Today is Valentine’s Day! Everywhere I seem to go, rooms are covered with red and pink roses, balloons, cutesy gifts, cards and tons of chocolate! It’s very sweet (no pun intended) 🙂 But among the confetti and sugary treats, we often tend to forget ourselves. We wait for someone else to give us a “gift” to make us feel special and happy. But if we are not intrinsically happy with ourselves and our lives at a deeper level, no one else has the power to change that. It’s important to remember that treating yourself isn’t limited to this one day of the year – you can and should do something special for yourself every single day, no matter how big or how small. Sometimes you need to prioritize yourselves over others, which can be tough and seemingly counter-intuitive to many of us who have loved ones that we care about. But recognizing the importance of self-care is huge, and giving value to it is immense.

Self-care can be as simple as reserving 30 minutes for you for a short workout, meditation, or yoga session. It could be taking a 10 minute walk during your office lunch break. It could be waking up 15 minutes earlier to grab that cup of tea or coffee in the morning before the household erupts in its deafening cacophony! It could even be making time to pack lunch for yourself so that you can stick to that healthy diet you promised to keep in your new year’s resolution, because as we all know, healthy bodies are made in the kitchen and not the gym 🙂

Maybe you can spend 20-30 minutes reading a book – and I mean an actual physical book and not looking at another screen – or just a little time listening to some music before sleeping at night. If you love being outdoors, you could make time to garden on a regular basis, allowing yourself some me-time and the chance to connect with nature. Finally, one of my favorite methods of self-care is spending the first 15 minutes after you wake up to write about what you might be grateful for that day in a journal. Gratitude has a way of multiplying – the more things you are grateful for, the more you will get!

We have to remember to do these things daily. Your daily routine has to change; the secret of success in changing your life will depend upon that. Speaking as a practicing health coach, I’ve personally seen how this small but critical shift can make a huge difference in people’s health and lives. Today, acknowledge and appreciate the ones you love, but don’t forget about yourself. This is also a day for you! So do yourself a favor and do something special for yourself today. When you feel good, the people around you will too 🙂