Hi friends!
Well, last weekend marked 2016’s holiday of love… and while I love any excuse to celebrate my relationship with my husband, I also like taking time around each Valentine’s Day to show myself some love.
Self-love is a topic I’ve written about probably a dozen times, and it’s a subject that I like to chat about with you guys because it is so important. You can’t have a truly healthy life without having a healthy, positive self-relationship.
Sometimes we’re all so busy running around handling our business and taking care of everyone else in our life, that we forget that we deserve to be taken care of too. We need to love ourselves first, because a healthy self-relationship forms the backbone of all of the other relationships you have in your life.
The concept of “dating yourself” is unique to you as an individual. The idea is simply that you take time out of your busy schedule to treat yourself to something that makes you happy – something that you don’t do all the time and that feels a bit special. The only requirement is that it’s something that feeds your soul, makes you feel good, and is beneficial to your health – mentally, physically, emotionally.
The sunset in Carlsbad last Friday
What do you do when you go on a typical date? You do something fun that you’re interested in. You do something relaxing that makes you feel more centered and happy. You have great conversation with the person you’re on a date with. You find out more about the other person. The same things go for dating yourself. I usually do things that I find calming and fun; I treat myself; I give myself an opportunity to think more about the person I want to be and to celebrate the woman that I am; I practice mindfulness.
Last weekend was the perfect opportunity for me to treat myself and have some “me” time. My hubby was away for Marine Corps training, and with it being V Day, the idea of love was all around me. Here are some of the ways that I dated myself:
I even got Harley to lay down and check out the sunset for about 30 seconds before she got antsy!
I took my dog for a long sunset walk along the coast. It was relaxing, meditative, and a great way to start my weekend… plus how pretty was the sunset?!
Check me out in the reflection of the mugs 🙂
I went shopping. I’m not a huge shopper and hadn’t done my Christmas gift returns yet, so I headed to the mall for some exchanging. I wound up getting some cute clothes from my favorite clothing store, Express, and also popped into Bed, Bath & Beyond for some home goods.
I wound up getting a couple of new candles (I’m always burning candles in the house!) and Moscow Mule mugs that I totally didn’t need, but have had my eye on for awhile. I also nabbed two new baking sheets since my current baking sheets were old and dingy. I’m going to be able to bake a ton of cookies on that huge pan!
I went hiking. I met up with my cousin Michelle to hit a trail in Newport Beach on Saturday. We had planned on doing a 2-hour hike, but wound up getting kind of turned around on the trails and hiking for 4+ hours & over 10 miles!
Whew, my feet were aching afterwards… but my heart was definitely happy! We got to catch up a lot, get a long workout in, and enjoy the nice weather. Hiking just makes my soul happy – even when I’m wandering around a little lost, then wind up getting off the trail at the wrong exit and walking an extra mile on the beach to get to my car!
I enjoyed ‘Galventine’s Day.’ My friend Tiffany had invited me over on Valentine’s Day for mimosas, snacks and fun with some of her friends. Relaxing outside with champagne and strawberries isn’t a bad way to celebrate V Day! We also went for a long walk together.
I baked. I spent some time in the kitchen making Valentine’s Day treats to enjoy and share with my friends and hubby. I made cheesecake stuffed strawberries and heavenly chocolate Kahlua cake (<—super old posts!). I lightened the cake up with a few healthy substitutions and couldn’t tell a difference in the least bit *yay* so I’ll be further revamping it to re-share on the blog. Stay tuned!
I got a massage. Part of Galventine’s Day was the chance to get a massage with Tiffany’s masseuse friend right in her house. I enjoyed an hourlong massage, which is something my muscles definitely appreciated after many intense workouts lately!
My weekend was a lot of fun, and it felt great to splurge on myself. I think that we all deserve to treat ourselves sometimes!
Tell me… What’s one way that you’ve dated yourself lately?
That sounds like a PERFECT Valentine’s day! I love that you guys even had massages. I ended up doing some self-dating too. I got my nails done and then took myself to the park and read a book on the grass… with a cocktail… at Panama 66. So relaxing!
I do love a good splurge on myself 😉 NO GUILT in that game! ha ha!
Amen lady!! I love treating myself! 🙂
I’ve done that before – our 4 mile hike turned into a 7 miler because we got turned around! There were a lot of hills too. Ouch!
I love your Valentine’s Day weekend celebration! It looks absolutely perfect!
Thank you, Calista! Ah yes, I think that anyone who hikes somewhat often has had that experience… The trail signage is usually not that great in most parks!