care is not just bath bombs and face masks. Self-care is bigger than that. It’s holding yourself close, it’s being who you needed when you were hurting, it’s being willing to grow and put your needs first. Happy Valentine’s Day from Living Better Lives, we hope your day is filled to the brim with love and gratitude for yourself and this life. Cheers!