Top ways to love yourself this Valentine’s Day

Are you a Valentine’s Day scrooge? Do you hate the commercialism and all the advertising pushed down your throat about romance? Even though many don’t dislike receiving a Valentine’s card, maybe a more healthy approach to V-Day would be to use it as an excuse to love yourself. Not all of us have partners, but all of us have a self, and that is the most important thing to love. If we love ourselves, all else will flow, including alleviating back pain! De-stressing alone can make significant strides in relieving back pain.

1. Take a yoga class
Yoga is an hour or so of totally tuning out from the stressful world around us. If you have an experienced teacher, they will guide you down through settling each level of your mind, body and energy. They will offer you poses to help with physical issues like digestion, back pain and even depression. And, they give you the time and space to feel the affects of each pose in your body, so you can really learn and use your new-found knowledge in life.

2. Have a candlelit bubble bath
Water is so healing! It’s a very relaxing and supportive medium to take a step back, out of all the noise and busy-ness. A bubbly bath by candlelight and a bit of aromatherapy can help you unwind, releasing tensions and stresses that might otherwise set up camp in your precious physical body, manifesting as an illness later on.

3. Give yourself a hand or foot massage
Have you ever tried this? Get some moisturizer (the natural sort is better as your skin is very absorbent), and go round massaging your hand or foot, one at a time, covering each part and spending longer on those bits that feel good – let your feelings be your guide. Your hands and feet will feel all tingly and fresh afterwards.

4. Write in your journal
Expressing your thoughts is another way to prevent illness and de-stress. When we bottle things up, we’re literally not letting them out. We’re keeping them in our mind/energy, and we all know that whatever is in our energy or mind, will eventually manifest down into our bodies.

If you don’t have any particular challenges to write about, try these questions:

What would I prefer? What do I love? What does my ideal life look and feel like?

5. Spend time in nature
Whether this is gardening, walking, playing, or sitting, nature will rejuvenate your energy. With fresh energy, your mind and body will feel relieved. Nature is so, so beautiful… if you have forgotten this recently, go outside and see! :)

6. Have a professional massage
Relaxing, relieving, pampering… you deserve all this and more. It can be incredibly relaxing when a masseuse combines a massage with some aromatherapy or crystal healing. These more esoteric practices enhance the session, and take you into much deeper states of relaxation.

Source: www.thehappiempire.com; February 9, 2014.