Be Your Own Valentine With These 6 Self-Care Tips

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, many have begun frenzied planning with restaurant reservations, massive teddy bears and boxes of Belgian chocolates. What no one thinks about on this day of love is themselves. Whether you have a partner or not, there's one person who deserves your attention this V-day and it's you. Sure, it sounds narcissistic but if you don't care for yourself the way you truly deserve, no one else will be capable of doing so. This V-day, be your own Valentine by giving your mental health and well-being some loving with these six self-care tips.

1. Note To Self

When you've won a prize at a raffle, snagged a deal on sale or had a rewarding day at work, write it down in a notebook and tuck it away. Make it a point to follow through with this exercise every time you're happy and satisfied. The next time you're down in the dumps, open your notes and leaf through the good times you've had and the way they've made you feel. It's often the small joys that can uplift you in large ways.

2. Start Rolling

When you manage to catch a five minute break in your schedule, pull out a facial roller and begin rolling your neck, jawline, forehead and cheeks. Use gentle motions to roll backwards in the direction of the ears and hairline to maintain skin tautness. While rolling is known to turn back the clock on wrinkles and sagging, it also massages the skin to loosen muscle tightness and relieve stress. Best part is, you can try this even on your lunch break.

3. Switch On A Playlist

Curate a playlist of songs on your phone or music player that have the sole intention to relax the mind and instill calmness. These sounds can be classic instrumental music, chants or the sound of raindrops. Now slip on your headphones and play this track list for just a couple of minutes in the morning. It's the simplest way to find your centre before starting the day.

4. Stretch

Yes, it's really that simple. No matter how busy you are, step away from your desk for 10 minutes and head outside to do a few stretching exercises. Simple moves like lifting your legs, extending your mid-sections and touching your toes are good enough. While exercise works like magic for self-care, even simple stretches can increase blood circulation and help you feel more agile and energized.

5. Find A Hobby

Hobbies were always encouraged when growing up and they deserve their fair share of attention from adults as well. Hobbies heighten the cognitive processes in your brain and encourage creative, free-flowing thought - something that's highly lacking when we're cued into gadgets. Find a hobby like painting or baking that takes you away from a screen, destresses you and sharpens your skill. There's no self-care tip better than this one.

6. Find Stillness

From waking up by looking at our phone screen to logging into our desktops at work, we're always connected to the digital world. And while that's unavoidable during work hours, try and change that in your down time. Every night, find stillness for 30 minutes by disconnecting from everything - phones, internet and music. Don't even use the time to catch up on chores. Simply sit in silence and allow yourself to reflect on your thoughts. Use a diary to note things down if you feel like it. Post this detox, head to bed. Not only will this exercise work wonders to collect your thoughts and allow free thinking, it will cut off blue light to help you get better sleep.

That's how you can keep this Valentine's Day aside for a bit of self-love, mental well-being and a whole lot of pampering.