19 Rather Excellent Ways To Love Yourself

It was a Sunday morning and I woke up early with no plans. Mr Smaggle was away for the weekend and I had a full day to do whatever I wanted. I popped on my favourite weekend t-shirt dress and wandered across the road to buy some eggs for breakfast. I reached the cheese section and went to put some regular tasty cheese in my basket and then I stopped myself.

I have a full day to do anything I like – I’m going to make myself a damn fancy breakfast. I bought an avocado, halloumi, some fancy mayonnaise. When I got home I poached two of the most perfect eggs and arranged it all beautifully on a plate. I carried it outside to the garden and read my book while eating my fancy solo breakfast.

I almost cooked my everyday breakfast because it’s just easier and quicker but I took the time to make something yummy for myself and it was so worth it. Sometimes I think about all the nice things I do for other people like cooking them fancy dinners and I wonder why I never do that kind of stuff for myself. If Mr Smaggle is away for the evening I’ll have something really easy for dinner rather than cook myself something yummy. It’s silly. I should always be doing very lovely things for myself but I for some reason don’t think I’m worth the effort.

This week I’m giving you permission to do something nice for yourself. Pick anything you like! Go on… you deserve it.

1. Have a naked nap 

Honestly, there is something so incredibly luxurious about stripping off all your clothes and sliding into bed for a cheeky nap. I don’t like sleeping nude at night but on a weekend afternoon? Hold my beer.

2. Organise a girl’s weekend away 

In June last year, a few girlfriends and I packed up the car and drove to a nearby country town to spend the weekend drinking wine, crocheting, playing cards and listening to music. It was so restorative and such a lovely way to spend a weekend. If you haven’t done this in a while, send a message to your favourite gals and start planning so you have something to look forward to. Seriously, book it in now and make sure all your favourite gals prioritise, even if they think they’re too busy. It’ll be totally worth it. I promise.

3. Spend an hour at the library 

When was the last time you went to a library? If you can’t remember, get your butt there this week. I love looking at all the craft and cooking books. I’ll grab a big stack, take them to a table and just leisurely leaf through them. Bliss. Some libraries even have cafes and let you drink coffee while you read their books. What kind of adult madness is that?

4. Buy a bottle of fancy champagne and drink it just because 

I realised late last year that I had a bottle of Verve I hadn’t drunk so I popped it in the fridge and cracked it open when my mate came over. I figured I’d had it for a few years and hadn’t come across a special enough occasion so Thursday seemed like the perfect time to drink it. Stop holding on to fancy booze/cosmetics/food and just eat it. That’s what life is for ya dingus!

5. Go and see a movie by yourself 

I’ve only done this a handful of times and it’s bloody wonderful. I usually go on a Tuesday because it’s cheaper. I’ll buy a coffee and maybe a choc top if I’m feeling saucy and take a little bit of time out for me. If you’ve never done it, do it! You’ll love it. Extra points if you can manage to do it on a weekday when you have the day off. There’s something extra-indulgent about that.

6. Read a book outside 

You can do this one every day if you like – weather permitting. Duck outside for a cheeky ten minutes and read a few pages of your book. So lovely and you get an amazing hit of Vitamin D. It’s also a great way to avoid big social groups that gather at lunchtime in your workplace if that’s not really your vibe.

7. Have a proper bath 

With candles, music and good book or TV show. Go old school on that situation and grab a magazine. I recommend Frankie or Womankind. Lunchlady is also great.

8. Go for a walk and grab yourself a fancy treat drink 

I’ve always thought fancy drinks like smoothies and bubble tea are a waste of money but every now and then dropping a tenner on a beautiful beverage that brings you total joy is worth it. I’m craving a bubble tea so hard right now…

9. Write 3 thank you notes and send them 

How lovely to take a few moments to put pen to paper and tell someone how much you appreciate them. I have a box of Marimekko postcards and every now and then I write out a few thank you notes. It always puts a smile on my face and it only costs me 20 minutes of my time.

10. Learn how to do something awesome 

Did you know you can learn how to make sausages? Cheese? Baskets?

Go do it now! How fun.

11. Exfoliate and moisturise your entire body 

I can hardly ever be bothered to do the whole exfoliation and moisturising she-bang but when I do, it’s so worth it. So slinky. Also, chuck on a sheet mask and do a proper at-home facial. Paint your nails. Put tea bags or cucumbers or something on your eyes. All that crap. It feels really lovely, so do it!

12. Give your bedroom a makeover

Put clean sheets on the bed, light a beautiful candle, pop a plant on your bedside table. Boom, boudoir heaven.

13. Lie on a blanket outside and watch the clouds 

Just let yourself be for a moment. You can do this on the way home from work, just pull over the car or jump off the bus and chill out in a park for a moment. You could even have a nap if you like… I won’t tell anyone.

14. Grab some mates and play hide and seek 

I saw a bunch of people doing this on the weekend and it looked like the most amount of fun. Next BBQ I have, I’m making this a thing. I’ve played hide and seek with kids recently but they’re notoriously pretty rubbish at it. My mate’s son hid under a blanket 30 cms from my face. It was adorable but if you’re up for challenge, keep it adults only.

15. Go to an exhibition or art gallery 

I rarely think to do this but there’s a few exhibitions on at the moment and I’ve been struggling to find someone to go with so I’m just going to go on my own. This is a little reminder that you don’t need to go places with other people. Take yourself on a date!

16. Watch the sunrise or set 

I very rarely get to see the sunrise but sometimes if I’m getting back from the gym at sunset, I’ll stop and sit on a park bench and just chill for a few minutes. It’s really quite lovely.

17. Bake something delicious and take it to a friend’s house 

I’ve been doing this a bit recently because my mate had a baby but it made me realise I don’t do this often enough for my non-baby making friends. Bake a sweet treat and visit a friend for a lovely afternoon tea. I’m currently experimenting with pressure cooker baked goods – stay tuned!

18. Make yourself a very fancy breakfast 

As I mentioned in the opening paragraph of this post, why not make yourself an amazing cafe style breakfast? How brilliant would that be? Haloumi, avocado, sourdough toast. Do it. Pancakes? Waffles? Go nuts!

19. Go swimming 

When was the last time you went swimming? I don’t do it nearly often enough but whenever I do it, I love it. I used to do it for exercise but it made me a bit sleepy when I did it in the morning so now I just do it for relaxation.

The point is we’re so busy just doing life and occasionally doing nice things for other people that we rarely take a moment to do something nice for ourselves.

What very nice things have you done recently? What do you do to love yourself?

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