Valentine’s Day is all about love. The highly commercialized holiday means different things for different people, with a strong emphasis on romantic love, or lack thereof, every February 14th. Beyond the gifts, flowers, chocolates, and cards, Valentine’s Day is about love, and coaching clients through this holiday can be one way to foster a new perspective on love in relationships, even in one’s relationship with oneself. Relationship coaching helps clients recognize that the perfect conversations and experiences rarely exist, but setting expectations and embracing what the holiday stands for on one’s own terms can make a world of difference.
Relationship Coaching
Valentine’s Day can be enjoyable for everyone, even though many clients in relationship coaching connect it with disappointment. The hyped expectations make it easy to be disappointed with unrealistic expectations that can result in anxiety, depression, and lower self-esteem. Working with clients during Valentine’s Day can have added layers due to existing relationships that may not be fulfilling or external circumstances that create stress. Careers, job loss, or the loss of a loved one, and illness can be triggers during any holiday, especially Valentine’s Day.
Navigating Struggling Partnerships
Couples who are struggling can feel an extra burden on Valentine’s Day because there are expectations that may have been met earlier in the relationship that no longer exist, or expressions of fondness and caring that may never have been present. The sense of a lost connection, whether from betrayal or distance, can create emptiness, and it’s in this space that skilled relational coaches can have a high impact on their clients’ lives.
Guide Clients To Realize Their Value Beyond Valentine’s Day
Coaches recognize that this time with clients is an excellent opportunity to help them see their value, not just on this day, but well beyond. How this one day is celebrated is not indicative of one’s value. Instead, a person’s value is measured by how they live their lives and how they feel about themselves. Coaches may encourage clients to use positive self-talk, even if they don’t initially believe it. Not to oversimplify, but fake it till you make it applies here. Positive self-talk can push clients through difficult days and seasons. Affirmations of one’s importance and value help clients focus on what they do like about themselves. Whether they are kind, generous, healthy, or have loved ones in their lives, shifting this focus helps carry people through difficult times.
Help Clients Identify Their Support Lines
When clients feel lonely or disappointed, coaches encourage them to spend time with people in their lives who support and encourage them. One of the things that can deepen a sense of loneliness is isolation and getting lost in one’s thoughts. Clients can recall who in their lives would be a positive influence on this day, whether it be a work colleague, a family member, someone at church, or someone they connected with at a social gathering. Galentine’s Day is a trend in which groups of women get together to celebrate self-love and friendship on Valentine’s Day, and it has been a great way to lift others on a day that would otherwise be met with sadness. Relational coaches work with clients to help them identify the best sources of engagement and encouragement during these difficult times. Every client is different, and some may require alone time, but as humans, we crave attention and connection, so guiding clients to identify with some healthy places and people to be around can genuinely help.
Expand What the Idea of Love Encompasses
Often, life coaches meet clients whose narrow concept of love on Valentine’s Day is a major contributor to their disappointment. Guiding clients to expand their notion of love beyond a bouquet of flowers and a heartfelt card opens up the door to activities, hobbies, volunteer opportunities, and spending time with others who make them feel loved, cared for, and valued. Soup kitchens, nursing homes, and a family member who lives alone can all be expressions of love, because the concept of love encompasses much more than one day in February and romantic relationships. Even self-love has a place in Valentine’s Day, so coaches may encourage clients to do something they enjoy. Going to the spa, spending the day at the beach, or some other form of self-care can be just what is needed to lift one’s mood. Coaches want their clients to know love on every level and to tap into that feeling every day of the year.
As a relationship coach, a strong foundation of training, experience, and a life coach support group is essential to success in helping clients navigate relationships, recognize their value, and overcome difficult days, weeks, and seasons. At Life Purpose Institute, we are dedicated to equipping our coaches to be as prepared and effective as possible in their roles. Using only International Coaching Federation (ICF) certification courses, we continue to support the best relational life coaches in the industry. Contact Life Purpose Institute today for a free consultation.
