Flowers and candy are nice, but the best gifts give what your partner and your children want most: YOU..  Try these gift ideas this Valentine’s Day.

Our Maryland Therapists for ADHD and Anxiety Suggest These Gifts for Valentine’s Day

Give Your Partner or Child Your Time

• Schedule a date with your partner or child for each month of the coming year.

• Choose a half hour every week to spend just with your love or your child.

• Commit specific blocks of time to a fun project you’ll do together, such as learning to ice skate, building something together, or writing a family song

Give Your Undivided Attention (Limit Distractions!)

• Declare yourself screen free, chore free and available for one hour per week. He/she/they can choose how to use the time.

• Agree to listen each night at bedtime to whatever he/she/they wants to say.

• Agree to turn off the radio in the car or the tv in the house at a specific time.

Share Gratitude with Your Family

• Make a list of all the things you are thankful for in your relationship/family.

• Thank your partner or child daily for at least one thing they do that day. Keep it up for a month.

Give A Day Off for Self Care

• Notice how much your partner is doing around the house or for the family.

• Declare yourself responsible for these things 1 day per week (or more). Examples might include making/planning dinner, doing laundry, driving kids, fixing things that break, solving problems with electronics, etc.

Give the Benefit of the Doubt*

• Take that thing that you think was done just to make you angry, and let it be in the past. Shift your focus to the future.

• Change your core belief to an assumption that they are always doing their best, and don’t plan to hurt you.

Give A Do Over*

• Take an argument you’ve had again and again, and have the same conversation with an unwavering commitment to kindness and empathy.

• Take something that has been a source of frustration between you, and let your partner or child know you’ve let it go. Start over with a clean slate, and never bring it up again. For more help moving on, see this post.

• Give your children an eraser (or several) to erase future mistakes as they happen and get an instant clean slate of their own.

Give the Gift of Shared Dreams

• Create a together time bucket list of things you’d like to do together.

• Take one small step toward your dream. Save a few pennies toward a vacation. Build a vision board for your future. Draw yourself reaching your goal.

If therapy is on your bucket list, we can help. Read more about our services here.

*These do not apply to instances of abuse.   If you believe your partner is harming or controlling you intentionally, it’s time to get help.   Try the national Domestic Violence hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or give us a call for help deciding on next steps.