♡ a guide on showing love to yourself ♡

HELLO PALS. it’s valentine’s day and who needs a lover/significant other when you have YOURSELF. (and books. one mustn’t forget books.) instead of allowing my cold, black soul to grow darker, i’ve decided to show some love this year – to myself, of course. here’s my guide to making your valentine’s day more enjoyable, whether you’re a single pringle, like me, (jk i’m actually married to ballet but don’t tell anyone) or if you’ve actually got a significant other (yay you!).

treat yourself

this could mean a variety of things. you could treat yourself to materialistic things like buying that book you REALLY wanted to read; you could treat yourself and indulge in some of your favorite foods; you could treat yourself and go to the spa. big or small, treat yourself! it could be as simple as sleeping in for a few extra hours minutes, to something extravagant like flying to bermuda. do what you want! allow yourself to do something you genuinely enjoy – be it scrolling on tumblr or painting your nails or WHATEVER YOU WANT.

list five things that make you happy

there was once a time when i’d write down five things that made me happy each day, every day. small things like “someone kindly opened the door for me,” or “i did well in class today.” eventually i stopped because i was inconveniently storing a bazillion unnecessary notes, but this certainly made my day feel better and happier. on days you’re feeling down or just want to show some positivity, remind yourself there are rays of happiness ~everywhere~.

play your favorite songs; reread a passage from your favorite book

i feel like these two tasks come hand in hand because it’s in relishing on your favorite things. is there a song you haven’t heard in AGES but still know you can bust out all the lyrics? (for me, this would be FIREFLIES, by owl city, or LOVE STORY by taylor swift. nostalgiaaaaaa. i also have a mix of happy songs, embeded below!) TURN IT UP. there’s something about listening to old songs that make me feel happy and feels-y. the same could be said about rereading your favorite books! (but i know some people don’t like to reread so…..)

☀︎ motivated mornings ☀︎ from xandraaling on 8tracks Radio.

take a selfie

this might seem a bit strange to you, but selifes actually improve your mood and self-esteem. i’m not one to constantly take selfies – actually, i’m a bit selfie shy and seeing my face in pictures makes me kinda uncomfortable – but sometimes the snapchat filters make my skin look SO NICE. take a selfie and love your face because it’s YOUR FACE and no one is going to steal it.

list a few things you love about yourself

now that we’re moving above and beyond physical appearances, remind yourself that it’s not just about looks. make a mini list of things you like about yourself: i like that i’m usually bursting with ideas; i like my taste in music; i like my writing style; i like my cookie recipe that i totally didn’t steal from pinterest. okay, maybe that last one is a bit of a fraud, but you get the idea. you can also state things that are totally random (and these could be physical attributes as well). for example, i like the shape of my fingernails. WRITE ANYTHING; this is about being positive about yourself!

surround yourself with good vibes

go to your happy place. everyone has one. more often than not, you have more than one. i love staying in the cozy cave of my room. so sometimes, it’s nice to just STAY IN MY ROOM. or sometimes you want to visit the library, or… a bookstore! or a nice old coffee shop with good music! or a party with the bustling noise of life! whatever it is, make sure the things around you lift you up as well.

i hope this post was helpful in making your day relatively better! may all 365 days of the year be filled with self-love, not only on valentine’s day. ☺