Love Yourself This Valentine's Day: Self-Care Ideas

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Valentine's day is just a couple of days away, and everywhere I look I'm seeing ads or promotions for special dinners, jewelry, flowers and chocolate. I've had enough of the commercialist approach to Valentine's Day, and this year wanted to take a chance to employ several of my favorite self-care ideas to celebrate my love for me.

I've found that so many of my clients struggle with taking the time for self-care, and I've noticed that tendency in myself. Even when I tell myself I'm taking the night off to enjoy a bath and catch up on my favorite show, one hour in I realize I've opened up the Well Soul Collective Facebook community and am moderating posts. So this Valentine's Day – on a day when so many others will be crammed into overbooked restaurants or binging on chocolates, I'm inviting you to try some of my favorite self-care ideas and indulge in your love for yourself. 

Self care is hard to do. But you know how the flight attendants always tell you to put your mask on first before helping others? That premise applies to the rest of life, too. You'll be no use to your partner, friends, family or coworkers if you never take time to rest, recharge and recover. 

Want to know how I'll be spending my Valentine's Day? 

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  1. Dry Brushing – It's rare that I make the time to do it, but I love to grab my dry brush and spend 10 minutes going over my whole body. this is great to exfoliate and flush out the lymphatic system. 
  2. Essential Oil Epsom Salt Bath – This weekend I'll be stocking up on some relaxing essential oils (lavender, rose and eucalyptus are some of my favorites) to add to a nice hot bath. After my dry brushing I'll slip in the tub with a good book and some acoustic covers. Bubbles or bubbly optional.
  3. DIY Spa Treatments – I am a huge product junkie, and I love all of my clean, green beauty favorites. I'll be grabbing my May Lindstrom face mask, mixing up a moisturizing hair mask with avocado, honey and coconut oil, then moisturizing post-bath with my One Love Organics Gardenia+Tea body oil.
  4. Meditation + Journaling – Both of these show up in my morning routine, but I don't always have as much time as I'd like. 
  5. Digital Detox – Throughout my evening of self-care, I'm committed to being fully off the grid. That means no laptop, no cell phone, no tv or Netflix. I might even turn off our wifi router, just to make the detox complete. 
  6. Sweet Tooth Satisfaction – last weekend I had a big chocolate craving, so I whipped up a healthy hot cocoa using almond milk, raw cacao powder, maple syrup, cinnamon and a dash of cayenne pepper. I'll be making up a big batch for Valentine's Day, and may add some homemade coconut whipped cream this time. Holler at me if you want the full recipe! 

Whether you're hanging with a partner, with friends or by yourself on Valentine's Day, these self-care ideas are a great way to celebrate. Happy Valentine's Day, loves.