Tender Mercies

For the past month, I have been thinking about how to cultivate self-love. I think it is an important topic that many can relate to. Throughout this post I am going to highlight some tips that have worked for me to cultivate my personal self-love.  Back in September, my husband and I went to the Kansas City Temple for a date night and I asked Marshall to take some pictures for me. I didn't know that would mean a whole bunch of candid shots :-). I suppose I don't mind much, since they do a pretty nice job of capturing the mood I was in. I hope you enjoy the pictures and tips. 1. Name your inner "mean" voice. It's that voice that tells you you're ugly, fat, not good enough, (fill in the blank), even when they are obvious lies. This voice gets much of its motivation from negative media. I named mine Bertha . Isn't that an awesome name? The fun part about naming the mean voice is that it often makes you laugh when you say it because it i...

101 ways to relax.  Ahhh, just those words make me feel relaxed already!  I could have titled this post, "100 Ways to Relieve Stress," but that just doesn't sound as positive to me.  Positive thought is the first step to feeling relaxed and happy! If you have any ideas that I have missed, please feel free to share! (These ideas are in no particular order). 1. Go on a walk. Even five minutes in fresh air can do the trick! 2. Eat spicy foods (hot foods release endorphins in the body) 3. Smile 4. Call your sister 5. Bake something really yummy! 6. Deliever some of the treats you made to somebody 7. Look through a picture album 8. Write in your journal about something fun that happened in the recent past 9.  Write in your journal about one thing you're thankful for 10.  Try a new recipe 11. Buy a chocolate bar and leave it in your husband's car to surprise him 12. Listen to Latin Pop 13. Dance around your living room ...