The day we all have been so patiently waiting for from the start of the month has arrived. Although the whole month is celebrated as the month of love, Valentine’s day is for showering love and care.
People express their love and affection towards their partners by gifting them flowers, chocolates and much more as well as going on dates. Valentine’s Day is that time of the year when you can express your love to someone you always wanted to be with, no matter if you’re 15 or 50. However, when it comes to showing love and care, you can always be your own valentine.
Men, we know that while taking care of your partner and everything else, at times you forget that you need self love and some ‘me time’, as much as your partner and loved ones. Whether you have a partner or not, you deserve some sort of pampering that you haven’t had for a while. So why not be your own Valentine this Valentine’s Day and show yourself how much you love and appreciate yourself.
If you have no idea how to pamper yourself, here’s how you can gift yourself some self-care and self-love without thinking twice:
Meditation
Meditation is a great way of cleansing your mind, body and soul. And men need it. If not often, do practice meditation on the day of love. Not only will it make you relax and throw your stress away in trash, but also improve your mental health drastically. It is a known fact that meditation leads to better mental health. So not only will you be relaxing with meditation but also saying goodbye to mental disorders like depression and anxiety.
That’s killing two birds with one stone!
Workout
Men might like their beer belly, but working out has unimaginable benefits for them, not only body wise but psychologically as well. This includes better sleep, higher self-esteem, reduced feelings of depression as well as anxiety. When you work
out, your body releases endorphins, which make you feel good. Apart from that, it keeps your body healthy and in shape.
In order to work out, you don’t need to get an annual membership of a gym; you can just take a walk around your neighbourhood and soak up all the sunshine for the much needed Vitamin D. You can also opt for nature walks to get some fresh air and see the beautiful birds chirp.
Journaling
Journaling is a habit that a man should practice whether it’s Valentine’s Day or not. The reason? Men don’t usually express their emotions, whether alone or not. However, when it comes to their journal, they can express whatever they feel, sadness or happiness. It rewires their brain to find the positives in life, no matter what they are going through. Apart from that, they learn to introspect as well as find out their goals in life.
A man should always carry his journal with himself as he never knows when he might need it. You can practice gratitude, doodle if you want to as well as shower your emotions in it.
Social Media Detox
Social media has become that giant black hole that sucks us up every day. Taking time off might just be what your soul has been craving. Social media detox is an effective way of self-care that men should go for, once in a while, when they feel lost, or not. It might seem that staying away from your phone is an impossible task, however, it can be easily done and has many benefits.
Instead of scrolling through your phone, opt for something productive like cooking perhaps. No need to cook a grand feast all by yourself, but you can definitely come up with something healthy, like a salad, or maybe this Valentine, take out some time off your phone and cook with bae! Aromantic evening ahead!
Add cleaning up your place and doing laundry which had been on that to-do list for a while. Apart from that, meet up with your friends instead of liking their pictures on Instagram and play your favourite sport as well. You won’t even remember that your phone is missing!
Get a Massage
A lot of your stress lies in your neck and shoulders, which you might not even know about. Getting a massage once in a while is quite important in order to release that stress. You can always go to a spa to get a massage or call someone at home. It will provide you immense relaxation and you will be stress-free as well. Yes, couple massages are also a great idea. Self care with your partner might make this Valentine a very special one.
If you want, you can even ask your partner to give you a massage and then give one to her. You both will be able to express your love for each other in this process.
Bubble Bath
Almost all men think of a bubble bath as a woman’s deal and that men should stay away from it. However, men can go for it too!
It may seem a cliche, but it’s fun and relaxing. You can always prepare a nice bubble bath with bath salts for yourself as well as add in your favourite wine to sip. Along with that, add in some nice essential oils in it, such as peppermint, lavender, rosemary or cedarwood.
You will not only be cleansing your body through a nice bubble bath but your mind as well. It will help you release that stress you have been carrying all this while and will make you feel free.
Listen to Music
When we say music, we don’t mean listen to EDM or rock music. Instead, perhaps listen to more soulful music, such as instrumental, focus music, or meditation music. You might be into Led Zeppelin or Linkin Park, but give such kind of music a try to feel more relaxed.
You can even try meditating with such a kind of music as it is calm and relaxing. Or you can just have a nice power nap along with it. No matter what you choose to do, such kind of music will be quite soothing for you.
Skincare
Skincare isn’t just for women, men need it to. It’s important for men to care for their skin, no matter what type of skin they have; dry, oily or combination. Whether you have a beard or are clean shaven, it’s essential for you to make sure that your skin is taken care of. There are many skincare products that are available in the market for men. You can always opt for sheet masks that are available for all types of skin.
Apart from that, don’t forget to use a face wash and face scrub to get rid of the dust particles and pollutants on your skin. Along with that, you must tone your skin properly in order to make sure that you stay away from wrinkles.
Sleeping/Napping
Most men don’t really care about their sleeping schedule and tend to disturb it by either binge-watching Netflix all night, clubbing or being the workaholics. Either way, their sleep gets disbalanced and often leads to insomnia or worse.
It’s important for men to understand that apart from their mental peace, their sleep is also essential. Self-care is nothing without a good amount of snooze as all that rest helps you in running through the day. Apart from that, a good sleeping schedule helps you in having good mental peace and physical shape.
Eat Healthy
Mindless snacking and binge-eating is something we all have done in life. We all have been caught binge-eating at least once (or twice, or yesterday at night when you couldn’t sleep). However, making it a habit is a mistake. Snacking up on junk and eating high-calorie intense foods and drinks can be really bad for our health and can be a trigger for many cardiovascular diseases.
Instead, choose a healthier lifestyle, like eating healthy food and drinks that can increase your metabolism and improve your diet. I know, it’s not easy and will certainly take some time to happen. However, you can start a healthier diet by opting for better foods like kale salads instead of grilled chicken.
Do Yoga
Have you ever considered doing yoga? Well, if you haven’t here’s the time to do so. Yoga has a lot of benefits as it links your movement with your breath. So whether you do a downward dog pose, a camel pose or a cat pose, it will always be beneficial for you. Along with that, it will be a great physical activity for you as well.
Conclusion
You should be the most important person in your life, in fact a priority for yourself. Men should care about themselves more than they usually do. Such self-care deeds are not just for Valentine’s Day but for usual days as well. This is because if you don’t care for yourself, then who will? When you put yourself first, the love that you show for yourself makes sure that you become more accepting of your mistakes and become gentle to your own self, something that not many men do.
This Valentine’s Day prioritise yourself more than you expected yourself to do and then see the change in yourself. It will be magic! Happy Valentine’s Day Men!