5 Ways To Treat Yourself This Valentine’s Day

My husband and I used to think that Valentine’s Day was a “fluffy” holiday for young couples so we never celebrated it. But, after several years of making Valentine’s cards with our kids, I started to see it as an opportunity to show gratitude, kindness and love to everyone. This year, I’ve been thinking about how to apply those lessons to our own well-being. So this post is all about how to treat yourself this Valentine’s Day.

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Don’t worry, it’s not about spending a lot of money, abandoning your responsibilities, or overindulging. It’s about treating yourself well…

1. Treat Yourself To (A Little) Valentine’s Day Chocolate

You probably already know that there are health benefits to eating chocolate if you choose the right kind and eat it in moderation. So if you’re craving chocolate, have a little, and do it without the guilt. (I’m assuming of course that you don’t have any medical reason to avoid it!)

If you’re looking for something special, Norman Love makes beautiful chocolate. You may want to admire them for a few weeks first but you shouldn’t, because they’re handmade without preservatives!

If you prefer a cookie, my favorite is Trader Joe’s Mini Heart Cookies which are only available around Valentine’s Day. If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you, you can find these chocolate-covered delights on Amazon.

For a treat that is available year-round, I love Endangered Species Chocolate. They are an affordable vegan brand that supports wildlife conservation. My favorite flavors are Caramel, Sea Salt + Dark Chocolate, Forest Mint + Dark Chocolate, and Hazelnut Toffee + Dark Chocolate.

Want to immerse yourself in chocolate without the extra calories? We just finished watching The School Of Chocolate on Netflix. It’s eye candy, literally.

If you don’t have time for a Netflix binge, you can also see Chef Amaury’s incredible creations on his Instagram page. You’ll never look at chocolate the same way again!

2. Indulge In A Feel-Good Movie Or Show

If you do have time for a streaming binge, here are a few sappy shows that I’ve watched. Most of them include romance but are also about families, friendship, and personal growth.

Virgin River is about a nurse practitioner who moves from L.A. to a remote town where she finds love and friendship. The first 3 seasons are available, and season 4 should be coming soon.

I just stumbled upon Sweet Magnolias on Netflix. It’s the story of three friends who navigate midlife, divorce, new and old relationships, parenting, and a new business, in a small fictional town called Serenity. Season 2 is coming this month to Netflix.

Firefly Lane covers similar topics, but about two best friends living in Seattle. Season 2 is supposedly in the works.

If fashion is your indulgence, treat yourself to a season of Emily In Paris this Valentine’s Day.

And, though it makes me cry every single episode, This Is Us is a good sentimental, tender drama. It’s available on Hulu (linked) and Peacock and is currently in its last season. Oh, dear, that just brought on more tears. (I’m kidding, but if you’ve ever watched a Disney movie with me, you know how little it takes for me to get emotional!)

I’m not sure how I managed to miss the star-studded movie Valentine’s Day (oh right, I was knee-deep in diapers and toys back then) but it’s on my watchlist now. It’s not available on Netflix, you can rent or buy it on Amazon.

3. Make Time For Wellness

Okay, now that you’ve indulged in a little chocolate and feel-good viewing, it’s time to treat yourself to wellness this Valentine’s Day and beyond!

Heads up: I’m not a healthcare or wellness professional, so these suggestions are for informational and entertainment purposes only.

Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of complaints about belly fat. Okay, so I admit that a lot of those complaints have come from me, but also from many friends. If you Google it, you’ll probably read that belly fat is an inevitable result of hormonal changes. This article suggests otherwise. So before you give up and buy more sweatpants, try a little self-reflection. I know that I spend more time sitting in front of my computer than I did in my 30s. Back then, I was carrying kids around, cleaning up toys, renovating our house, and teaching martial arts. All those little movements added up to a much more active daily lifestyle.

You might have some control over that belly fat by making tweaks to your lifestyle. This podcast explains how. The lightbulb moment in this podcast: you need to take care of your overall health to lose weight, not vice versa.

Stress and a lack of sleep, also contribute to weight gain so you may need to actively relax before bed. A warm shower, light reading, a massage (we have a Mebak but there are plenty of non-electronic options), and/or journal writing all help me.

What does this have to do with Valentine’s Day? Sometimes we need a special start date to motivate ourselves to make changes. If New Year’s day didn’t work for you, Valentine’s Day is a second chance.

(In my post about Staying Motivated This Winter I wrote about how the healthiest people in the world eat and exercise.)

4. Invite The Positive

A couple of years ago, I was complaining to a friend about the evils of social media when he interrupted me to tell me that I just didn’t know how to use it.

“The beauty of social media,” he said, “is that you can customize it to be whatever you need your world to be.”

Talk about another lightbulb moment.

On Instagram, I was following a lot of young models carrying designer handbags in chic European cities. Their photos were taken by professional photographers and heavily edited. It was a lovely escape. But when I started comparing their images to my own account, I started feeling like an uninvited guest.

Now my Instagram world includes positive quotes, thoughtful posts by midlife women, healthy meal suggestions, and behind-the-scenes looks (I had no idea how much filtering and editing people do before posting!)

You may want to do the same in your real life, whether it’s working to eliminate negative thoughts, junk food, or toxic relationships. Make room for positive influences and real love.

5. Treat Yourself To Something You Consider A Splurge

Have you ever given a gift to someone that you secretly wanted for yourself? Many of us (moms, I’m talking to you) are in the habit of taking care of everyone else first. So this Valentine’s Day, what if you treat yourself to something that you would buy for your best friend, mom, or spouse? Or something that is a little better than what you think you need?

Looking back at some of my purchases, I realized that the ones I still have and use, are the ones that I once considered to be a splurge. That yoga mat that I thought was too good for an occasional yogi? I’ve had it for almost 8 years. The clothes that I bought at full price? I tend to wear them a lot. The vacuum cleaner that gave me sticker shock twelve years ago? It has cleaned up after our busy family of five, hundreds of guests, and several renovations. If I think about the cost per use or wear for some of these things, they were cheaper than a Starbucks latte.

This year, I splurged on a set of makeup brushes (which I’ll feature in a future post).

Let me know in the comments below who you would treat yourself for Valentine’s Day…