Rebranding Valentine’s Day

The past couple of years have been full of anxiety and fear and dread, so let’s not let another holiday bring any negative feelings with unwanted expectations. Instead, let’s find the joy that’s attached to a holiday that celebrates the greatest thing of all – LOVE.

I know the dread from my single days that Feb. 14 would bring. The last thing I wanted was a reminder that I was STILL single. But I wish I could take back those wasted years and really embrace all the love I had in my life. I had so much to love and be thankful for at the time, but I was too caught up in being a “couple” with someone on Valentine’s Day. I say enough already to that mindset!

Feb. 14 doesn’t have to be just a couple’s thing anymore. If you are single, a couple, have kids, have friends or have family, there are ways to celebrate the day that don’t just revolve around a romantic partner. Instead, here are some ideas that anyone – single, couple, parent or friend – can partake in on Valentine’s Day.

• Book a massage
• Give yourself a pedicure
• Pick up a new book at the library
• Take a nap
• Make yourself a fancy meal
• Head to a movie (it’s ok to go alone)
• Buy yourself some new pajamas
• Send a card to a friend or neighbor
• Bake a cake
• Go out to eat with your girlfriends
• Have an indoor picnic at home with the kids
• Go on a hike and find the love of nature
• Call someone you haven’t spoken to in a while and tell them you love them
• Love yourself

No matter how you choose to celebrate Valentine’s Day, remember that love comes in so many forms and is all around you if you just know where to look.