10 Ways to Show Yourself Some Love
(that don’t involve food)
It’s Valentine’s Day—the time of year when we celebrate love. Love for our significant others, our families, our friends… maybe even ourselves?
Sometimes it’s easy to shower our partners, our children, or our friends with love and affection, but more challenging to be generous with ourselves. Or sometimes we “treat” ourselves with not-so-healthy food, only to end up regretting it later.
Use these to reward yourself for a job well done, to recover from a long, stressful day… or whenever. Because you’re awesome and you deserve it.
Here are 10 non-food ways to show yourself some love
1) Get outside. Imagine: natural light, fresh air, the gentle sounds of leaves rustling and birds chirping. “Forest bathing,”, as it’s called in Japan, has proven benefits for relieving stress and boosting immunity. Take your kids to the park, explore your local trails and wilderness areas, or just take a few minutes to leave the office and stroll around outside on your lunch break.
2) Enjoy a hard, sweaty workout. Exercise is a natural mood-booster and stress-buster. And yes, I said enjoy. Because you do enjoy your workouts, don’t you? If not, you might want to try something new. Exercise should improve your quality of life, not detract from it.
3) Take a deep breath. Conscious, deep breathing lowers your stress level as it brings you back into the present moment. You might notice that in times of intense stress, you breathe shallowly—or even forget to breathe at all for a few seconds, perpetuating your body’s stress response. A minute of slow, deep breathing helps you slow down, relax, and refocus—and you can do it right there at your desk without anyone thinking you’re a weirdo.
4) Explore the healing power of touch. If you can afford it, invest in a professional massage. If you can’t, ask a loved one for a back rub, or give yourself a foot massage.
5) Have a good laugh. Listen to a funny podcast, watch some stand-up comedy, or just hang out with your most hilarious friend for a while.
6) Listen to music.
7) Get some good sleep. Ok, this may not be an option for everyone (sorry, parents of small children). But if possible: turn off your phone, computer, and TV early in the evening, allow yourself some time to relax and unwind, then go to bed a little earlier than usual, aiming for a solid 7- or 8-hours of rest.
8) Make some art. Set aside some time for creative play—an hour, half an hour, ten minutes—however much time you have. Use this time to knit, paint, doodle, strum, arrange flowers, color, etc. Don’t worry about the end product, just enjoy the process.
9) Soak. Light your aromatherapy candles, dump your bath salts in the tub, smear some weird goop on your face, and luxuriate. I trust I don’t have to sell you on this one.
10) Let yourself off the hook. Didn’t cross everything off your to-do list today? Humanity will probably survive. Made a mistake? Apologize, fix it, and forgive yourself. Let it go and move on.
Did you know Roller Weight Loss offers support groups as part of your pre and post-weight loss journey? These type of tips and more are available during our meetings. Join us!
