Valentine’s Day is a great day to show your appreciation for not only your significant other, friends, and family, but also for yourself. The holiday is a great checkpoint to think about how your year has been so far and a time to reflect on how you feel about yourself. Taking time to reflect on yourself can be difficult; it can be hard to think about things you need to work on or challenges you’ve been through. Whether you are writing this reflection down in a journal, typing it out, discussing it with someone, or just taking a moment to think about it, here are some questions and ideas to help you reflect effectively.
To start, let’s start with a reflection on the year so far and where we want to go from here. Think about how January went for you and ask yourself questions like these:
- What was the highlight of my January?
- What was a low point in my January?
- If I have New Year’s Resolutions, am I sticking with them?
- How did I practice self care in January?
Afterward, envision how you want the rest of the year to go. Obviously, you cannot plan exactly how the rest of your year goes, but thinking about what you would like to accomplish for the rest of the year can help you actually put these goals and plans into action. Here are some questions that can help you do this:
- What are my hopes and goals for the rest of the year?
- What is something that I did in January that I want to continue throughout the rest of the year?
- Are there any habits that I want to start that I didn’t in January?
Now, we can do some more self-reflection. Reflecting on how you truly feel about yourself can help you with other things in your life such as the goals you’ve set for yourself. You can do this by asking yourself questions like:
- I am worthy of love/happiness because…
- What boundaries do I need to set in my relationships?
- What makes me feel loved?
- Who is a part of my support system?
- What is something that I love about myself that isn’t related to my physical appearance?
Another thing you can do in order to reflect is to write a love letter to yourself. Write this letter as you would write to another person.
Everyone should take some time to self-reflect, and since Valentine’s Day is about love, it’s a perfect time to do some reflecting, specifically thinking about self-love. You can’t pour from an empty cup, so it’s important to take time to reflect on how you are truly doing. You can show how much you love and appreciate the people in your life while also taking time to do the same for yourself.