It’s that time of year again…hearts, chocolates, flowers and plastic balloons as far as the eye can see. Greetings cards to be ripped open, read and thrown aside, another casualty of our commercial holidays. But wait, is there another way? Let’s get back to our roots and make this year’s celebration a little more sustainable – here are our top 10 tips to a green valentines that is easy, eco-friendly and fun!
1. Show your favourite small business some love
Repost and comment on your favourite small business’ social media posts. Share with your friends and spread some love – it’s free and you could really help someone out! Valentine’s doesn’t have to be all about romantic love, so brighten someone’s day and show some support.
2. Plant some seeds
What better way to show hope in the future than nurturing new life and re-greening the earth? Why not plant some seeds and watch your handiwork bloom over the coming weeks and months!
3. Go for a walk
It’s free, it’s fun and it’s as eco-friendly as it gets. The old saying ‘take nothing but photographs and leave nothing but footprints’ is the perfect philosophy when enjoying an countryside ramble. Take in your surroundings, acknowledge the flowers, what does the sky look like today? Take some time out to breathe, relax and rejuvinate in a green space.
4. Send someone you love a text
Pick someone that you haven’t spoken to in a while and send them a nice message. You never know, you might just turn someone’s day around! This rush of Oxytocin will make both you and them feel great! It’s a great zero waste gift idea and suprt budget-friendly too!
5. Do a random act of kindness
Make it your personal mission to do a random act of kindess today. Once you take on this challenge, you’ll notice all sorts of opportunities to help people. You could buy an extra bunch of flowers when you do your shopping and gift them to the person behind you in the queue, daffodils are in season and are £1 in most supermarkets at the moment – you don’t have to break the bank to do some good. You could write a friendly note and post it through a neighbour’s letterbox, make a coupon for a friend for a favour – it doesn’t have to be anything showy, time-consuming or expensive, just a little something to make someone smile.
6. Spruce up your space
Valentine’s Day is about love, whether that is romantic love for your partner, love for your family and friends or self-love. Take some time to change your bedsheets, hoover your room, wipe around the sink, light a candle and relax. Making a little bit of effort for yourself can really change the way you feel. Your space is an extension of you, and so clearing it up and making it nice can have a huge impact on your mood.
7. Treat yourself
What is your favourite drink? Have you got a candle that you only light on special occasions? Why not use the fancy crockery tonight? Pour yourself a cup of your favourite drink, get your snack of choice and settle down to spend some time on your favourite hobby. If you’re usually too busy to stop and do some painting, some reading, have a bath, watch your favourite show on Netflix, do some baking, do it today! Self-care is not selfish, it’s essential to our mental health and wellbeing and today is the perfect excuse!
8. Get moving
Whatever your fitness, health or ability, getting moving is something that will always make you feel better. Whether you choose to do a full Zumba class on YouTube, run a 5k or just stretch your arms, get moving! You don’t have to exhaust yourself, but moving your body will help you to boost circulation, release endorphins and boost your self esteem. A great low impact option is some gentle yoga stretches, there are loads of great classes on YouTube, from full routines to quick bed stretches. There is something for everyone, so take some time to appreciate what your body can do and give it some love!
9. Get some flowers
You don’t have to spend £20 on a huge bunch of blooms, but see if you can find some flowers today! Whether or not you choose to buy some, of have some bought for you, you can benefit from their floral beauty! Take a walk and see how many different flowers you can spot. At this time of year there’s an array of Spring bulbs starting to burst into life, see if you can spot them. From white Snowdrops to sunny yellow Daffodils and purple Crocuses, there’s a beautiful variety of flowers around to be seen, if we only stop to spot them!
10. Listen to yourself
Possibly the easiest and most important on the list – listen to yourself! What do you want to do today? Take the opportunity to do whatever you fancy doing, and do it!
We hope that you;’e enjoyed reading our top ten picks of things to do to celebrate the season of love this year, in a fun, eco-friendly and non-commerical way! Tag us on instagram if you do any of the activities on the list and stay tuned for more posts!