Ways to Love Yourself A Lil' Extra this Valentine’s Day Season

I am feeling extra lovey dovey this Valentine’s Day because after three V-days riding solo, I have a valentine this year, he is amazing and I am smitten. Being a wedding planner, I basically celebrate love every single day of my life, but this week I am all about the heart eyes, my heart-shaped crossbody bag (shoutout to Forever 21!), and showing extra love to my team, friends and family- I even indulged in some Hershey’s Kisses (my fave!). Despite the fun, yet oh-so-commercial festive Valentine’s Day season, this Valentine’s Day one thing is for certain -

I am focused on loving MYSELF first.

James works late tonight, so I am taking a half day of work, getting dressed up and dolled up, and headed to a nice dinner and drinks with a girlfriend before he and I meet for a late night bite and drinks after he gets off. A perfectly balanced Valentine’s Day in my opinion!

Let’s be real, I am a hopeless romantic all year round, and as a wedding planner, I love love.

This month reminds me how important it is to do all things with love, remember that everything is love, and to love yourself first.

To me, loving myself first means practicing self care, saying “no” when you need to, and putting yourself as first priority. As women, we are caregivers, we are lovers, we can even be enablers and coddlers (I’m guilty of this too!). Because we are also unicorns and possess the magical powers of multitasking, we give and we give - and in my opinion, we can sometimes give too much, too often - which can backfire and leave us in a depleted, frustrated, empty, and sad state. Many of us are girlfriends, wives, sisters, friends, mothers, bosses, managers, decision-makers, the list goes on. We hold the weight of the world on our shoulders, and it’s far too easy to forget to slow down, take a minute, and honor ourselves. This is not only detrimental to our minds, bodies and spirits, but can hinder our relationships and weaken the bonds with who we love most.

This Valentine’s Day, I want to encourage all of my boss babe ladies to focus on self care. Here are some of my favorite ways to show myself a little extra love. Hopefully you can use some of the same tips the next time you are feeling like you need a break.

Treat myself to a takeout poke bowl or ramen to-go.

I have been really good lately with not eating out as much and making more food at home. Two of my favorite foods are poke bowls and ramen though, so when I feel like splurging a little and eating something extra delicious, these are my go-tos. Because I limit eating out, these experiences now feel like more of a treat because they are rare. I’ll typically get the food to go and eat alone at my apartment (sounds a little sad haha but SO relaxing!). Remember to eat slowly, try not to be on your phone, and enjoy each bite with gratitude.

2. Pour a glass of wine + watch some standup comedy on Netflix.

After a long day of calls, meetings, decision-making, designing, the list goes on, standup comedy has been my go-to as of late to numb my brain and belly laugh. The glass of wine is the cherry on top. My favorite brand is Green Fin from Trader Joe’s (it’s organic!) and I switch between red and white depending on my mood.

3. Take an extra hot, extra long shower with Eucalyptus oil.

I heard about adding essential oils to your shower from one of my favorite youtubers last year, and I literally cannot take a shower without adding a few drops since! My all-time favorite (I’ve even gotten James hooked!) is Eucalyptus. It’s minty, it’s fresh, and it makes you feel like you are showering in a spa every time. I like my showers almost scalding hot and always have music blasting on my Alexa in the background. Lately I’ve been loving EDM DJ’s like The Lost Kings, Excision, and Virtual Self and Folk-y tunes by Mumford and Sons, Of Monsters and Men and Haim.

4. Take a trip to Zara.

Not gonna lie, this is my guilty pleasure. I actaully rarely online shop because the act of actually going into a store, perusing, and trying on clothes is part of the fun for me. It’s also a really nostalgic passttime because my mom and I used to go shopping pretty much every weekend (now you see where I get it!) and I loved shopping with her.. Zara is my ultimate fave. I’m pretty deliberate with how I shop the store, too - I’ll usually start on the right hand side and work my way around, gathering pieces I like as I go, then take a second go around, where I will usually spot at least 5-6 more pieces I didn’t see the first time around. I’ll try everything on, take photos to see how things photograph, and typically walk away with 1-2 bags full (I am not proud haha). I have really been limiting what I bring into my life nowadays, though, so I limit these trips to once every other month or so.

5. Write in my journal (and most recently, dictate on a digital journal!)

Sometimes my mind just can’t seem to caaaalm down, I have thoughts entering from left and right, up and down, and it feels SO good to write them all down, almost like a stream of consciousness. What I have really been loving lately is dictating my thoughts directly to a note on my phone almost like I’m talking to a friend. This to me is less stressful than taking out my journal and taking the time to write, and allows me to actually “journal” while driving, cooking or cleaning.