Embark Behavioral Health
Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love. But for many, the holiday can be stressful, especially for singles, those mourning lost love, or anyone who may be unhappy with the status of their relationship.
This year, as we navigate the impact of a global pandemic on our mental health, February 14 may be more challenging than ever.
Read our top five tips on how to prioritize your mental health this Valentine’s Day.
5 Mental Health Tips for Valentine’s Day
Here are five ways you can focus on your mental health and make this Valentine’s Day the best one yet:
1. Celebrate your most important relationship – the one you have with yourself!
The relationship you have with yourself will be your longest relationship in life, so it’s important to treat yourself well. If you are not spending Valentine’s Day with a significant other, plan your own night. Think about what reenergizes you. Take a bath, spend some time with a good book or plan your own at-home spa night. Buy yourself chocolates or flowers. Valentine’s Day is a time to feel loved, so show yourself how much you love you.
2. Invest in all your relationships.
Valentine’s Day is a day for love, but not just romantic love. Send Valentine’s Day cards to your family and friends, small gifts of love to your nieces and nephews, or maybe bake cookies for a neighbor.
Make the day a day of gratitude where the people in your life feel your appreciation.
3. Practice mindfulness.
Meditation and mindfulness can be found in a variety of forms. Find a mindfulness app or a free podcast, turn down the lines, and focus your attention on your breath and your emotions. If sitting quietly and journeying through meditation does not sound helpful, consider coloring in a calming book or writing a journal entry.
Doing this regularly has been shown to reduce feelings of anxiety and stress and can help you cope if emotions become too strong.
4. Seek support if necessary.
If you are really struggling this Valentine’s Day, speak to a trusted family member, friend or therapist, and get the help you need.
If you consider harming yourself or others, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for immediate support by calling, texting, or chatting 988.
5. Turn off social media.
You love to see your family and friends happy, but consider avoiding social media for the days leading up to Valentine’s Day. It can be difficult to see others having something you want and turning off social media will give you time to focus on what’s really important this holiday.
Always remember that a person’s social media page is often their “highlight reel,” never showing the full story, and usually finding the best parts of their life to show the world.