Article:
Make ANY day Valentine's Day
by Roslyn Franken
 Valentine's
Day is just around the corner. For many, it's the one day a year where our culture
dictates that we should be expressing our love for one another with symbols of love and
romance including chocolate hearts, red roses, fine dining, Valentine's Day cards and
other special gifts.
It
can put a lot of extra pressure on couples. For the man in a relationship, the woman will
expect him to step up to the plate and do something extra romantic to make her feel extra
special. If he doesn't meet her expectations, it can create feelings of resentment,
frustration and disappointment for the woman. If she chooses to communicate her feelings
to her partner, he may be left feeling like a failure and frustrated that he was expected
to be able to read her mind as to what she wanted from him.
There's
also a lot of pressure on single people, especially those who would love nothing more than
to be in a romantic relationship. What makes it so difficult is that this holiday and all
the commercial hype around it pronounces their sense of loneliness and yearning for love,
romance and attention.
The
problem with all this extra pressure is that it can set us up with high expectations that
often result in high levels of disappointment and other negative emotions. Experiencing
these types of emotions can set up anyone with an eating or weight issue, whether in a
couple or single, to throw themselves a big old pity party with lots of sugary, fatty,
high calorie and/or salty treats to help wash away the pain. And then the guilt, shame and
self-loathing that follows your binge can send you right back for even more to help derive
that instant sense of comfort and immediate gratification that less healthy food choices
can so easily bring.
Here's
another way to look at it...
What
I ask you to consider is this - whether in a romantic relationship or not, WHY all this
pressure for one day of the year? Why can't we celebrate and express our love for one
another ANY day of the year? Wouldn't it be a lot more exciting and meaningful for your
partner to give you a dozen roses or a card that says I LOVE YOU or does something special
to surprise you when you least expect it?
If
this would make you happy, then it's your responsibility to TELL HIM. Communication is
everything. You can't expect your partner to read your mind. Let him know that any day can
be Valentine's Day and it is simply in the thought and action that help make you feel
special any day of the year. Help your partner understand that these kinds of little
gestures can speak volumes and only enhance your positive emotions toward one another. And
if you're single, why not celebrate all the love you DO have in your life such as the love
for yourself, your family and your friends, instead of what you feel is missing? Wouldn't
that be a healthier and more positive way to look at things?
Whether
in a romantic relationship or not, make any day you choose as your own Valentine's Day by
spoiling yourself and the ones you care about with expressions of love. And if these
expressions of love are going to involve food, then just make wise choices and avoid
over-indulging in choices that you're only going to regret next time you look in the
mirror or step on the scale. And remember, this holiday is not all about receiving. It is
also about giving. So we can all decide to give and share our love with someone on
Valentine's Day just as any other day of the year.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER, E-ZINE
OR WEB SITE?
You may use this article, but only if you clearly include
this complete statement with it:
Roslyn Franken is the author of The A List: 9 Guiding Principles for Healthy Eating
and Positive Living, a powerful self-directed guide for achieving your long term
health, lifestyle and weight management goals.
Roslyn has overcome her own food and weight issues and has
helped many others through her personalized coaching program and professional speaking
services. She counsels clients worldwide by telephone and email who are ready to build a
healthy and positive lifestyle maintainable for a lifetime.
To purchase The A List book and for more information on
Roslyn Franken’s personalized coaching and professional speaking services, please
visit www.roslynfranken.com.
Take your complimentary online Readiness Assessment and be sure to sign up for your FREE
Healthy Hints newsletter.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN
YOUR NEWSLETTER, E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?
You may use this article, but only if you clearly include this
complete statement with it:
Roslyn
Franken is author of The A List: 9 Guiding
Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living. She is a Weight Loss Coach and
Motivational Speaker on positive living solutions for positive results for greater health,
success and quality of life. She hosts How to
Thrive After 35 Internet Talk Radio and is co-author of Death Can Wait: Stories from Cancer Survivors.
Diagnosed
with cancer at age 29, Franken fought back to become a long-term cancer survivor. Then at
age 39, at her heaviest weight ever, and concerned for her health, she decided to fight
back once again, only this time to overcome her battles with food and weight once and for
all.
Roslyn
owns Roslyn Franken Group, committed to helping people lighten up their lives one bite at
a time by reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, balanced lifestyle, and positive
outlook.
For
more information, visit www.roslynfranken.com
or view her video at http://www.roslynfranken.com/highlights.wmv
|
