Love yourself this Valentine's day
You don’t have to get a Valentine for someone else; this year, give yourself a bit of love! This is not an invitation to be vain or brag about yourself, however, you should always love yourself and have self confidence. Yes, we all have our imperfections, but it’s every little imperfection that makes us beautiful. Every imperfection is a physical map that has told others where you have been. Respect yourself, as well as others. Know who you are and know your self worth.
Valentine’s Day has been around for thousands of years. The day gets its name from a saint, however there are many stories about who he was. It is believed that he was a Roman priest, from the third century AD, who would organise marriages in secret. This was completely illegal at the time, because Emperor Claudius II thought that unmarried soldiers were better soldiers. Saint Valentine arranged these marriages because he thought that no one should be prevented from marrying the one they love. When Claudius found out he jailed St. Valentine, who fell in love with the jailer’s daughter, Claudius sentenced him to be killed on February 14th, so he sent the jailer’s daughter a love letter saying ‘from your Valentine.’
Are you having a bad day? Look around you and make a mental list of all the things you love or what makes you happy. At the end of each day think to yourself, what three things have happened today that have made me feel great? This may be simple things like you almost fell off your chair laughing, or you smiled at someone today and they smiled back. Also, doing things for others has been proven to boost your morale. Help someone who you think is less fortunate than yourself. For instance, raising money for a charity can make you feel good about yourself, since you are helping someone who is really in need. As long as you earn enough to support yourself, money is not crucial in life. People who earn more are said to be less happy than those who earn minimum wage. It may also make you annoyed if you’re saving up but want to spend some money on something that you like. Treat yourself now and then.
Methods of self care vary for every individual. Some popular and most successful methods include buying fresh flowers; these can lighten the mood when you’re feeling down, you can look at some beautiful yellow flowers and they will automatically make you feel content. Keeping your bedroom tidy can also make you feel happy, and a tidy life means a tidy mind. Furthermore, you will sleep better in a tidy room and clean pyjamas. A lack of sleep can lead to feeling tired in your everyday life and can eventually lead to health complications. Try to resist your negative thoughts and only think positively, as much as you can. Step out of your comfort zone and plunge yourself into new and exciting adventures, this can make you feel revived and amazing once you’ve completed something you never thought you could. Find your passion. Self love is ever-evolving so it will take many experiments of trying different methods before you find the one that will make you feel happy and relaxed.
Most teenagers are pressured, mainly on social media to have the ‘ideal’ body shape, this can lead to a poor body image and possibly even eating disorders. But, the message that teenagers should be receiving is to just be healthy; it doesn’t matter if you’re ‘too curvy’ or ‘too thin’, as long as you are healthy. Stop comparing yourself to others, there is only one of you in the entire universe, love yourself and the body you’ve been given.
Consider that if you do not provide enough love for yourself, you will not learn to love others. Get to know yourself first, so that it makes loving others a whole lot easier. So, this Valentine’s day choose to love yourself and be your own Valentine.
Alice Cronin, Year 9
Valentine’s Day has been around for thousands of years. The day gets its name from a saint, however there are many stories about who he was. It is believed that he was a Roman priest, from the third century AD, who would organise marriages in secret. This was completely illegal at the time, because Emperor Claudius II thought that unmarried soldiers were better soldiers. Saint Valentine arranged these marriages because he thought that no one should be prevented from marrying the one they love. When Claudius found out he jailed St. Valentine, who fell in love with the jailer’s daughter, Claudius sentenced him to be killed on February 14th, so he sent the jailer’s daughter a love letter saying ‘from your Valentine.’
Are you having a bad day? Look around you and make a mental list of all the things you love or what makes you happy. At the end of each day think to yourself, what three things have happened today that have made me feel great? This may be simple things like you almost fell off your chair laughing, or you smiled at someone today and they smiled back. Also, doing things for others has been proven to boost your morale. Help someone who you think is less fortunate than yourself. For instance, raising money for a charity can make you feel good about yourself, since you are helping someone who is really in need. As long as you earn enough to support yourself, money is not crucial in life. People who earn more are said to be less happy than those who earn minimum wage. It may also make you annoyed if you’re saving up but want to spend some money on something that you like. Treat yourself now and then.
Methods of self care vary for every individual. Some popular and most successful methods include buying fresh flowers; these can lighten the mood when you’re feeling down, you can look at some beautiful yellow flowers and they will automatically make you feel content. Keeping your bedroom tidy can also make you feel happy, and a tidy life means a tidy mind. Furthermore, you will sleep better in a tidy room and clean pyjamas. A lack of sleep can lead to feeling tired in your everyday life and can eventually lead to health complications. Try to resist your negative thoughts and only think positively, as much as you can. Step out of your comfort zone and plunge yourself into new and exciting adventures, this can make you feel revived and amazing once you’ve completed something you never thought you could. Find your passion. Self love is ever-evolving so it will take many experiments of trying different methods before you find the one that will make you feel happy and relaxed.
Most teenagers are pressured, mainly on social media to have the ‘ideal’ body shape, this can lead to a poor body image and possibly even eating disorders. But, the message that teenagers should be receiving is to just be healthy; it doesn’t matter if you’re ‘too curvy’ or ‘too thin’, as long as you are healthy. Stop comparing yourself to others, there is only one of you in the entire universe, love yourself and the body you’ve been given.
Consider that if you do not provide enough love for yourself, you will not learn to love others. Get to know yourself first, so that it makes loving others a whole lot easier. So, this Valentine’s day choose to love yourself and be your own Valentine.
Alice Cronin, Year 9