Valentine’s Day is for celebrating your appreciation for the one that you love! We often associate Valentine’s Day with candy, chocolates, cards, and flowers. Perhaps overindulging with the one that you love sharing a lavish dinner with decadent dessert to finish.

Why not indulge in sweet embraces, reminisce about when you first met and funny things you may have said to each other to make a good impression. Connecting with your special someone is important every day of the year, but it’s nice to make a tradition to think back and reflect on how you have grown together, how much you appreciate one another, and what you look forward to doing together in the coming year.

Having deep relationship connections is food for your soul. I learned this concept from my schooling at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition about Primary Foods. These are the non-food things in our lives that feed and nourish us just as much, if not more so than the foods we eat. Primary Foods break into the main categories: Relationships, Spirituality, Career, and Physical Activity. It’s important to feel satisfied in these areas of your life in addition to being satisfied by foods we eat.

In the area of relationships, special occasions like Valentine’s Day inspires us to reflect on relationships, past, present, and future. Take a moment to determine for yourself what is important to you in a relationship. Make a date to communicate with your loved one what makes you tick, ask how you can become a better partner, and how to move together on the same path forward.

If you are not celebrating with a significant other, take this time to celebrate and appreciate yourself. The relationship we have with ourselves is the most important one in our lives. We must love, honor, and take great care of ourselves first. When we do that, then we can share our greatness with others.

Wishing you happiness and health always!