When people used to say  the words “Love Yourself” I’d cringe. Why you may ask?

1) I didn’t love myself or know who I was until I turned 19.

2) The idea of loving yourself and putting yourself first is a hard ass concept, at  least to me.

3) I wasn’t confident with who I was or myself.

Now when someone says those same two words, my views have entirely changed. Lately I’ve had a lot of change in my life both good & bad, so I’ve been able to reflect a lot on what it means to “Love Yourself” through and through.

As part of my reflecting I applied to a Love Yourself Series — yes you read that right. As I wrote my application I thought I was insane, at least part of me did. The other part of me was screaming “YAS GURL you got this”, so a month and many photos later we are now here.

This is me. 

I learnt at a really young age that at the end of the day that to be able to fully love others you first have to be able to love yourself. I love being able to feel happy with who I am as a person and in the community. I think learning to love myself has been one of the hardest and most life changing experiences I’ve had. I went from being an anxious mess about who I was, what I did and what people thought of me to consciously making the decision to choose things that made me happy… with my work life, my love life, what I wore and how I treated and looked at myself. It was a HUGE thing for me to overcome and in my mind. Loving myself has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done for myself.

What qualities about yourself do you love and appreciate?

I like that I can laugh, even when things get really tough and I mean pile of tears, giving up tough. I try and appreciate the little things in life and smell the roses. I think it’s a quality that makes me appreciate my successes as well as my failures– it gives me the time to process and really grow. I love my style and my creativity; it’s something that makes me who I am.

How do you recharge and encourage self-love?

I have a glass of wine and a bubble bath with a Lush bath bomb, I find it gives me time to unwind and relax. I get my nails and toes done once a month as I love being pampered, as every woman does. Lastly I treat myself, not all the time but sometimes I will to reward myself for my hard work, time, effort and give myself a “pat on the back”. I find it really helps me take time to appreciate the successes or wins– whether it’s short term or long term.

What demands in life hold you back from making time for yourself?

Work. As much as I love my job a lot of the time working with your life on display can be quite bizarre, I find I get drawn into my work often and I struggle with the work life balance. When you work for yourself it’s hard to let go and re-assure yourself that it’s ok to give yourself a break.

Favourite Book or quote?

I wouldn’t say I have a quote or book that inspires me, I find a lot of inspiration through my work and through iconic fashion movies or books — when women are able to overcome all the hurdles, be successful & LOVE themselves for who they are.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

To care less. If I could go back I would tell myself to not let people get under your skin for judging me for being different, unique or odd &  to just embrace it.

Thank you to Sara for capturing me beautifully & to Chelsea for making my makeup FLAWLESS.

Photography was done by Sara Jewell Photography

Makeup was done by Allure by Chelsea