Students celebrated Valentine's Day by focusing on self-love rather than romantic relationships on Feb. 11 at Humber's Spirituality and Wellness Centre (SWC) with the Self-Love Mirror Decoration Event.
The workshop allowed about 50 students to decorate mirrors with personal messages and affirmations as a reminder of their value as people, going above a simple arts and crafts session.
The event was a part of SWC's continual activities to give students a chance for well-being and personal progress. The organizers wanted to make self-love an accessible and healing practice by providing an environment for students to express themselves creatively and practice self-confidence.
As they created their mirrors, the students took the time to consider their unique paths while talking about self-love and how little things, like saying encouraging things to oneself, may have a big impact on a person’s mental health.
Students created their mirrors using stickers, colours and writing inspirational sayings, attributes they considered valuable in loving themselves.
One of the event's organizers, Andrea Limon, is a digital content creator at SWC, said she wanted to create an event that nurtured the relationship people have with themselves.
‘The longest relationship that you will have in your life is with yourself," she said. "So why not do something to nature that relationship?”
Limon said the inspiration came from her self-affirmation practice, which she uses on a regular basis.
She said a video that asked viewers if they thought it was embarrassing to make self affirmations in front of a mirror became her daily source of self-care.
“You find it cringey, because you actually don’t believe it,” she said. “That’s why, when you see yourself doing it, it sounds fake to you.”
Limon said she created the event so students could truly connect with themselves, beginning with building bonds with people and continuing to mirror decoration.
Karina Espinosa, a Food and Nutrition Management program student, was at the event to embrace self-love for Valentine's Day.
“Mostly, Valentine's Day is about couples,” Espinosa said. “But this was a chance to love ourselves every time we look in the mirror and see messages meant just for us”
She said her way of accepting herself, including not being self-critical and caring for her physical and emotional health, includes nutritious eating habits and taking walks for fresh air.
Espinosa said being around others on the same independent path of discovering oneself, was one of the event's most beneficial advantages.
“It’s nice to be around people who are in the same chapter as you,” she said.
