Be Our Guest: Dani W from Caffeine and High Hopes

A Month of Love

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and typically we’re taught that we go out and show our appreciation for those we care about. Chocolates, jewelry, a fancy meal, the focus is always on other people. Which don’t get me wrong, is great! But what if we changed that this year? What if instead we shift that attention and put it on ourselves? How would that look? What would that feel like?

Showing ourselves self love is needed now more than ever, and what a perfect excuse to put it into practice and try it out. This way we can ALL do it. It doesn’t matter if you’re single, married, dating, divorced, WHATEVER, we can all put ourselves first for once and do something nice for US. Because really…why not?

For me personally, I know that I tend to put myself on the bottom of the “care list” because that’s just what Moms do. We make sure everyone else is taken care of, then we force ourselves to stay up late to sneak in a bubble bath and Netflix show because that’s all the #SelfLove that we need. Oof. Talk about the bare minimum!

Which brings me to my next point…We shouldn’t rely on others to shower us in gifts or extra affections to feel our best. We can do that solely on our own. But the kicker with this is, are we truly putting effort into loving ourselves? Start with YOU! Make it a priority to show yourself some compassion and TREAT YO SELF more often. That way you’re leading by example and showing the people in your life what you need in order to feel loved.

This really ties into the fact that our receptivity to love is totally dependent on our level of self love. It’s like when John Lennon said, “If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others” and I think that’s 100% true. You can’t give or receive love until you wholeheartedly love yourself. Mind blowing, I know.

The solution to this? Start now and start small. Make it a part of your routine. Buy yourself that comforting smelling candle (hint, hint: Autumn Jade Studio has a great selection) and curl up with your favourite book or TV show and ENJOY IT. Or better yet, buy yourself that piece of jewellery you’ve been eyeing up and wear it daily to remind yourself that you are in love with who you are and that you deserve to wear pretty things (again, Siobhan has some b-e-a-utiful pieces to choose from) and just give yourself permission to ease into more LOVE in your life.

At the end of the day, we have full control over how loved we feel. You don’t need a specific relationship status to do that, you don’t need a special occasion for it, and you don’t need an excuse to indulge in it. Do it now and do it daily. You deserve it.

- Dani Wearden, Caffeine & High Hopes

Dani is a mom, amazing business woman, podcaster extraordinaire balancing it all, while giving us helpful tips, and reminding us to be mindful and take time for ourselves.

You can find her on:

instagram: @caffeineandhighhopes

facebook: /caffeinehighhopes

website: www.caffeineandhighhopes.ca