At the beginning of 2015, I invited a group of women I love doing life with to join me on a 31-day journey of loving our husbands better. We used Proverbs 31 to guide us, culminating the month in a Valentine’s Day reveal party for the books. Two years and a 13-month-old later, I got to thinking that it might be nice if someone spent a little extra time loving me! Ha! Then, after reading an especially poignant devotional about how even Jesus took time to withdraw and rest, I realized that the person who has been neglecting to love me the most was none other than myself. I recalled an effort my sister-in-law initiated about a year ago to work on self-care and I made a decision to revisit her idea by filling my own cup so I could be better equipped to truly savor (my word this year!) 2017.
Thereunto began my Self-Love30 Journey. I reached out to another group of women with an invitation to spend a little time each day for a month loving ourselves. I created a Facebook group with these ladies where we could post our daily efforts at self-love and encourage one another throughout the process. I figured if I was feeling a bit neglected, some of these gals might be feeling similarly. I had no idea how true that would end up being! A few of the initial responses brought me to tears:
Thereunto began my Self-Love30 Journey. I reached out to another group of women with an invitation to spend a little time each day for a month loving ourselves. I created a Facebook group with these ladies where we could post our daily efforts at self-love and encourage one another throughout the process. I figured if I was feeling a bit neglected, some of these gals might be feeling similarly. I had no idea how true that would end up being! A few of the initial responses brought me to tears:
“Girl - this post is such a blessing to my soul and has come at a perfect time.”
"This honestly made me tear up! I have been really struggling with self-care recently in both my personal and professional life.”
The main goal of self-love as I defined it was working on giving ourselves what we needed, which may or may not have been what we necessarily wanted, but with the caveat that there would be no judgement if what you in fact needed was a glass of wine and TV night! We ended up with a great mix of productive, healthy, prayerful actions paired with a sprinkling of much-needed indulgent baths and decadent desserts.
In true O&O fashion, I ended the 30 days with a celebration of US at my house where everyone was invited to relax, recount our journey, and enjoy a specialty coffee from a truly delightful on-location barista service, A Cup Above Coffee Catering.
While we cheered for the “most prolific” participant and laughed over the “most indulgent” (winner of a bottle of wine!), one of the ladies who had participated in both the Love31 and the Self-Love30 journeys made a rather acute observation, “I was surprised to discover that it was easier to be consistent in taking the time to love my husband daily for a month than it was taking time for myself.” It was a little sobering to admit, but I completely agreed with her. It is disheartening to see how much we as wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends put everyone else’s needs above our own and barely even think twice about it. My biggest takeaways from this exercise were realizing how prevalent self-neglect is among even as small a sampling as 25 women in Indianapolis and how much easier and more enjoyable the daily grind is when you take time to refuel and have support in doing so.
For the cherry on top of such an amazing and energizing month, I received an invitation to local photographer Lusicovi Creative’s second annual Love Yourself Portrait and Beauty Celebration. Stay tuned for a follow up post on that when I get pictures back, but let’s just say it was a perfect way to end a month dedicated to caring for ME. For now, I'll leave you with a list of ideas to practice your own self-love. Who knows, maybe you could tack on 10 days for your 2017 Lent resolution? #SelfLove40
For the cherry on top of such an amazing and energizing month, I received an invitation to local photographer Lusicovi Creative’s second annual Love Yourself Portrait and Beauty Celebration. Stay tuned for a follow up post on that when I get pictures back, but let’s just say it was a perfect way to end a month dedicated to caring for ME. For now, I'll leave you with a list of ideas to practice your own self-love. Who knows, maybe you could tack on 10 days for your 2017 Lent resolution? #SelfLove40
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