Different Forms of Valentine's Love and Dates
The pink candy hearts and red-packaged chocolate holiday is approaching. Valentine’s Day. Some dismiss it as a Hallmark holiday, others plan a cozy night in with their boyfriend, a decadent date night, or a wholesome Galentine’s party with good friends.
No matter what your approach to celebrating the actual day, it can bring up a lot of feelings about your current love life.
If you’re in a relationship, you may feel a pressure to document being showered in gifts. If you’re single, you may feel lonely, wishing a cute guy or gal would buy you flowers.
We’re here to remind you that there are many forms of love other than romantic love. While Valentine’s Day is historically a holiday centered around romance and couples, we encourage you to extend to it a celebration of love in general.
So what does that even mean?
The Many Forms of Love
Oftentimes the foundation to finding romantic love is self-love.
Self-love can be the most difficult form of love to develop. It centers around an attunement with and an awareness of one’s complexities. Self-love is accepting oneself with grace. It is not about optimizing yourself but rather sitting with and loving who you are.
Practicing and building self-love can look like:
Introspective journaling
Open and honest discussions with friends
Identifying reasonable areas of growth and approaching the process gently
Unapologetic indulgence in your pleasures
Community – platonic and familial love – ideally coexists with this self-love.
Platonic love is about valuing the connections you have with your friends. As we get older, it can be hard to prioritize spending meaningful time with friends. But, it’s important to remember that they can be a vital part of your support system.
We also encourage you to remind yourself of positive and loving familial relationships that you have. While blood may tie us to some people we wish we weren’t related to, it can also create a sense of a special, unbreakable bond. Do you have a cousin who feels like a sister? Honor that feeling and prioritize the relationship.
What to Do with this Information?
Whether or not you have a significant other, celebrate all the love in your life on Valentine’s Day!
Here are some ideas:
Remember when you sent Valentine’s cards to your whole class in elementary school? What if you sent all of your friends and family a card telling them how much you love them?
Do you wish you spoke to your family members more often? Make an effort to call them on Valentine’s Day.
Push your Galentine’s party past the cute decor and honor each attendee with a word that describes their essence to you.
Buy yourself your favorite flowers, chocolates, cupcakes, etc. Indulge!
Cook yourself your favorite meal and pair it with your favorite beverage.
Invite some friends over to watch a favorite movie – it doesn’t have to be a romcom.
List your favorite qualities about yourself in your diary.
Write a love letter to your future self.
Wear your favorite outfit to work or school.
Treat yourself with some self-care.
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