Show yourself some love this Valentine’s Day
It’s the season of love and this is your reminder to make time for the only special someone that really matters – you!
The longest relationship you’ll ever have is with yourself, so make sure you give yourself the same kind of love and kindness you’d give to others. Prioritising self-love is important for both your physical and mental wellbeing.
Self-love is not the same thing as being ‘in love’ with yourself or being selfish. It’s not about flowers, chocolates, or heart-covered novelties. And forget that fairytale sense of perfection that’s often coupled up with the idea of love.
Self-love is simple: it’s about accepting who you are, being kinder to yourself, and doing things that make YOU happy.
Here are some ideas to achieve self-love this Valentine’s Day
Put yourself first
It can be hard not to compare yourself to other people. But there is nobody on this earth like you – and that’s your superpower. Listen to your inner voice and trust yourself to make good decisions as your gut instinct is usually right. Be patient with yourself and allow yourself to make mistakes. Don’t worry about the opinions of others – and try to stop being mean about yourself, too!
Take every opportunity thrown at you even if it means stepping outside of your comfort zone. And practice saying no to things you really can’t or don’t want to do. If you’ve grown up as a people pleaser, it can be hard to shake off that guilt or nervousness around saying no but you shouldn’t have to tie yourself up in knots for the benefit of others.
Make time for ‘me time’
The greatest gift you can give yourself is time to recharge your batteries. Find things you love doing and make time for them regularly.
This could be spending time in the fresh air appreciating the beauty of nature. Rotherham College students have Clifton Park just a stone’s throw away to have a walk around, while our Dearne Valley students could go over to Manvers Lake or RSPB Old Moor.
Maybe you prefer to exercise indoors. You can revitalise your fitness journey here at College. There is a fitness suite at North Notts College that students can access for free during lunchtime hours. And over at Dearne Valley College, we have our own gym and sports centre, DVC Sports, with student membership options from £12 per month.
If your idea of ‘me time’ is more relaxing than working up a sweat, how about a spot of pampering? We have three fabulous salons here at RNN Group that offer hair, nails and beauty treatments are feel good prices. Book an appointment around your lessons and let our hair and beauty students work their magic.
Get creative by picking up a sketchbook or a grown-up colouring book. Create a self-love playlist full of your favourite feel-good songs. Start journaling or meditation to release your thoughts and find some inner calm.
Or get back into reading again. BookTok has hyped up a lot of recent best sellers for you to try. You can also join your town’s free library service to browse the titles they have in stock; Rotherham Libraries also gives you free access to the CloudLibrary app where there are loads more books, audiobooks, self-help books and magazines to read on your phone or other device.
Cleanse your social media
When you’re scrolling through Tik Tok or Instagram, there will be endless influencers and accounts spouting about self-love or positive affirmations. There will also be some accounts that make you question your own self-worth or heighten your insecurities. Just like distancing yourself from toxic people in real life, it’s okay to unfollow or block people whose posts or views make you feel that way.
If social media is something you are always on then take small steps and to reduce your time scrolling. Putting your phone on Do Not Disturb or Sleep Mode to silence notifications can help create a sense of peace. Fill that time with working on your self-love like being productive or finding hobbies you enjoy.
Be okay with asking for help
Self-love doesn’t happen overnight. You’re at the age where you’re searching for your place in the world and that comes with its own challenges.
But whatever is going on in your life at the moment, you don’t have to face it alone.
Help is available at college through out student support team. They provide mentoring, counselling and safeguarding to students who need help with issues like anxiety and stress, bereavement, abuse or bullying, addictive behaviours, or housing and financial problems.
You can offload your worries to them and they can give you wellbeing advice or help you manage any issues you’re facing. This might be directing you to other local support services who are better equipped to resolve your problems.
They may also suggest you’d benefit from professional counselling here at college. This is a safe, private and confidential space to explore deeper, complex or more troublesome issues in a more methodical and structured way.