With another Valentine’s Day around the corner, girls everywhere are starting to freak out (or have been freaking out for the past 3 months). Whether you have a significant other to spend the day with or are planning on celebrating solo, there seems to be a lot of hype surrounding this pretty pointless holiday.
“Will I look sexy enough? I can’t eat too much chocolate or my stomach will look fat.”
“I want to meet someone at the bars, but man, my hair looks ratchet and that pimple on my chin is just not going to cut it.”
“Another year and I’m single again. Valentine’s Day is the worst.”
Why do we have to spend another day worrying about our appearance or why we’re not good enough for someone or for ourselves? Society has painted this picture that Valentine’s Day is about lust, romance, picture-perfect dates, and nights to remember. But what I know about Valentine’s Day is that it’s about healing, altering our mindsets, and feeling good about ourselves.
So how did Valentine’s Day even become a holiday? Legend has it that Saint Valentine was imprisoned for marrying soldiers who were not permitted to marry. While he was imprisoned, it was said that he healed the daughter of the guard who was watching him. We often relate Valentine’s Day to Cupid, chocolate, and romantic, candle-lit dinners with a special someone. But the history shows that it is so much more than that.
Take this Valentine’s Day to heal yourself and appreciate love in all shapes and forms. Love for not only the person that we’re physically attracted to, but love for ourselves. For our families. For our friends. For TV shows that make us laugh. For those adorable puppy calendars. WHATEVER you love, make Valentine’s Day a celebration of the wonderful things in your life and of the wonderful person that you are.
Don’t worry if those skinny jeans from high school don’t fit the way they used to. Quit coating your face with layers of foundation. Don’t feel guilty eating those delicious heart shaped cookies. Take Valentine’s Day head on, look in the mirror, and tell yourself, “I. Am. Beautiful.”
Make this Valentine’s Day about celebrating yourself and the special qualities that make you, you. Create a list of things that you love about yourself and really try to remember and appreciate the items on it. We need to stop beating ourselves up for not being the models on the front cover, or the actresses in the romantic comedies. Because we are not them. We are perfectly flawed individuals who are figuring it out – dammit; I just knocked my coffee all over myself. The beauty in the process of life should be our love this Valentine’s Day. And always.
Featured Image via Unsplash
