It is easy to equate flowers as an item you buy for someone else. Something you give others at the end of a performance, as an act of romance, as a gesture of congratulations, or when we just want to give them something beautiful to make them smile. But you deserve to bring beauty into your life and celebrate you.
We should work to normalize buying ourselves items that add beauty and joy to our lives and not wait around for others to provide us with those things.
When we give others flowers it is an act that shows we care and that we feel others deserve to be surrounded by beauty. We should work to care about ourselves just as much as we care about others.
Buying yourself flowers is an act of self-love, something many of us do not do enough. We give love to others and get love in return, but do not often take the time to love ourselves.
Embrace self-love and buy yourself the flowers.
Figure out your version of flowers
You may not be a flower person, but there is likely something small that brings you joy. Something that for whatever reason, you have decided isn’t an item you would buy for yourself, but would accept it as a gift from someone else. Maybe it’s a nice meal out, a massage, a fancy coffee, a piece of art, or a new book. Maybe your version of flowers is an experience rather than a tangible object.
Buy yourself gifts that you want to receive. Take the time to celebrate yourself and your accomplishments, but also take the time to bring small joys into your life that are not associated with a specific event or milestone.
Set aside some time to think about things that would make you happy to receive as a gift. Items or experiences that would bring joy and beauty into your life. Keep your list somewhere so it can be a reminder of what makes you happy. Work to shift your mindset about gift giving and don’t just save it for others.
Don’t overthink giving yourself gifts
Maybe you’re going through the grocery store and you walk past the flower section. You see a small potted plant that makes you smile and you stop to admire it. You can picture exactly where it would go in your house, the windowsill in the kitchen that always catches the afternoon sun. You have the space and after checking the price you see it would fit into your budget.
But instead of picking it up and putting it in your cart you shake your head and go over to the nearest checkout line. You convince yourself you don’t need this small joy because it feels extra or you have not done anything to earn it. Yet if a friend gifted you the same plant you would feel joy and smile as you set it on the sill.
While it is important to not overbuy or spend above our means, there is a balance we should work to achieve. We should allow ourselves to bring things into our life that add beauty and joy. This includes physical objects, experiences, and people.
There are things we would buy as a gift for a friend that we would hesitate to buy for ourselves, even if it is something that would bring us true happiness. We overthink celebrating ourselves and in turn feel we only deserve nice things when they are given to us.
While it is much easier said than done, don’t overthink bringing beauty into your life. Small items can have big impacts on our mental wellbeing and we deserve to have that happiness.
Practice self-love
Normalize celebrating milestones, achievements, good days, days that were tough, days that were easy, and everything in between.
Celebrating ourselves is not selfish, it allows us to give the same love and attention to ourselves that we so often give to others. If you would gift a friend flowers simple because you know it would brighten their day, gift yourself flowers for that same reason.
Don’t spend your life waiting on others
Gifts from others, whether it be a physical item or their time, help us feel connected and loved. These are the same reasons you should give yourself gifts. You should work to feel as connected to yourself and as loved by yourself as you are by others. Recognize that you are unique and special and are deserving of love.
We tend to focus on external validation, it can feel strange to praise our own work or talk about what a good job we feel we have done. Often we wait for others to make the first move and tell us a compliment, give us praise, or acknowledge an achievement.
We should work to normalize acknowledging our talents, hard work, accomplishments, and achievements. No matter the size, how much they affect others, or even if others even understand what we have done. What matters is that we take the time to be proud of ourselves.
You deserve to feel loved
You may have had points in your life when you were made to feel that you did not deserve happiness, praise, love, or acknowledgement. Someone else may have taken your power away and lead you to believe you that you were not deserving of nice or beautiful things. Perhaps someone convinced you that only others could decide when you should receive a gift or praise or admiration.
Consider this an invitation to rethink all those things you have be taught to believe about what you deserve. Let this be a reminder that you are deserving of so much more than others have lead you to believe. Buying yourself flowers is a small gesture that is not extravagant or unnecessary, it is an acknowledgment that you are worthy of love and to be surrounded by beauty.
Starting the journey of self-love can be difficult. For many it is a drastic shift in how they were raised and what society has told them. But by allowing yourself small joys such as flowers you can begin to shift your mindset to help you see your worth.
There doesn’t need to be a specific reason
While it should be encouraged to celebrate wins, don’t wait just for the big moments to make yourself feel special. Buy yourself the flowers, or a nice coffee, or a locally made pastry for no other reason than you are alive and it feels right. Give yourself permission to have small joys just because.
The idea that a specific milestone or achievement is necessary in order to give a gift is antiquated and restrictive. Focus more on when the time feels right and you find something that truly fills you with happiness.
There are items we decide not to buy for ourselves because we don’t feel we deserve them or that they should be saved for a special occasion. But you are allowed to gift yourself items as a reminder that you are worth it. not just because you accomplished something or it’s your birthday. You bringing beauty and happiness into your life should not be dependent upon a specific event happening. The more we can routinely surround ourselves with beauty and reminders of self-love the more enriched our lives will be.
Help others recognize their worth
Helping others recognize their own self worth can help you on your journey to recognize your own. Encouraging others to celebrate themselves can help you both see that you are worthy of love.
Don’t wait for the big moments to celebrate others either. Buy flowers for someone just because the flowers made you think of them. Write a card to someone for no other reason then you know it will put a smile on their face. Bake cookies for someone because everyone deserves a warm chocolate chip cookie.
Helping others understand their worth allows us to also understand our own worth. We are better and more complete people when we encourage to recognize their worth.