Valentine's Day 2026: THIS is the best kind of love you should gift yourself this Valentine’s Day

Love is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. This emotion is so intense that it (apparently) transcends dimensions of time and space as well. (Interstellar anyone?)

It helps us better ourselves and get back up after a fall. The best aspect of love? It comes wrapped beautifully in different shapes and forms. It is tangible and moldable.

Whether it is a mother’s selfless love, who is always ready to cook food for you, no matter how tired she herself is or father’s silent love that opens your wallet and puts in some cash, without you asking for it. Love sneaks in when your elder sister takes the blame when you break a cup of tea or when your partner puts up with your mood swings just cause he/she knows you have had a bad day.

Valentine’s Day is knocking on our doors and what better day to discuss the most neglected, yet the most important facet of love i.e. self-love? We live in a society where sacrificing and putting yourself at the bottom of the priority list is idolised and any other behaviour is labelled as being selfish.

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Why is self-love important?

Treating yourself kindly is not only important for your self-esteem, but it is also beneficial for your health. When you think about it, it actually makes sense. When you take care of yourself, you watch your diet, you exercise and you don’t pay heed to unsolicited comments because you are so sure of what you are and what you are not.

In fact, in a recent research conducted by the researchers from the University of Exeter and the University of Oxford backs the school of thought that loving yourself enough helps in staying healthy.
The research

To conduct the research, 135 participants were asked to study the effect of self-compassion on them. There were three control conditions: negative, neutral and positive situation. People were divided into five groups and were asked to listen to an 11 minute long series of audio instructions.

These audio instructions included thinking about kind thoughts about their body, another group was asked to think about something they had failed in, while some were asked to think of good things about people they liked.

The heart rate and sweat response of the participants was also monitored.
See more: Valentine's Day Week 2026: Complete list of Valentine Week from Feb 7 to 21 love quotes wishes and messages for your partnerThe result
The end result of the research simply pointed out the fact that being kind to yourself plays a very important role in staying healthy as those who were asked to think compassionate thoughts for themselves and others had lower heart rate and lower response to stress.

The bottom line

Ultimately, it all boils down to one simple truth, which is, you need to start loving yourself more. It will not only benefit you physically but will keep you healthy and happy, emotionally as well. Being compassionate and kind to yourself actually switches off your body’s threat response in any situation and helps it calm down.

So, this Valentine’s day, be your own Valentine and promise to not criticize, judge, compare and question the person standing in front of you in the mirror.

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“When I loved myself enough, I began leaving whatever wasn't healthy. This meant people, jobs, my own beliefs and habits – anything that kept me small. My judgement called it disloyal. Now I see it as self-loving.” – Kim McMillen
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