Taking yourself on a date

Taking yourself on a date
Image courtesy of Suriya Kankliang at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

With Valentine’s Day approaching, shops and restaurants are full of images of couples – but if you don’t have anyone to spend Valentine’s Day with, you might feel a bit left out.  In that case, have you considered taking yourself on a date?

It might sound odd, but treating yourself to an indulgent trip out or a fancy meal might be just what you need to recharge your batteries and work on your relationship with yourself.

What do I mean by “relationship with yourself”?  What I mean is that you can end up spending so much time focussed on the external world – e.g. work, household matters – that you forget to meet your own needs and understand more about who you are.

Are you, for instance, someone who really loves going to the theatre?  If so, have you been lately?  If you haven’t, why not? What is holding you back from doing something that brings you joy – are your reasons realistic, or do you shy away from something that you see as “self-indulgent”?  Perhaps you think you don’t ‘deserve’ such a trip out?  Do you see yourself as worthy?

If you don’t have someone to treat you to these activities, it is easy to brush them aside.  Your might even find yourself saying, “It would be lovely if someone else took me there, but I would never do it myself…” – sound familiar?

It is often true that we treat our nearest and dearest much better than we treat ourselves, and need to be reminded to be our own best friend.  Taking yourself on a date, somewhere special, is a good step towards maintaining that friendship.

Have fun!