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Valentine’s Day 2026: Author Estelle Bingham on why your most important relationship is with yourself
By Alexandra Wilby | 3 February 2026 | Lifestyle
Estelle Bingham, the heart whisperer, tells us why this Valentine’s Day, the best relationship we can be in is with ourselves
The focus of Valentine’s Day may traditionally be on romantic love and couples – but what if the most important relationship in our lives is the one we have with ourselves? “Often on Valentine’s Day, if we’re single, we can get caught in comparison or feel that we’re somehow not good enough to be in a relationship,” best-selling author and healer Estelle Bingham – also known as the heart whisperer – tells Tempus.
“But really, it’s an invitation. A sign that it’s time to be in relationship with yourself. Because the greatest relationship you can ever have is the one you have with you.”
Estelle believes that when we start from a place of self-relationship, everything else falls into place. “When you truly know yourself, you understand your needs and desires. You become clear on your boundaries. From that place, you’re able to communicate with love and clarity – not just in romantic relationships, but in family dynamics and friendships too. And when you’re thinking about calling in a partner, you bring a much more powerful, grounded love with you.”
And this year, 2026, is an especially potent time to deepen that relationship with yourself, says Estelle, author of Manifest Your True Essence, published by Hay House.
“Valentine’s Day this year falls right on the edge of a threshold,” she explains. “The Year of the Fire Horse begins on the 17th. Last year was the Year of the Snake – all about shedding skins and releasing what no longer works. Now we’re being asked to pause, review who we are, and consciously decide what we want to bring into 2026.”
She continues: “It’s the perfect moment to reflect on what you’re leaving behind, and who you’re becoming. When it comes to self-love, this is a time to gather momentum – to gallop forward with the fire horse and move boldly into the year and your manifestations.”
So how do we begin building a relationship with ourselves in the first place?
“You go straight to the heart,” says Estelle, who recommends reconnecting with the heart a few times a day – wherever you are.
“It can be incredibly simple. Place your hands on your heart, or bring your awareness there. Take five slow, embodied breaths in and out. What you’ll notice almost immediately is that you feel calmer and more peaceful.”
It’s not just spiritual wisdom – science supports this too. “Neurocardiology has been exploring the intelligence of the heart for years,” Estelle explains. “We know the heart holds memory. It’s a deeply authentic part of who we are – even more so than the mind.”
“The mind is shaped by everything we’ve been told: limiting beliefs, childhood conditioning, the stories we absorb as we grow up. That inner chatter – ‘I’m not enough, I’m not this, I’m not that’ – starts to define how we see ourselves. But the heart is something far deeper and more profound.”
Developing a relationship with the heart, she says, has far-reaching effects. “When you know yourself, you become more self-aware. And when we’re more self-aware, we’re freer. It’s often a lack of awareness that causes us to hurt others.”
“Deepening communication with ourselves – and giving ourselves permission to really listen – changes everything,” she adds. “And it’s something you can start today.
Manifest Your True Essence is out now, published by Hay House.