Most of my friends know that Valentine's Day isn't my favorite holiday. It may be because I am cynical, or maybe it's because my on-again-off-again boyfriend and I were never dating on this holiday. All the same, I'm a bigger fan of the day after Valentine's Day than the actual day of (hello, half-price candy!), and I'll be the first one to tell you that. I know that a lot of people look forward to a Valentine's Day spent with a significant other. But in this age of social media, specific body types being idolized, and the body confidence movement, we should focus on ourselves this Valentine's Day. Of course, this doesn't mean to ignore the people in your life who you love, but it might be important to focus on making sure you love yourself, too.
I am definitely one of the worst people regarding self-confidence. I know that the people in my life spend a lot of time and effort trying to hype me up, but I also know that I don't usually see what others see. I am the hardest on myself. When most people are encouraging me, I am focusing on what more I can do and how I can be better. In 2020, I promised myself that I would try to focus on the positives and the good. Now, I can't say that I have always been successful, but as a very, very single person, this Valentine's Day is going to be about finding what I love about myself.
It's important that we give ourselves as much love as we give others. I know how much easier it is for me to tell someone how amazing they are and how much I care about them. I know how much easier it is to give others advice. However, one thing I can never do is leave me and I know how much harder it is for me to cause myself heartbreak as compared to someone else. As someone who has had her heart hurt more than once, I need to stop hurting my heart and focus on lifting myself up. It's a lot easier to give others love when I love myself than when I don't.
Remember that you deserve your love just as much as the people you give your love to deserve your love. And to be entirely honest, you deserve that love more. Lift yourself up.