Nearly 62% of Americans with sweethearts will celebrate Valentine’s Day by spending more than $13 billion dollars in romantic gifts in the United States.
Nearly 62% of Americans with sweethearts will celebrate Valentine’s Day by spending more than $13 billion dollars in romantic gifts in the United States.
But for millions, February 14th can be extremely stressful.
A recent MORI study found:
·Almost one in ten people aged under 25 years feel depressed, insecure, inadequate or unwanted on Valentine's Day.
·Over two-fifths of single people feel negative or indifferent towards Valentine's Day.
·Four times as many men as women feel pressurized by their partner into giving a card or gift on Valentines Day.
Stress expert and New York Times Best-Selling author, Hale Dwoskin, says add in the folks who have lost loved ones such as the families in West Virginia or who are separated from their loved ones because of Iraq and millions of Americans will be looking for ways to get through this tough holiday.
Here’s what you can do to relieve stress during the Valentine’s hype:
·Remember to love yourself. Often, we spend so much time looking for love outside of ourselves that we don’t take time to give ourselves loving kindness. That doesn’t mean go shopping and numb out; it may mean lighting candles, going to get a massage, renting a movie that makes you happy or taking a hot bubble bath.
·Let go of wanting love and allow yourself to have it and share it. Would you rather “want to be loved” or would you rather “allow yourself to have love and affection?” If you allow yourself to have love, instead of craving it, you are much more likely to be satisfied. One of the best ways to bring love into your life is to give without wanting something back in return. Giving without strings is a sure fire path to instant happiness.
·Allow yourself to remember times when you felt love as opposed to wanting to feel love. By remembering those times and focusing on the love you felt in the past for people (even if they have passed or moved on), you can allow yourself to have joy now instead of waiting for the next time. When you feel the love and joy now, allow yourself to welcome that feeling as best you can and watch it expand inside of you and in your life.
·When you find yourself with the feeling of needing love or feeling lonely, ask yourself these simple questions:
Could I let this feeling go?
Would I let it go?
When?
Hale Dwoskin is the author of The New York Times Best Seller The Sedona Method: Your Key to Lasting Happiness, Success, Peace and Emotional Well-Being from Sedona Press. He is also an international speaker and seminar leader, and the co-founder and CEO of Sedona Training Associates. He is available for interviews on the impact of Valentine’s Day and can be reached through his assistant, Holly Reeves, at 928-282-3522. For more information about Hale’s work, head to www.sedona.com
