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Being single on Valentine’s day, especially when you don’t want to be, can be a painful reminder of the elusive nature of romantic partnerships.

But when intimate love seems out of reach, there are other forms of love you have access to all around you. Now is the time to strengthen and acknowledge those connections and remind yourself that love exists in many forms outside of romanticism. Here are some ways you can fall in love with the other relationships in your life:

  1. Fall In Love With Nature Escaping into a tropical paradise or admiring the majesty of a mountain peak can make you feel small in the best way. Nature has a way of taking you out of the chatter of your mind and into the present moment. For those who live coastal, make sure you take some time today to sit at the beach and let yourself be in awe of creation. For those who live in wintery states, plan a weekend ski trip—even if you aren’t a skier you can always snow tube, take a frozen waterfall hike, or ice skate.
  2. Fall In Love With Sisterhood In the epic words of Toni Morrison, ‘She is a friend of my mind. She gather me, man. The pieces I am, she gather them and give them back to me in all the right order.’ We often take our sister girlfriends for granted, but they are some of our first teachers of unconditional love. How many people in your life can you say loves you when you are at your ugliest and bitchiest and when you are at your best? Go to dinner with your best friend today—order a bottle of wine and have the best date of your life with someone who truly knows and loves you no matter what life throws your way.
  3. Fall In Love With Brotherhood God bless our guy friends (the real ones, not the ones you hook up with periodically when you’re lonely or bored.) I’m talking about the men who have been rocking with you since high school/college. The guys who will remind you what a catch you are when the new guy in your life makes his exit. Having your best guys around offer you perspective, not only into the inner workings of man thinking, but also, it reminds you of how you deserve to be treated.
  4. Fall In Love With Yourself Of everyone who comes in and out of your life there is one consistent—you. This one may be the most cliche but it’s also the most crucial. Go ahead and put post it notes all around your mirror with love letters to yourself. Make your own damn romantic bath with roses and candles and relax in the tub. Sleep naked. Make love to yourself (we have some tips for you here.) Somewhere in our development, we were told sensuality lies within the realm of relationship and partnership, but the ability to really comfort yourself and feel intimacy with your own naked body is priceless.
  5. Fall In Love With Learning Elizabeth Gilbert (Author of Eat, Pray, Love) said in an interview with Oprah, “If I had spent less time worrying about my love life, I could’ve been fluent in mandarin Chinese by now.” We can’t stop expanding and opening our minds to new knowledge. This is the time to pick up a new hobby–whether it’s soap making, learning a new language, learning the origins of various wines, or learning to play a new instrument, enhancing your life with knew knowledge makes you love your life even more.

 

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Single Girl’s Guide To Valentine’s Day: Fall In Love With All The Aspects Of Your Life  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com