How to practice self-love this Valentine’s Day and beyond

Move over, romantic love—we're all about self-love this Valentine's Day.

While February 14 can be a great chance to celebrate your relationship, for many, it can be a difficult, lonely and even heartbreaking date on the calendar. (Real talk: per our astrological calendar, it's not even the actual most romantic day of the year!) Whether you’re single and surrounded by twosomes or are fresh out of a bad breakup, sometimes V-Day can simply suck.

But that being said, there are a few things you can do to make the holiday bearable. As a Valentine's Day gift, show yourself some tender loving care and practice self-love this Valentine's Day 2023, with these tips from Kalms. The brand behind calming herbal remedies has rounded up some self-love practices to help you through the day—and every day really—whether you’re single, not able to be with your partner, or your plans have fallen through.

How to practice self-love this Valentine’s Day:

1. Do something *you* love

Starting with one of our favorites and arguably the easiest: do something you love. Whether it’s taking a long walk outside, doing your skincare routine, or watching the best rom-coms on Netflix, dedicate the day to doing the things you love. As the experts say: “engaging in activities you enjoy elevates your mood and boosts energy.”

2. Pay attention to your thoughts 

You can also take the day to focus on your mental health and inner thoughts and worries. Try journaling—writing down everything you’re thinking or feeling. 

Kalms says: “Whenever you notice yourself saying something unkind to yourself, simply switch to a gentler tone and try to evaluate things rationally to contain your inner critic. 

“Speak to yourself as you would to a loved one. Self-love is about respecting your own needs and desires and is essential to counteracting stress.”

This could be really therapeutic if you’ve just gone through a breakup or are dealing with a gameplayer on dating apps.

3. Move your body

Getting some physical movement in, whether it's breaking it down to Beyoncé or doing a peaceful yoga sesh, is beneficial to your self-love journey, as “exercise encourages the body to release endorphins which counteract the release of cortisol,” says the Kalms crew. 

Heading outside will also give you a dose of vitamin D, which is always a good thing!

4. Get a good nights sleep

Try to get a good night’s sleep, before and after Valentine’s Day. It might be hard not to toss and turn re-playing past conversations or fretting over your relationship status, but you’ll feel so much better in the morning when you get the proper amount of snooze. (FYI: this is how to create the perfect sleep environment, from crystals to candles.)

 5. Laugh a lot!

There’s a reason why the saying goes "Laughter is the best medicine." The Kalms team says: “Laughter releases endorphins and other healthy hormones and helps take your mind off of stress.”

So scroll TikTok, call a friend or watch your favorite comedy (a.k.a Bridesmaids) for the billionth time—anything that will make you crack a smile.

6. Love yourself—literally

This is one we’re personally adding to the list, as it’s one of the best things you can do to love yourself: give yourself a good ol’ fashioned orgasm. 

Yep, we’re talking about masturbating—treat yourself to the best app-controlled vibrators or hands-free vibrators and show yourself a real good time.