Mushies Are Making Every Day Valentine’s Day

February 14th, the day where love seems to scream instead of speak, loud enough to let the whole world know that people are indeed IN LOVE. Heart-shaped pizzas, candle-lit dinners, rose petals, bubble baths – some might say it doesn’t get more romantic than this… Is Valentine’s Day all it’s cracked up to be?

When you pile a bunch of romanticism on top of an average winter day, it tends to bring the bitter out of people, single people in specific. As a devout single person myself, I teeter-totter on the small crack between love/hate when it comes to the hyper-affectionate holiday. My parents lived their lives as hardcore Valentine’s Day deniers, expressing the statement of “We don’t need a specific day to admire each other,” whenever the day came about. Regardless of the persistent denial, my Dad still brought a bouquet of flowers home every year, causing my mother to ultimately gush over the gentle gesture. The thing is, there shouldn’t be just one day in the year where we profess our love to the people we care for. So, why is there? I’d like to throw the blame on a not so pink prospect, called ‘real life.’ 

We spend a magnitude of our hours hard at work. Work life gets in the way of quality time and so does the exhaustion of keeping it all together. Valentine’s Day is a reminder that you should take a moment to showcase the vibrancy of your romance with a loving act, convincing a magnitude of couples to do so. Now, what if love was more visible throughout the regular busy days? What if you could heighten your awareness towards the small things and find love in all of it? Could everyday be Valentine’s Day? Take away the chocolates, the flowers and the restaurants for a minute, and let’s get down to the real limbs of flourishing love: Awareness, Presence, and Empathy. Fellow single people, this is for you too!

There is nothing more romantic than putting in the work. Love is what makes this world dance, and there are so many abundant ways to express it. Awareness is expanding your view, allowing the small things in life to hold more value as you perceive them. Presence is allowing oneself to submerge in the current moment without distraction. Empathy is to be understanding and share the raw feelings of another person. These qualities are vital in not only sustaining romantic and platonic relationships, but in the relationships we carry with ourselves as well.

It must be some coincidence that the core values of true love go hand in hand with psychedelic endeavors.. or is it?

More and more couples have ventured towards the magic path hand in hand, ready to expand their experiences as star-crossed lovers in real life. Whether it be a monumental macro trip or integrating microdosing in the weekly routine, there are many lasting benefits that can be retrieved from two lovers on the same wavelength and in the process of love. 

Psilocybin gives people a chance to restructure situations from a different perspective. With perception being an integral part of getting through hardships, psilocybin might help individuals reach a willingness to hash out the tough conversations on a different level. Rather than using psilocybin as a way to escape the issues of a relationship, it can be effective in getting to the root of the issue, insinuating deeper communication. 

Deepening connections with life and with others is another promising trait of psilocybin, thanks to its ability to induce deepened states of empathy and presence. Sometimes at this time of year we can get down in the dumps about not yet meeting the right person or feeling alone, causing us to detach from the many things worth loving in our very own surroundings and self. Because of the enhanced sensitivity psilocybin can offer, the things that you already find joy in can be amplified, reminding you of all the things worth loving each day. Music, the smell of a good candle, clean sheets, your favorite meal– there is no demise in solitude when you befriend joy. 

If there’s anything I have digested in my time of learning about psychedelics as well as enjoying psychedelics, it’s that the therapeutic use of psilocybin is the opposite of distraction. We so often reach for alcohol and other depressants to cut the edge of life in half, for it to only grow back sharper when reality strikes. With mushrooms, you are actively gaining a better understanding of yourself and those around you whether you know it or not. When we connect psychedelics and love together, the possibilities associated with awareness and empathy are truly endless. This is not to say that every trip or microdose experience will be the same, but more to understand that these values of love can be uncovered from a plethora of different sources, psychedelics included.

“Make every day Valentine’s Day.”

Going back to my parents old mantra, everyday is a good day to love one another and to express it when you can. Emotions can be fleeting, therefore relationships can be turbulent, but there is a reason why we all seek love one way or another. To love and be loved is a subject of many shapes and sizes, where we own the power to mold it into what fits us best. I challenge all to take this Valentine’s Day as a new beginning where you may navigate new and progressive ways of expansive love with open arms, accepting your faults and embracing change in the process. 

This coming V-day in specific feels extra special, as more couples, advocates, and professionals are opening up about the positive effects psilocybin has on modern day relationships. It is yet another reminder that there are so many ways to give and receive love.

So choose your favorite today, and enjoy every ounce of it. 

With love,

Olive ♡