Well hello to you my reader chums! As many of you know, I'm the biggest advocate for self-love. I believe we all deserve to fall in love with ourselves over and over again. We all deserve to appreciate the uniqueness of who we are and flaunt it off to the world.

Self-love is something I've been working on for the longest time and I have to admit, it's still a work in progress, which I can imagine is the same for most people. Self-love is a journey, not a destination. We're all constantly changing and that means learning to love every new version of ourselves.

I recently turned 26 and in the spirit of self-love, I thought it would be a lovely idea to talk about the 26 things I've learnt to love about myself in 26 years.

 My blue eyes

I thought I would begin it on a physical note and talk about my blue eyes. Growing up, if someone asks what my favourite feature was, I'd always say my eyes and still do. I adore how bright blue they are, how much they stand out and how people can be drawn to them. As I have brown hair, I think it's a lovely distinction too - and also I love how blue eyes run in my family and I received that trait.

Passion for writing

Writing is my thing. I adore everything about words. From a young age, I knew I wanted to be a writer, it was something innately in me as if it was a part of me somehow. I loved how I could create my own story from the wonder of words or change someone's day, purely based on words they've read - it wowed me, and still does. That passion has forever remained and I love how I've used it, and worked on it throughout my whole life, in this blog, in my job and in books I've written.

My anxiety

Anyone who has anxiety can relate to having a love-hate relationship with it. For years, I hated my anxiety, I hated the fact I had it and it was a part of me and it made me feel like a complete burden on everyone around me. However, recently, I've learned to love it because it is a part of me and without it, I wouldn't be who I was today. It has helped me strive for things, work even harder to push myself out of my comfort zone, made me a lot more empathetic towards others and taught me many things.

My creativity

I adore how creative I am. My creativity is something I'm proud to have because it has driven my dreams and goals, and continued to help me fall in love with passions over and over. It's the reason I love the work I do.

My kind heart 

If you can be anything, be kind. This is the mantra I've always lived my life by because in a world with so much hate, it's important to be the good in it and help others see that. I've been through things like many of us have and it has only made me want to be nicer to those around me and strangers too - as really you don't know what someone is going through. My kind heart is something many people compliment me on and I feel so touched when they do.

Passion for adventuring and seeing the world

It's no secret my biggest love in life is travelling and experiencing all the wonderful things the world has to offer us. I adore hopping on a plane and seeing what's out there, planning my next trip and discovering the unknown. There's always more to see and it'll forever fascinate me.

My figure

I've had a love-hate relationship with my body for as long as I can remember. However, it's definitely something I've learn to accept and love as I grew into my twenties, with practicing self-care and training my brain to be kind to myself.

My determination

One thing which has always struck me about myself is the level of determination I have. I've always had big goals and big dreams, and once I set my mind to something, I'll go out my way to do it. I don't know where this level of determination came from but it makes me feel proud everyday to know I'm working towards things I love.

My family and friends

This isn't necessarily about me but your vibe does attract your tribe. And I think as I've been evolving through my self love journey, I've learnt to love and appreciate the people around me even more than I did. I'm incredibly grateful to be surrounded by incredibly supportive family and friends.

My home town

My roots are a part of me and even though when I was a teenager, I didn't think where I came from was 'good enough' as it was a poorer place and judged by many outsiders, as an adult, I've fallen in love with where I'm from. And, it's the reason of who I am today and is a part of me somehow. I adore the many beaches on my doorstep, how I have family and friends nearby and really, the community feel.

Love of books 

This leads to my passion for writing. Without my love of books, I don't think I would have wanted to be a writer. From a young age, my nose was always in a book and I loved how I could immerse myself into a fictional world - and today, that magic is still apparent with every book I read.

My unlimited dreams

I've always been  big dreamer because really, why not? There are many people who have said I dream too big and it's unrealistic, but I love that. I love how I have high hopes and see all these positive things happening now and in my future. It helps motivate me even more and be even prouder of how far I've come.

My desire for helping people

We all deserve to have love all around us. We all deserve to feel good enough. This is my motivation for wanting to help people around me and beyond that. I want people to feel welcomed, loved and good enough.

My love for the planet

I've spoken about sustainability a lot in my blog because it means a lot to me to take care of the wonderful thing that is our planet. I love that I've always had this passion within me and as I've gotten older, it's become more prominent in how I live my everyday life.

My sweet tooth

I'm a massive chocoholic, I always have been. It kind of became the running joke in my family of my love for chocolate and still is. I adore all things sweet and can't really go to any restaurant without wanting to have a dessert.

My love for food

My love for food wasn't always as great as it is now for many reasons, including how fussy I was and my body image. However, now I've learnt to love the power of good food and crave nothing more than trying new dishes and cuisines.

My obsession with Italy

I'm in love with Italy and this love has definitely grown a lot more in my adult life. I'm part Italian but never really learnt or expressed that part of myself until I got into my twenties, and the more I have, the more I've fallen in love with my roots.

The causes which mean the most to me

I'm an advocate for many things and I think for years, I was embarrassed by that. However, as I've gotten more confident and learned the power of self-love, I've embraced standing up for what I believe in and educating people. I'm a massive feminist, huge advocate for mental health and the planet.

My pride in being a woman

Growing up, being a girl was always seen as a negative or 'wimpy' thing but as I've gotten older, I realised how strong my feminist voice was from a young age - and the power that is being a woman. Women are strong, stronger than we realise and I admire them in many ways. I couldn't be more prouder to be a woman.

My love for the beach

I've been a beach baby my whole life but I don't think I really appreciate my love of it until I got older. It's incredible peaceful and the beach way of life is apart of me and I'm so lucky to say that - and call it home.

My organisational skills

There's nothing more joyful than keeping on top of things and staying organised. I used to think it was weird and I seemed like a control freak, but now I adore how organised I am. I love to plan things and have everything ready in advance - it makes me feel a lot more peaceful.

My dry sense of humour

I've always had a dry sense of humour, I get it from my dad's side of the family and it's definitely something I've grown to love a lot more. I wouldn't describe myself as being funny but I am one of those people who are funny unintentionally.

My love for baking

My mum would bake with my siblings and me from a young age so the love of baking really grew from there and led me to starting my own baking business. There's no better feeling than making something from scratch and it tasting epic.

My healing journey

Healing is a hard thing to do and something I've spoken about a lot on this blog. It isn't linear and comes in waves. Even though it's hard, I've learn to love it because it's the reason I'm strong today and it's made me work even harder for the amazing life I have now.

My brown hair

In my teenage years and even into adulthood, I always thought being blonde was prettier but now I've realised the beauty in my brown locks and get a little upset that I put my hair through the ombre way of life so it looked part blonde.

I hope you enjoyed this post. What's one thing you love about yourself?

Thank you for reading <3