Spending Valentine's day alone can be hard, but there are many ways to turn it into an amazing self-care day. If you don't already know what self-care is, here's a brief explanation:

According to PsychCentral, self-care is "any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health."

In today's world, everyone is busy. Between work, school, friends, hobbies and more, it can be difficult to take a time to for ourselves. Even though this year's festivities take place on Wednesday, that doesn't mean you can't take time to de-stress and work on becoming the best version yourself.

A few things you can do include:

Meditate

Personally, I don't meditate often but I know when I feel anxious and worried, I like to take 15 minutes to relax and streamline my thoughts. You can meditate for 5 minutes, 10, or more.

Not sure how to meditate? There are all kinds of apps and videos that can help with guided meditation. A quick search on the internet should help you get started.

Clean your space

This may not seem like something anyone would want to do on their "self-care" day, but if they are anything like me, I find some solace in cleaning up my space. It's hard to get anything done or just relax when my room is a hot mess.

One of my favorite quotes is "Clean space, clear mind."

Create a Not-To-Do List

This is a new one for me. For the past two years I've been using a passion planner and in the month view it always has a "Not-To-Do List." For the longest, I didn't see a purpose for this space so I would put washi tape over it, but now, I get it.

The whole purpose of this list is to remind yourself of some things you should not be doing for the month. Some of mine have included:

• Get behind on homework
• Let your desk get messy
• Stress out about the little things
• Doubt yourself or your abilities

I don't always stick with the list I make, but it does help with keeping your mental and emotional well being on track.

Exercise

I hope you've been keeping up with that new year's resolution to workout 3x a week. If not, this is the perfect opportunity to get back on track. A quick 30-minute workout can do wonders. Here are some options for your consideration:

• Do some yoga and relax
• Get that cardio in
• Try some light lifting to build strength
• Or, simply go for a 30-minute walk (maybe take your dog with you?)

Exercise is a natural mood booster so get out there and give your body some self-care.

Organize your planner 

There's nothing like sitting down and organizing your planner. For me, planners aren't just for remembering what needs to be done. It's about writing down the things I have done, in simple terms, I use it to write down my memorable moments.

Take some time to jot down things you're grateful for this week, month or year. Use your planner to reflect on how you've been working toward reaching your goals or find new ways to reach them.

At-home Spa Day

This is my favorite idea because personally, I could really use a spa day. Now that skin, hair and nail care is easily accessible, why not spend the day at home, or with your Galentine, taking care of your outer appearance.

Time to bust out those products that you've been waiting to use and put that hair mask in, a face mask on and paint your nails while you catch up on your favorite TV show or just listen to some relaxing lo-fi hip-hop. The choice is yours! All I know is, you should feel 110% better and more relaxed for the rest of your week.

Self-care is often overlooked as something people don't have time for, but in my personal opinion, I find that it is something that needs to be like routine. Taking time to clear your mind and focus on yourself for a few minutes or hours is so incredibly important. Use this holiday to take the free time you have and work on yourself so that you can become the person you've always wanted to be.

Want more ideas on how to spend Valentine's day? Check out this post on how to spend it with your friends while on a budget!

How are you spending your Valentine's day this year? Leave a comment below or connect with me on my social media.

Happy National Dog Day! To celebrate this amazing holiday, I'm going to detail all of the amazing ways Dallas, my dog, has made me a better person and improved my quality of life. Hopefully this inspires more people to adopt dogs.

Above is an infographic created by PuppySpot that shows the many ways dogs can have a great and wonderful effect on people's lives both mentally and physically.

I really love that PuppySpot is creating awareness of the many benefits that dogs give us. Especially because I can attest to many of these benefits.

Here are a few ways my dog, Dallas, has impacted my life.

Mind: Reduces Anxiety, Pain, and Depression

Heart: Lower Blood Pressure

Body: Get the Recommended Amount of Weekly Exercise

Speaking of exercise and happiness, I'm sure we all know that exercise has great benefits such as "improving mental health and mood, reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, and increase your chances of living longer." - Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

I currently don't work out very much or at all, but walking Dallas daily for 30 minutes to an hour is a great start.

But keep in mind that these are just a few ways, there are so many other things dogs can do to improve someone's life. One way you can learn more about it is to get a dog and find out for yourself.

There are more than 7 billion people on the earth and you still don't have a love interest to spend Valentine's Day with. As sad as that might sound, not to worry though, because you don't have to be alone this year! As it happens, your best friend doesn't have one either! So why not spend it together?

I know that your best friend can't make up for spending the big V Day without a significant other but, they sure can come close. Here are a few things you can do with your bestie or a group of friends!

Who doesn't love food? Especially on "Single Awareness Day", as some people call it. Indulge in your favorite foods and deserts without feeling the guilt because your best friend is doing it too. Maybe invite some other people over and have big pot luck!