Traditionally, Valentine’s Day is a chance to spend time with family, friends, and significant others. All around the world, people celebrate by going to church, writing cards or letters, and, above all, showing how much they care for their loved ones. 

While it is important to take care of and support those that matter in your life, someone many forget about is themselves. “Self-care ‘’ is a broad term and can often be confusing for those unfamiliar with it. However, with mental health and body image issues at an all time high, it is crucial to take time out of everyday responsibilities to care for yourself. 

      Here are a few ways to practice self-care within yourself and feel better: 

1. Taking responsibility and controlling your life: The first step to improving one’s lifestyle is by understanding the importance of being the master of your life and knowing that nobody but yourself is responsible for your actions. It is necessary to know your priorities and manage your time well. A way to further practice organization is to make lists of things as big as year-end goals or as small as daily homework. This can help increase productivity, make extra time to relax and unwind and even get a good night’s sleep. 
2. Believing in yourself and not doing everything for others: It is essential to accept your limits as a person and understand that you have the ability to conquer any task that is thrown at you. Having this growth mentality can help increase confidence and one’s overall performance in and out of school. 

When asked about believing in herself, Angelica Ginzburg, ‘22, said “it’s important to appreciate yourself and your efforts while knowing your personal limits.” 

Creating a lifestyle more centered around your own needs and doing things for yourself can also help as you start to prioritize yourself over others’ opinions. 

3. Realizing that there are no “mistakes”: Even though many undesirable outcomes can seem like huge obstacles or setbacks in life, it’s critical to understand that everything happens for a reason. While something might seem wrong at the time, it can often be beneficial in the future, even better than what was desired in the first place. So, while knowing that bad things do happen, remembering that it will lead to good can help to ease stress. 
4. Focusing on what you have to be grateful for: One of the most important parts of not only self-love, but living in general, is appreciating all that you have. Even when it might feel like everything is spiraling downwards, being grateful for what you have can help to promote a more positive outlook. 

Often times, it’s people in your life that are the most meaningful, and MHS CounselorBrad Burnham echoes this by emphasizing how important it is to “[find] trusted people to talk to,” and to realize how much you are loved and needed. 

5. Forgiving yourself:  Self-love is different for everyone, and figuring out your own individual wants and needs can be difficult. While you start to explore ways to help yourself and expand on your definition of self-love, it’s important to forgive yourself, as it can help with moving on to better things. 

One other thing to keep in mind is to stay mindful of other people. Everyone is going through something that may not be obvious on the outside, so it’s important to be kind to them along with yourself. Self-love can be hard, but learning to appreciate yourself as well as your peers can help bring you good things this February and for the rest of the year.