When I was little I would make my friends Valentines cards by writing their names and writing something nice with each letter in their name. It was always my favorite thing to do for my friends and family and it always made them smile. I now make these homemade cards for my husband and girls. And they love them. But this year I decided I needed to think of myself and do something special for me.
Why not be my own Valentine and do things for me this month???
We get so busy being Mom, wife, and friend that we forget that we need to love ourselves and make sure we are taking care of #1.
So I started off my February with making a homemade Valentine for myself. And I am not going to lie…I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It’s so simple.
Get some red or pink paper and a sharpie and write out your name. Then with your letters in your name write nice things about yourself. This may seem childish but it’s the simple things in life that makes us happy. So try it and put it somewhere where you can look at it everyday and remind yourself how awesome you are.
It is so easy to beat ourselves up over our looks, job, parenting and so much more. But try to remember to be a kind and supportive friend to yourself. No one is perfect. I love to make myself notes so that my week can go better. So I decided to take this idea and write myself love notes this month.
Love your body just the way it is.
I have been sick for 3 weeks and have not been able to work out. I have been pretty stressed because I love to work out. But my body has told me I need to slow down and get better so thats what I have done. There is so much pressure in our society to be the skinniest and prettiest. But once we realize it is not about that and learn to love our bodies just the way they are then I think we are more healthy and happy.
Women… Just say thank you and accept the compliment.
How many times have you given a compliment and you hear negativty back. Next time someone tells you they like your hair tell them “Thank you so much, that is so nice of you”. Don’t go off on how much you hate the new hair color your hair stylist is using and she is ruining your life. If someone tells you that you cooked a nice dinner or lunch ask them if they want the recipe. Accept the compliment and be grateful to that person for being so nice to you.
A long time ago when I started my hat company a lady came to my table at a farmers market. She told me she loved my hats and that knitting was a lost art. She was so kind to me that I gave her a free hat. It really touched my heart and me feel special that a stranger would give me such a nice compliment. It is ok to let someone be nice to you.
Try not to compare yourself to others. It will only make you unhappy.
Make a list of the things you like about yourself
Great laugh
Beautiful eyes
Fast Runner
Love to eat cake
Amazing dancer
Best mommy
Charitable
Chef
Hard worker
Lover
You can make the list as long as you would like. Again put it somewhere you can see it and make sure you read it when you get out of bed every morning. Once you start believing in yourself, good things will come your way.
It is not that hard to be your own Valentine. I have actually had a lot of fun doing this with my daughters and making sure that I teach them to love themselves and not to care what others think about them. As long as you are ok with you that is all that matters.
Are you your own Valentine?
What kind things do you do for yourself?
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Whitney says
I love this idea. I love that we should be kind to ourselves and accept compliments, both hard things to do. This is something im going to work on and make myself a Valentine. YOLO!
Libby says
Beautiful post! Great ideas. Us women need to be nicer to ourselves. Thank you for the reminder and good ideas. Happy Valentine’s Day!!
Rachel says
This is a great year for this reminder. I love the idea kf making a list of what you like about yourself, and teaching your kids to do the same.
Laura says
Love, love, love this!! It’s so important for women’s to remember how important and great we are! This is a great idea to remind us to love ourselves.
Jenny says
This is great! I love the idea of making a Valentine for yourself. It is hard when you are pulled in so many directions to stop and take time for yourself and remember how important it is to love yourself. Thanks for the ideas and reminder!
Deano Papino says
Thanks Ashley! I am the worst at accepting compliments. I also have gained a couple of pounds because of a lot of traveling lately. So I am not going to worry about it–just do my best. I love your model. She has a great smile and is so pretty. Thanks for all your great posts!
Rachel says
What a great post Ashley! Just last week I was with a group of teenage girls and they were being taught that they need to love themselves and you wouldn’t believe how hard this was for them to accept. They struggled to find one thing they liked about themselves. It was so sad to see. I’m going to share this post with these girls to encourage them to take compliments and recognize what they like about themselves. Thanks for this wonderful eye opening post.