Valentine’s Day can be difficult to celebrate after the lost of a loved one. Often, you’re left with a hole where love once blossomed. Loneliness and sorrow can sometimes capture the day. It doesn’t have to be that way. Celebrating Valentine’s Day after the loss of your loved one is possible and may bring you a sense of hope and love.
Though grief is normal and is something that should not be shied away from, there’s no need to feel guilty for desiring to feel and experience a sense of love and joy on this special day. If you desire to feel a sense of happiness on this holiday, I’ve included five inspirational activities which just may be the key for experiencing joy on Valentine’s Day after the loss of your loved one.
5 Inspirational Activities for Celebrating Valentine’s Day After the Loss of Your Loved One
- Show Gratitude.
- Practice Self-Care.
- Lavishly love others.
- Indulge in Remembrance.
- Smile deeply.
1 – Show Gratitude
Activity: Make a list of 10 ways love has changed you.
If you’re experiencing grief, it means you experienced love. That love still exists, you’re just having a difficult time determining how and where to express it. I’ll give you opportunities to love lavishly in a later exercise. But, first, I’d like you to take time to acknowledge how love changed you. More specifically, how did loving and knowing your loved one change you?
This will take some time, maybe even a couple of days of meandering thoughts. That’s okay. Take out pen and journal, a sheet of paper, or even the notes section of your phone, and get going. Remember, you CAN celebrate Valentine’s Day after the loss of your loved one, and I believe it can be a healing experience.
2 – Practice Self-Care
Activity: Decide to do one thing for yourself that your loved one would be glad you did.
Watching everyone else get excited about something you used to look forward to is challenging. Often, it will throw us into a stint of the blues. Friend, it’s okay to recognize that you’ve lost something. It’s okay to be down. But, it’s also okay to treat yourself like you would treat a dear friend.
When a friend calls you up and laments about something that has hurt their soul, you cheer them up. You buy them a latte, chat with them, and remind them how special they are. You can do the same for yourself! Do something special for yourself, leading up to Valentine’s Day. Do it intentionally and do it well. Consider it a gift (a little bit of love) from your loved one. Take some time today to think about a few ideas. What can you do for yourself that will make you feel rejuvenated and loved all over again?
3 – Lavishly Love Others
Activity: Think deeply about this. Decide on 3-4 people or couples you’d like to bless.
Being kind to others changes you. It fills you with a fun, googly feeling of happy. I know it seems counterintuitive to bless others with a wonderful Valentine’s Day surprise when you yourself are struggling, but it can be absolutely transformative, and I highly suggest you complete this activity. In fact, once you’re finished, you may feel so much better that you institute a habit of acts of kindness within your healing regimen. I’m excited to hear what happens.
So, this activity is quite simple. Sit down and ponder a feel people/couples you’d like to bless. It could be a restaurant gift certificate, a bag of homemade cookies, a night of babysitting, a sweet card, etc. It’s totally and completely up to you, and that’s part of the fun. – Get your people locked in, and get started today! (I’d loved to hear about your experience in the comments below.)
4 – Indulge in Remembrance.
Activity: Write a list of 3 things that were wonderful about your loved one.
Remembering can be HARD. Trust me. As a mother who lost her son, remembering my son can often bring me to tears. The sight of his picture, has the ability to instantly remind me of everything he missed, everything I missed, and all things lost.
Today, I’m asking you to try something different. Do the best you can. You may not be able to look at a picture. That can be breathtakingly difficult. So, try to just think of your loved one’s name in your mind.
Now, write 3 things that were wonderful about them. Then simply say, “thank you for being wonderful.” As you walk through your day, week, or month, remind yourself that your loved one was wonderful, their beautiful spirit still lives, and their story still continues. Be blessed today, Friend. You are loved. (Thank you, in advance, for doing this challenging but needed activity.)
5 – Smile deeply.
Activity: Give yourself permission to smile… and smile deeply.
This is the last activity I’m sharing with you. Hopefully by now you’ve given yourself permission to grieve, miss, wonder… mourn. If you haven’t, please do so. It’s okay, expected, and needful. Healing comes through walking out this journey. Take the time to do so.
But, in the midst of all the tears, I want you to give yourself permission to smile. You CAN smile and grieve at the same time. It’s possible to experience joy and grief simultaneously, and you need to know that.
So, for this activity, I want you to think of something lovely, good, decent, and I want you to smile. Now, tell yourself to smile deeply. Think of God’s love for you, set the weight aside for the moment, breathe deeply, and smile from the inside out. Now, you’re smiling deeply. Repeat for the next few days.
Hidden Treasures Await You
By completing these activities and discovering ways you can celebrate Valentine’s Day after the loss of your loved one, it’s my hope that you find hidden treasures of joy, hope, and peace. I pray that you’ll be encouraged and uplifted. You are loved.
xoxo,
Rachel
© Rachel Blado www.OnTheWayToWhereYoureGoing.com All Rights Reserved.
