Many of us are constantly busy. We go to work, spend time with family and loved ones, and probably try to squeeze a few hobbies in too. On top of that, we have house work to do, we have to shop for and prepare food, and we constantly have to remember to stay on top of our bills and whatever other responsibilities we may have. We have a lot on our plate, but we’re used to it.

How often do we actually stop and take a moment to think about what we need? And even if we do, how often do we allow ourselves to take some time away from everything else to do something just for us?

We might think it’s selfish to say no to going out with friends, even if we’re exhausted and all we feel like doing is stay home and take a bath, when in truth taking those little moments for ourselves is essential for our long-term wellbeing.

You cannot pour from an empty cup, and if you’re letting yourself burn out by constantly over-exerting yourself, you won’t have enough energy left to be there for the people you love in the way that you would like to be there for them. You also won’t have enough energy to give your best at your job, so you’re really not doing yourself or anybody else any favours by being in constant overdrive and not giving yourself any breaks.

It can be hard to carve out some time for self-care, so why not start this Valentine’s day? Valentine’s day is all about love, so why not include self-love in that? In addition to the other people that you spend Valentine’s day with, you can also be your own Valentine. You’ll thank yourself later! I’m not talking about buying yourself expensive things, but about taking an hour or two to recharge; just for yourself.

Whether you’re in a relationship or not, try to schedule some time around Valentine’s day this year that will be set aside just for you. During that time, you can do whatever you feel like you need in that moment; be that taking a bath, reading a book, binge-watching a favourite TV-show, taking a long walk, doing some yoga or whatever else you might come up with that will help you relax and recharge. Maybe that little bit of self-care-time will make you feel so refreshed and ready to take on new challenges that you decide to make it a regular occurrence in your schedule!