Valentines, galentines, palentines… It’s the month of love, and and that can be difficult for those of us with chronic illness. The default is to head out for a fancy meal somewhere, maybe drink a glass of bubbly or two. But what if you can’t because food, alcohol and/or getting out of the house for an evening isn’t as easy as it sounds.
Staying in doesn’t have to be boring or like a ‘second best’ option. In fact sometimes snuggling up with the person or people you love can be even more special. So here’s a few activities you could try right from the comfort of your own home (/bed!).
Homemade beauty treatments – my husband and I did this one Valentines. We looked up homemade beauty treatments and applied them to each other. We had a face scrub, a foot scrub and a face mask. We even paired the treatments with matching flavoured drinks!
(*Recipes at the bottom of this post).
Breakfast in bed – whether breakfast for you is 7am or 3.30pm, and whether it’s a full English or a litre of fluids, have breakfast together. Why not have it in bed with a film or your favourite comedy.
Do a collaborative board game – if you’re like me, adrenaline and tachycardia are a recipe for disaster, which can make lots of board games off limits. We like to do collaborative board games where players work together against the game. Our favourites include Forbidden Desert and Pandemic.
Compliment post-its – not one we’ve tried but one to try. Each of you gets a stack of post-its. Take it in turns writing something on a post-it that you like and/or value about the other person (/people) and stick it up, talking through your thinking. Want a real challenge? Every few rounds write something you like or value about yourself on a post-it and stick it up.
Start a memory book – got loads of pictures sitting around? Why not take some time to sort them into years and make a scrap book of your favourite ones, all the while reminiscing about those good times.
My husband and I make this an annual tradition as a way to look back at each year of our marriage. Sometimes we do this at home, but we’ve got our scissors and glue out in cafes too!
Afternoon tea – you don’t need to go out to have afternoon tea. In fact, get someone to pick up a couple of pre-packed sandwiches and some cake from the supermarket and you’ve got yourself an afternoon tea with none of the effort. If you’ve got nice china, lay the table, light a candle and put on some twinkly music to set the scene.
Home yoga class – feeling like doing something more active than sitting dow? Try a couple’s yoga class – suitable for a lover, a friend or a family member. Don’t take it too seriously, have a giggle, and if something looks like it’d be too hard, just skip that bit. Here’s one to try.
Travel wall – if you’ve travelled together in the past, dig out all those trinkets, maps, leftover coins and pictures and make a display that will remind you of those amazing adventures you had together. If you’re hoping to travel in the future, print off pictures of where you’d like to go and things you’d like to do, and make a display that’ll inspire and excite you whenever you walk past it.
Craft together – crafting can be a great way to spend time with each other without the need for intense conversation, a need for the internet, or a focus on food. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have materials, places like Hobbycraft have crafting packs that you can buy to do as standalone activities.
Re-watch the first film you watched together – me and my husband did this the other day. On our very first date I forced him to watch Treasure Planet (the best Disney film ever) so we sat down and rewatched it together 8 years later!
* Beauty Recipes
- Coffee face scrub: coffee granules (used grounds work great), coconut oil, vanilla essence, cinnamon and course brown sugar. Paired drink: “Bushwhacker” – kahlua, malibu, havana club rum and halo top vanilla ice cream.
- Nourishing face mask: yoghurt, lemon juice, oats, olive oil and honey. Paired drink: crushed fresh blueberries, vodka, fever tree lemonade.
- Foot scrub: rosemary, peppermint oil, olive oil and kosher salt. Paired drink: rosemary gimlets made with gin.
