Love YOU! + j.crew giveaway (CLOSED)

It's February 14th, and like years past, you may have forgotten to celebrate that special someone who has been through it all with you. The bad perms, the braces, the pimples...have you guessed whom we're referring to? Not your mom, silly! We're talking about YOU, valentine! It's time to admire yourself for the wonderful person you are, so on this day of love, each of us deers have a an idea or two about how to love yourself a little more and a little better. Oh, and since WE LOVE YOU, we're giving away a $30 J.CREW gift card... {see details below}...

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Erica: although it is so hard, try not to compare yourself to others. it seems like we always compare our shortcomings with others talents and then end up feeling down. i've been guilty of this before. but as soon as i stopped and accepted that others are good at certain things and i am good at the other stuff... i felt happy. don't be afraid to be your own original you.

Rachel W.: Stop thinking about who you want to be and DECIDE to be happy with who you are RIGHT NOW! You will not wake up one morning and just happen to love yourself. It is a conscious decision. Just make it already! Did you make it? I'm waiting... Good, me too.

Alisia: Recognize that no one else thinks of your mistakes or shortcomings like you do. Stop giving yourself a hard time and choose to be happy and enjoy life. Make a direct decision to be positive. Treat yourself the way you deserve to be treated!

Andi: Stop trying to be perfect! Always try your best, of course, but remember that not reaching perfection does not make you a failure. Accept that you're only human, you can't do it all, and be okay with that.

Misa: Do something great for someone else. I love myself most when I can help someone else have a better day!

Rachel A.: I try to make time for myself! Whether I'm going out with some girl friends, getting a pedicure, or enjoying some of my hobbies, I try to make sure I have time to remember who I am. My days get so consumed with diapers, laundry, grimy tables, running my daughter to gymnastics, or other never ending chores and errands, it is easy to feel like those things define me. When I can reconnect with myself, not only am I loving myself, but I am also loving my husband and children, by giving them a happier, better adjusted version of myself.

Catherine: Allow yourself some guilt free "me" time. Develop a talent, explore a new place, treat yourself to a shower and a nap (this is a treat in my crazy life) and then feel refreshed and ready to get back in there and tackle the world.

Julie: Let go of the guilt.

Melissa: One of the best ways I've found to love myself is to remember that I have real worth, regardless of how I look and what I do. When I remember my worth, I feel like it can create a small domino effect in myself leading to other good things. For example, I can let go of fear. Fear of what I am or what I'm not, fear of what others think, fear of loving life whole-heartedly, fear of putting my real self out there, fear of not measuring up. I can keep a real perspective, remembering that I am a work in progress. I can connect the fact that if I have real worth, everyone else does too, and the unconditional love for myself can overflow into how I treat others. I can be vulnerable. I feel most fulfilled, most enriched, and most LOVED, when I let my fears go and forge connections with other people by being vulnerable and letting my real self be seen.

(You NEED to go visit Mara & Danny's blog, A Blog About Love! They've been a huge inspiration to me to love myself and others more, and many of these thoughts stem from them! And in light of Valentine's Day, I'm going to recommend this post about love first.)


J.CREW $30 gift card Giveaway Details
One entrance for each of the following (make sure to comment for each item--the more you do, the more entries you'll have):

• Comment below with a way to love yourself, or about an idea that resonated with you from this post. We'd love it if you'd check back after commenting so we can get a good discussion going on loving yourself. 
• Like our facebook page (click the "Like" button up on the right sidebar)
• Follow our blog (click the "Join this site" button up on the right sidebar)
• Do something nice for yourself today, and post the picture to instagram. Use the hashtag #happylovedaytome & #jcrewgiveaway, tag @doeadeery & follow us!
• Post your @doeadeery instagram photo to facebook.

Giveaway closes at 10pm est Tuesday, Feb 19.
Look for the winner on Wednesday, Feb 20.

And the winner is... #1 

LuAnn (an insightful LCSW) who wrote: Get a good therapist. Worked for me. Ok not kidding about the above but here is something else...along the lines of worthiness. I love Brene Brown. Her research shows that what separates those who have a sense of worthiness and those who struggle to know they are good enough is a sense of love and belonging…which is determined simply by the belief they are worthy of love and belonging. So like Melissa said...I believe this is what it comes down to...really exploring our belief of whether we are worthy of it. For me this is a combination of trusting and accepting me with my flaws, trusting the love of those around me, and a connection to God and Christ.