With Valentine’s coming up, here’s a thought I wanted to share… Valentine’s is a holiday that is all about love – our spouses and partners, our family members, and people we care about in our lives. We get cards and chocolates and massages and gifts to celebrate that love and let other people know how much we care.

As we celebrate Valentine’s Day, I want to challenge you to include yourself in that list of people you love. We live in a culture where we face body-shaming and bullying, comparison and trying to keep up, and at the end of the day, all this chasing can be exhausting. In the process, instead of learning to love ourselves, we spend so much time focusing on the flaws and what we’re missing.

On Valentine’s Day, I want you to grab a sheet of paper and a pencil or pen. Sit down somewhere quiet, give yourself 10-15 minutes, and write down a list of the things you love about yourself. Take some time to love YOU.

If there is one thing I’ve learned in life as a busy mom, wife, and entrepreneur, it’s this… If I don’t love me first and care for myself, it’s hard to love anyone else. For me to be healthy and feel full, I need to give myself some time devoted to loving who I am. I need to notice all the areas where I’m thriving, rather than focusing on the areas where I feel like I’m just surviving. I need to look in the mirror and say, “I love you.”

From me to you, I love you. I love this Arch Addicts community. I love all the people I get to interact with in my studio and the relationships we’ve created. And, most of all, I love me first.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

XOXO

- Angela