Gal-entines day
There’s no better way to spread love than spending time with your friends, especially for girls. Friendships are arguably one of the most important types of relationships you can have in your life, so spending a night with friends to focus on caring for one other is only right. Some ideas for activities include a self-care night, such as giving each other facials, painting your nails, or putting on a comfort movie; a board game night where everyone makes a different charcuterie board, plays a board game, or brings a gift for a gift swap; and a mini essentials night, where every person brings a little item, such as a claw clip or a lip gloss, creating a collection of mini essentials.
St. Jude’s Virtual Greeting Cards
If you’re looking for an activity that doesn’t cost a dime, or hardly any energy, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital offers an online option to send cards to St. Jude’s patients. From the cards, you can select artwork created by a patient to go along with a custom-written message that will be sent to patients of the hospital. These messages don’t have to be elaborate, but they can really brighten these kids’ days.
Buy yourself flowers
Whether you’re a girl or a guy, you deserve some flowers. There’s research supporting that the act of purchasing flowers can significantly improve your mood, reduce stress, and overall boost morale. If nothing else, they are something nice to look at.
Take time to care for yourself alone
One of the most valuable types of self-care is alone time. Having the ability to take time for yourself, especially in this day and age, is more important than ever. Take some time to self-reflect, evaluate, and relax. By being able to sit in your own thoughts, you become better able to accept yourself, whether that be for better or worse. Everyone deserves time to show themselves both self-discipline and self-love.
Volunteer for a cause you care about
There are so many great foundations out there that depend on the work of volunteers. What’s something important to you? A quick Google search can set you up with a charity involving that cause. It could be as simple as making a donation, or even getting to help hands-on. At the very least, you’ll more than likely feel better than you did before just by giving back. Some great charities to support are Mary’s Gate, where you can prepare and deliver meals for the elderly or people who struggle with ADL, or Foster Love, an organization meant to provide care items and clothing to kids who have lost their parents through donations of gently used or unwanted items.
Write letters of appreciation to important people in your life
This is something I’m sure anyone would like to receive. To me, this is one of the most genuine ways to show you care for someone. Take the time out of your day to write down what you admire about someone. Once you start, the words will come naturally.
Donate blood or plasma
Though it may not be the first thing that comes to mind, being willing to donate blood or plasma is more valuable than ever, and can even be life-changing for many of the recipients. Though it may sound like an elaborate, scary process, it is truly such a small price to pay for such a great reward. Even if you are squeamish about needles, as someone who (still) has the same nerves, I promise I’ve never once regretted donating. The process only takes around an hour, and many foundations also give compensation. Anyway you look at it, donating blood or plasma is a win-win.
Smile at someone and give a genuine compliment
It’s simple, but effective. Think of a time someone smiled at you or told you that you look nice. It made you feel good, didn’t it? It’s easy to spread that kindness. It might be not something you remember a week later, and you might even forget about it later that day, but it probably brightened someone else’s day. This is exactly what a smile and a compliment are meant to do.
Share your hobbies with someone
No matter what it is you’re talented at, find a way to share it with others. This is easier to do with hobbies that result in a physical finished product, such as baking, cooking, or forms of art. Try a new recipe to share with your neighbors, paint something personal to hang in your family room, or crochet a blanket for your sibling. Even if you don’t think there’s anything that you are talented enough at to give to other people, at the end of the day it’s always the thought that counts.
Donate to the Valentine Project
This is a foundation that provides “packages of love” to children who battle chronic illness. There are over 500 kids who benefit from this organization and that number has continued to grow over the past 15 years in service. Their mission is simple–to spread joy and love to every child on their list, and ensure each and every one receives a Valentine’s Day care package filled with treats, toys and other special surprises. To donate you can visit the Valentine Project PayPal or create handmade gifts such as pillowcases, cards, or other artworks.
