The second month of the year is known as the month of love, since it’s Valentine’s Day on the 14th.
But, while it’s wonderful to celebrate the love you share with your partner, and to be treated by them, all the cards, gifts and flowers in the world won’t help you feel good if deep down you don’t truly love yourself.
As a ‘self-love promoter’, I much prefer the idea of celebrating ‘Self-Love Day’ which is held on the 13th of February.
Self-Love Day reminds us all that we should prioritise showing ourselves some love and compassion.
This message is at the core of everything I do here at Johanna Elizabeth, so Self-Love Day is an awareness campaign that gets my full support!
How to become the best possible version of you
Although the idea of practising self-love may make you squirm a little, remember that it will help to make you feel like the best possible version of yourself that you can be. There’s nothing selfish or overly indulgent about that, is there? Surely that’s something we all should be striving for!
I believe that a little self-indulgence is not selfish but is essential for health and happiness.
From experience, I know that when we are kinder to ourselves, we can feel happier, more positive, calm and open-minded. This also has a positive impact on our relationships with others and on how we approach each day of our lives. When we’re down on ourselves, the opposite can be true.
Related reading: What’s the importance of self-love and confidence
Prioritise showing yourself some love
Naturally, one person’s idea of what ‘self-love’ looks like will be quite different to that of another. Whatever it means to you, I’m pretty sure that there is room for more of it in your busy schedule.
You may feel that you don’t have the time, but it’s probably more likely that you just need to reprioritise.
Since there are 24 hours in every day, there should be ‘just’ enough time to carry out at least ONE act of self-love daily. Taking some time to yourself, or prioritising doing something that gives you a boost, needn’t take up hours of precious time. It can just be a ten min thing!
In this blog, I’m going to now suggest some ways that you can prioritise self-love, whether to tie in with Valentine’s Day, Self-Love Day or, in fact, at any time of the year. I hope that they inspire you.
Remember, taking care of yourself should be your number one priority. You deserve this!
Related reading: Discover some of the best female empowerment podcasts for women
Three ways to love yourself this Self-Love Day
Here are three ways to shower yourself with love, boost your well-being and make yourself feel incredible:
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Take some time out from your usual routine
The months are long and the days are short, particularly in the Winter. If you’ve got a dose of the blues, why not break away from the mundanity of your usual routine and schedule a whole day of self-care in the diary instead?
You could book a day off work, arrange childcare if you need to, and make the day all about you. Whether you choose to spend a day alone, or with your partner or a few friends, make yourself unavailable for this one day – the world will keep spinning we promise!
If you can’t do a day, carve out a couple of hours, if you can.
Having something to look forward to can be a boost in itself too, so savour the lead-up to your scheduled self-care. Spend time plotting out your ‘me-time’ and visualise how you’ll feel to get the feel-good endorphins flowing even long before the event!
Annie Watt said:
“I absolutely loved every second of my experience from start to finish with Johanna and her team. I felt so well looked after and honestly.. I felt like I was spending time with old girlfriends. I felt so comfortable with Johanna and she managed to capture some absolutely stunning photos I’ll treasure forever.
Thank you for showing me my confidence and my beauty is really there.. thank you for showing me I’m fierce and thank you for empowering me every step of the way.
A million thank yous. Lots of love. Annie xxxxxx”
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Celebrate your achievements!
Another great way to show yourself some love is by acknowledging how incredible you are. If you’ve accomplished something, however small, take the time to celebrate it!
It could be something as seemingly insignificant as having ticked off everything from your to-do list that day. Or, it could be something bigger – perhaps you’ve been working towards a qualification or mastering a new skill, and you’ve finally achieved your goal. Or, you might have faced a fear or tried something new for the first time.
Whatever it is that you’ve achieved, savour that sweet taste of success.
These are the moments we should be treasuring before we fling ourselves head-first into whatever comes next. By stopping to smell the roses and celebrating your successes, you’ll feel good about yourself and your abilities, and your self-esteem will be boosted too.
If you’re not currently working towards something right now, what might you like to learn this year? What new skill would you like to master, and what’s on your bucket list that you would like to make happen?
Related reading: Why I’m concerned about the TikTok Bold Glamour filter
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An empowering photoshoot with me!
Finally, a photo shoot with me is a fantastic way to show yourself some love and boost your self-esteem and confidence.
I’d be NUTS to not mention it 😉
My shoots are known as ‘self-love photoshoots’ for a reason; they’re focused on celebrating you exactly as you are right now, as I capture portraits that’ll boost your self-esteem for years to come.
It’s sad but true that most women shy away from being in front of a camera, and many women have hardly any photos of themselves that they like. I dearly want to fix this!
My luxury photoshoots are carefully guided experiences, designed to make you feel fabulous. The photos we create will be ones that you will not only like, but love!
Iiona Allery said:
“What an incredible experience and adventure! I loved every minute and would do it all over again! Johanna Elizabeth Team is fantastic – very professional, extremely nice and just brilliant at what they are doing.
My portraits are amazing and I love each of them. This is the best gift I have given myself for a long time.
Thank you! You are awesome! Xxx”
Whatever empowerment looks like to you, I can make it happen through portraits. You may be after beauty-style photographs that are ideal for displaying at home and as a legacy for future generations of your family. Or, you may be after something in our ‘boudoir’ or even risqué-style that you may wish to keep just to yourself.
Whichever style of portraits you choose, they’ll be done in my classy signature style – loved by thousands of women just like you!
Related reading: An empowering photoshoot with us will put a spring back in your step
It’s time to love yourself
I’ve made it my mission over the past 13 years to inspire, support and empower women through photography because I want you to step into your power and realise how incredible you are!
As I hope to have convinced you, self-love is just as important as the love we feel for our partners and there are many simple ways to love yourself, if only you were to prioritise it.
I know that it’s easy to put others first, but don’t forget that you are important too. Remember, a little self-indulgence and self-love can always be justified, so take the time to honour, celebrate and love yourself. If you do, it’ll certainly be time well spent.
Love Johanna
~x~
