Do you find yourself crazy about television hotties from time to time? I mean, you may be in a serious, loving relationship. Or, you may be happily married (like me). But…you can’t help but to fall in love with those sexy hotties on television, right?
Well, my latest obsession is Jamie Fraser from Outlander. Have you seen it? I know that part of my love for the fictional Jamie is based on my extreme love of Scotland. You see, I have Scotland in my blood. My ancestors are from there—I’ve traced it all the way back to the 1600’s! And, well…I finally got to visit my ancestral homeland just last fall for my birthday (courtesy of hubby—my real leading man).
If you’ve never been to Scotland, I cannot recommend it highly enough. The rolling green hills, the mysterious ancient castles, and those adorable accents. Not to mention the sticky toffee pudding, the friendly guest house keepers, and the insane traffic (well, maybe not this one so much). Let’s just say, I fell deeply in love with ye olde Scotland and that carried over into my love for the Outlander seasons.
You see, I knew the show existed. I’d even bought the first novel in the series way back in the 1990’s when it came out, but I’d been remiss in watching it and I’d never even finished the novel. Now, I’ve managed to catch up on all 4 seasons and I just cannot stop drooling over Jamie Fraser (played by Scottish-born actor Sam Heughan). He’s beautiful and talented and just…grrr. I can’t describe him with mere words. If you’ve not seen him, you should definitely check it out.
But, my fascination got me to thinking… Why do we get crushes on television (and movie) stars? We know that we’ll never have them. And, well…they are fictional, right? Maybe that’s what makes it safe to have the crush. Or maybe, it is just a form of self-love and escape.
At least, that’s my theory. In this day and age, a lot of women fall short of excellent when it comes to the self-love department. We constantly put ourselves before others. Our spouse. Our children. Our work.
And, most often, we are the very ones to put ourselves down. Our appearance. Our success. Our talents.
Everything seems to come before taking care of ourselves. I know this is true for me and I’ll bet it is true for many of you as well.
So, if you find yourself falling out of love with yourself, here are 5 ways you can improve your self-love:
1. Crush it.
Getting those fictional crushes on stars is fun and it is harmless. I mean, as long as you don’t turn your crush into stalking or something weird like that. Just loving them from afar is fun and entertaining. It allows you to escape, just a little bit, from the daily grind. I don’t see anything wrong with it. Although, it does make hubby a little jealous from time to time, but he knows he’s the one for me. And, it can spice things up as well.
2. Dress it.
Do you find that you don’t dress up for your hubby or significant other as much as you did when you were first together? I think we can all fall into this trap from time to time. We’ve got the man, he’s ours. Why worry about dressing up and doing our hair and putting on make-up, right? Wrong! You’ve forgotten something important here. You’re not dressing up for him. You’re dressing up for you! You should still put in the effort. Because if you feel like you look good, then you look good. That will shine on the inside as well as the outside. It’s not about covering up—it’s about showing off.
3. Sleep on.
Are you getting enough sleep? I know that this is something I struggle with. Perhaps I’ve been binge watching too many episodes of Outlander? But, seriously, go to bed earlier. Make time to sleep and make it good. Don’t just try to fit in sleep when you can. Commit to it. You have permission to sleep and take care of yourself. You deserve it!
4. Laugh it up.
Humor and laughter is severely missing from some of our lives. It is proven that laughter reduces stress and lengthens your life. I think that’s because anything that makes you laugh until your abs hurt has to count as exercise, right? Well, if not, then it should. Spend time with friends. Treat yourself to a funny movie. Giggle with your kids—roll in the floor and laugh. It’s so good for you.
5. Brush it.
Now this one is going to seem weird, but let me just say it… Brush your hair and your teeth regularly. What is Kerri going on about now? Yep! Brushing your hair stimulates the scalp, relieves headaches, and reduces stress. And you know that brushing your teeth and proper dental care has proven health benefits (too many to list here). So, the next time you feel anxious or overwhelmed—just brush it!
Well, I hope you’ve found these simple tips helpful. I, for one, plan to keep up my little crushes as they make me smile and plus…eye candy is better than eating real candy. Less calories! And, well, Jamie Fraser, you rock my world.
If you’re interested in learning more in my program all about self-love, It’s Time For Me is open for registration. Click here to learn more.
