Once upon a time, I was one of those people who really didn’t LIKE Valentine’s Day. I thought it was stupid. Like, it’s a commercial holiday. Seeing people’s feeds full of mushy Valentine’s Day posts gave me such “OK, this is cheesy as fuck” vibes. For me, it was the vibe of, “Why do we need to go balls to the wall making a ginormous deal out of our love lives on this ONE SPECIFIC DAY when we can just do it ALL THE FUCKING TIME?”
I always felt that people who felt the need to be ruthlessly posting on social media how incredible their relationships were probably DIDN’T have incredible relationships. Otherwise they would be enjoying them in real life and not needing consistent validation from anyone else.
Nowadays I feel a whole lot different because with my own commitment to daily personal growth and expansion, I’ve come to some new conclusions in more recent years.
Like the fact that life is really fucking short so if we wanna be super extra and celebrate love on this day, who cares?! Do it. Do it big.
Do what you want.
Plus, I AM really fucking extra. My fans LOVE special holiday-themed content. And, on top of that, I’ve concluded that I was really “UGH” about Valentine’s Day because I felt like it left a lot of people out. I felt like it made a lot of people feel BAD.
But then I realized that it doesn’t just HAVE to be about celebrating your romantic relationships. It’s about celebrating LOVE. Period.
Whether that’s the love you have for your family, your friends, your pets, or all of the above. Whatever that looks like for you. We all have special people in our lives who are worth acknowledging and celebrating, so why NOT take time on this day to express your appreciation for them?!
And, speaking of celebrating love, the most important piece of the puzzle?
Celebrating the love you have for YOURSELF.
We can only love others as much as we love ourselves.
If you’re feeling bummed about spending V-Day solo, reframe your perspective. Appreciate the fact that you’re fucking rad. Appreciate all the cool shit about you. Treat yourself to something you really want. Dote on yourself. Spoil yourself. SERIOUSLY.
In more recent years, in my former single-girl V-Day celebrations, I would always make sure I was doing something really fun. Last year I had a couple girlfriends in the ‘biz over and we just hung out, giggled, talked about girly shit and filmed scenes. In the past, I’ve done shit like order in yummy takeout from my favorite vegan restaurant and watched a super girly movie on Netflix after marinating in a hot bath filled with essential oils. BLISS.
Besides, LIFE is worth celebrating. Why the fuck NOT honor and celebrate yourself and other people (and/or animals) you adore?!
And, on the heavier end, I also recently started donating to a local men’s substance addiction recovery center to honor my late father, whose birthday also happens to fall on Valentine’s Day. But it doesn’t make me sad. It makes me HAPPY that I can help other people who are struggling. That I can contribute to making someone’s life easier.
Take this day and use it as a way to celebrate life and love. Fuck following dumb cookie cutter “rules.” Make V-Day whatever you want it to be. Just because your way of celebrating doesn’t look like anyone else’s doesn’t mean it’s “wrong.” Whatever V-Day looks like for you IS the right way to do it.
Just live your damn life, ya feel?!
And, the quickest way to feeling fantastic is by doing something nice for someone else.
So, have at it, and don’t forget to buy yourself a box of chocolates, too. 😉
xo, alix