Newsletter MADD Teen Influencer February 2026: Self-Love
Self-Care on V-Day
New Episode
Healthy Choices
Karma recommends how to celebrate the month by protecting ourselves and others.
Ben is off to college and shares his own unique perspective on how to celebrate Valentine’s Day with self-care.
Listen to the latest episode of the Healthy Teen Talks podcast where Alex and Sofia talk coping with stress.
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Love Means Healthy Choices
by Karma Herrera, MADD Teen Influencer
February is a month centered on love, reflection, and awareness. At MADD, we believe love means protecting ourselves and others, making healthy choices, and standing up for what’s right. This month reminds us that love shows up in many forms through healthy relationships, self-respect, community care, and honoring history. Valentine’s Day is often associated with romance, but love goes far beyond gifts or relationships. Healthy
relationships are built on respect, trust, communication, and safety. When a relationship causes fear, pressure, control, or emotional harm, it may be toxic. Recognizing the signs of unhealthy relationships helps protect not only our hearts, but our overall well-being. Love should never involve substance misuse, reckless behavior, or putting lives at risk. Toxic relationships can sometimes encourage dangerous decisions, including impaired driving or unsafe choices involving alcohol or drugs. At MADD, we
MADD Teen Influencer
February 2026
everyone to look out for one another and speak up when something feels wrong. Real love supports safe decisions, respects boundaries, and prioritizes life. Choosing not to drive impaired or helping someone get home safely is a powerful act of care for yourself and others. Self-love is just as important as loving others. It means knowing your worth, setting boundaries, and choosing what keeps you safe mentally, emotionally, and physically. Saying no to peer pressure or risky situations is not a weakness; it is a strength. Loving yourself includes protecting your future and valuing your life. February is also Heart Health Month, a reminder to care for both physical and emotional health. Stress, unhealthy habits, and substance misuse can take a serious toll on the heart. Making responsible choices, staying active, and managing stress all contribute to long-term heart health and overall wellness. This month also honors Black History Month, a time to recognize the strength, resilience, and contributions of Black leaders and communities. Many advocates throughout history have fought for justice, safety, and equality, values that strongly align with MADD’s mission to protect lives and promote responsibility. Reflecting on this history encourages us to continue working toward safer, more compassionate communities for all. Love is shown through care, responsibility, and action. This February, MADD encourages everyone to practice self-love, support healthy relationships, honor history, and make choices that save lives. Together, we can create safer communities because every life matters.
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MADD Teen Influencer
February 2026
by Ben Haworth, MADD Teen Influencer Self-Care on Valentine’s Day: A Freshman Perspective from Tufts 2
Valentine’s Day on a college campus is hard to ignore. There are flowers in the dining hall, couples walking across the Academic Quad, and friends making dinner plans. As a single freshman at Tufts, it would be easy to let the day feel like it’s about what I don’t have. This year, though, I’m planning to approach it differently. Instead of focusing on relationships, I’m focusing on taking care of myself. Freshman year already comes with a lot. New classes, harder workloads, new friends, and the pressure to figure things out can make even a normal week feel intense. Add a holiday centered on relationships, and it can start to feel like one more thing to measure yourself against. I don’t need that. What I need is a reset. For me, self-care can be pretty simple. I’m planning to go to the gym in the morning instead of staying in bed scrolling. I’ll make sure I actually eat three meals instead of grabbing snacks between classes. I’m going to call home for a few minutes and talk to people who know me beyond college. Small things, but I know they’ll help the day feel steady instead of overwhelming.
I’m also trying to shift my mindset. Being single isn’t a problem—it’s just where I am right now. College is about building independence and figuring out who you are. Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be about romance; it can be about appreciation. I plan to check in with a couple of friends, grab dinner with people from my dorm, and remind myself that connection doesn’t only look one way. If there’s one thing I’m learning this year, it’s that self-care doesn’t have to be
complicated. Sometimes it’s just choosing not to compare, not to rush, and not to let one day define how you feel about yourself. As a freshman at Tufts, that feels like a pretty good way to spend Valentine’s Day.
MADD Teen Influencer
February 2026
College & Stress 3
Healthy Teen Talks, Episode 10:
by Alex Cartgena & Sofia Combel
Two of our MADD Teen Influencers, Sofia and Alex, and graduating seniors! That means plenty of extra stress around college applications, on top of school and other extra curriculars. Check out the latest episode of the Healthy Teens Talk podcast to hear about how they’re coping with it all.
Check us out on YouTube and be sure to like, share, and subscribe to our Healthy Teen Talks podcast!
MADD's mission is to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes, and prevent underage drinking. The purpose of the Teen Influencer Group is to provide leadership development for teens by training them to be peer-to-peer educators. These teens provide MADD with the youth perspective and use their voice to educate the public. By reducing and then eliminating underage drinking, these teens will help MADD end drunk driving.
@MADDCalifornia
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