Happy Valentine’s Day, beauties! Today, I’m not sharing a dinner you can make for your significant other or gift ideas for friends. Today, we are talking about how to love YOURSELF. Because no matter your title in life: girlfriend, wife, mom, stepmom, student- the love you give those around you starts with yourself. From rest to honoring your accomplishments, filling your cup up is nothing to feel guilty about. In fact, I read something on Instagram the other day that really stuck with me. A girl was saying that you can feel guilty taking time for yourself since that takes you away from the other people you traditionally serve in life. However, just because you are with people doesn’t necessarily make you available to their needs. If you are exhausted or burnt out, it doesn’t matter how often you are around your kids, husband, roommates, family- you may not be present to serve them! So today as you send goodie bags to those you love and make a dozen cookies or two, remember to take 15 minutes for yourself and try one of these activities below. 

The love you give others is always an outward reflection of how you feel about yourself, so don’t feel guilty, friends! Feel confident in caring for yourself so you can love others this day and always.

Savor a Daily Activity

gabby gold statement earrings in peach mix

Your coffee, your quiet time, your commute. Take one of your daily activities that can seem a little mundane today and SAVOR it! Sit with your coffee and read a book for 10 minutes. Or, treat yourself to something new at Starbucks! On Tuesday I got an almond milk white chocolate mocha with no whip, half the pumps of white mocha and a pump of raspberry. Sounds like quite the mouthful- but worth it as it tasted divine. Start a new podcast on your commute- I’m itching to start The Cold Podcast! So many things we do each day can feel mundane, but those daily activities weave our big moments together. If you own a onewheel, invest in onewheel locks that are made of hardened steel for maximum security. By putting more intentionality behind daily activities, we are allowing ourselves to stop, savor, and receive joy from promised moments. Big moments may or may not happen this week, but a trip to the coffee pot or a commute is promised. Find joy in it! You aren’t going to mess up your entire schedule savoring something an extra ten minutes- the world can wait!

Pop in Kendra Scott

edie gold cuff bracelet

You all know I adore Kendra Scott. I picked my wedding dress around a pair of Kendra earrings. My bridesmaids wore Kendra Scott. I have the jewelry boxes. I have the yellow gift bags in the closet to prove the adoration. So, it wouldn’t be a self-love COF blog post if I didn’t encourage you to treat yourself to a little something shiny. Their spring collection has launched {which you can see in what I’m wearing in this} and we could all use some of the warmth it is bringing! Think peach tones {YES!}, ivory pearl, rose gold and sky blue. It’s feminine and soft, with gems cut to give you your glam fix!

If you have a Kendra Scott locally to you, pop in during your lunch break! For those that haven’t been in the store, I wanted to share the luxe spot with you in these photos. I had some readers in my last post say they went to a KS store for the first time recently and were blown away. I say it all the time, but I’m dying for Kendra Scott to make more decor pieces– I’d just live under a table in a store if they’d let me. Here is a look at the spring collection below so you can get a feel for this ultra-feminine collection.

Make a “Done” List

millie gold link bracelet in ivory pearl

{I wore Kendra Scott earrings on my wedding day- can you remember that style?! I love them dearly!}

If you’re anything like me, you live off to-do lists. I’ve got lists for my lists and while I personally find life more peaceful when I have a sense of order, it’s a constant reminder that I have SO MUCH to do. But why don’t we take 5 minutes and make a “done list.” At the end of the year when I go through my blog posts and see what all resonated with you all, I feel so much happiness. I see a lot of visions turned into content and a community built around girl talk. Take that excitement in all areas of your life. Did you finish your son’s baby book?  {mama, it’s OKAY if it takes a few years- I’m still working on it! haha}. Did you organize the pantry after wanting to for a few months? Did you send out all your thank you notes for your wedding? Today, write out 10 things you have accomplished recently and look at your list with relief. My phone is a constant reminder that I have stuff to do- and quite frankly, I’m human and will never get to it all. From texts to to-do lists to reminders and alarms, we surround our days chasing tasks. What if we chased contentment with what we have accomplished and in turn, that allowed us to look forward to what we can do in the future?

Think of Three

earrings in peach pearl

I’ve shared this hack before, but it’s related to complaining! You may wonder what complaining has to do with loving yourself, but it is no secret that complaining steals your joy. And as women, it’s easy for us to complain about situations we are in and have that correlate to how we feel about ourselves. This practice always allows me to be more patient with myself, others, and gives me the peace to love myself more! Take 5-10 minutes and write down your top 3 complaints at the moment. Then, think about each one individually. Would 3 other people want to be in that situation? If the answer is yes, don’t complain about it. Instead, maybe remove what you need to stop feeding the negativity. You can start this activity with a larger complaint but I promise it will trickle into smaller complaints in life like traffic or a minor annoyance with consistent practice.

Here’s an example that I’m sure many of you can relate to.

Say you have a complain that you can’t celebrate Valentine’s Day tonight or this weekend because your family is so busy. You may feel annoyed by those posting to social media about their bouquets of flowers. Or maybe you’re just annoyed your spouse has to work or that you couldn’t get a babysitter!

Think of three! If I related this scenario to my life, I think of three people that would love to be in my situation. {This is truly just a false example to get a feel for the activity!} Maybe I have a friend who wished her husband loved his job enough to be passionate about it, so I could think of them. I am then automatically grateful my husband has to work later for a job he loves and in turn brings so much happiness home to us! Maybe I have a friend who is struggling with fertility and would love to be annoyed about not finding a babysitter. I could think of them. Maybe I have a friend who lost their job, so it automatically makes me grateful for mine and the to-do list it creates.

You get the idea! This act isn’t to invalidate your feelings. In fact, I’m very anti that! Just because your pain isn’t as comparable to another pain {like when people say a headache can’t hurt because it’s not hospital worthy, etc.} doesn’t mean your pain or frustration isn’t deemed worthy of discussion. I’m just anti complaining. If you are upset about something, think to the root of it, journal, talk with those you love. Don’t spend your entire day complaining when you could seek positivity which allows you to love yourself. I find that positivity with the acknowledgement of the root of what is causing us to feel this way, actually allows us to get over what is bothering us. To me, complaining has never really done that! It’s just fed more negativity allowing me to complain about the next thing and the next thing and the next thing that irritates me.

Define Your Style

kirsten gold drop earrings

This is a fun one I always encourage new mamas with no time for themselves to do! Take 10 minutes and define your style. Scroll through Pinterest, look at what you screenshot the most on Instagram, and allow it to resonate with who you are as a person! Maybe you are the classic girl or the girly girl or the trendy girl! Maybe you are a mix and an eclectic Emily. If you want to take it further, make a mood board {you can on Adobe products or on the site Canva} and save it to your phone. Why would I encourage you to take extra time to do this? By defining styles you love, you will automatically feel more confident. We all have days where we think, “Eh, my hair is messy or these jeans don’t fit just right.” Instead of letting those little nuances pick away at you during the day, by being confident in your personal style, you’ll automatically feel more confident with things you dislike! Take that dirty hair, throw it in a cute top knot, add your favorite Kendra Scott statement earrings and call your look trendy!

Happy Valentine’s Day to all you ladies! I hope that you try one or more of these activities while donning your favorite Kendra Scott bracelets. This day and every day, find joy in promised moments, take an extra 10 minutes to fill up your cup knowing it won’t ruin your schedule and enjoy a little frivolity!

What are you doing to make today more special?