Sharing the love for the MVPs in your life need not be limited to February 14th! Below I’m highlighting 25 ways you can show love and appreciation to the MVPs, i.e. most valuable players, in your life.

Any. Day.

The suggestions below cover ways to show love to yourself, colleagues, your partner, BFFs and family members.

25 Ways to Show Love + Appreciation
to the MVPs in Your Life

5 ideas for showing yourself some love

1. Take an indulgent bath. Did you know that regular baths can help to not only reduce stress levels, but also help to detox your body? Epsom salt baths in particular are laden with Magnesium which can soothe muscles, aid lymphatic drainage and improve sleep quality. Thank you to The Maas Clinic for teaching me about the benefits of Epsom salts! Furthermore, I was recently introduced to Dr Teal’s Pure Epsom Salt Soaking Solution by Camille Styles and I am hooked!
2. Give yourself an at-home facial. Oxytocin – the ‘love hormone’ – can be triggered by physical touch. I love following Ksenija of @The_Moments for facial massage tutorials. As well as Abigail James on YouTube for face lifting massage techniques.
3. Take yourself on a solo date. I recently shared a ‘solo 24hrs at the beach’ video, recapping on a precious day I spent alone. For me, alone time is one way I practice self-care and recharge.
4. Buy yourself a gift. Do you remember the blog post I wrote about pre-celebrating your wins? Why wait for someone else to buy you a gift you’ll treasure? I like to keep an ongoing wish list which I can shop from when I want to celebrate or mark a milestone! Yes, it’s a LOT of fun to curate. Recently I’ve been looking at simple gold diamond rings on Etsy to belatedly celebrate my 10 year blog-versary!
5. Do something for your mind, your body, and your soul. Taking care of each of your core health pillars is a great way to set you up for a GOOD day. My simple mind/body/soul routine: walk to the gym distraction-free, take a class + connect with Mama Nature.

5 ideas for showing your colleagues you care

1. Buy/make coffee for your colleague/s. Is there a greater show of affection than caffeinating the office?! A coffee run or coffee ask-around is a small gesture you can make for your colleagues to show them you care.
2. Write whimsical cards for your colleague/s. Writing cards of appreciation doesn’t have to be romantic or serious; a thoughtful note can go a long way.
3. Gift a special treat to the office. Fancy gifting the office en masse? A tray of sweet treats, or a big bunch of flowers they can all take a stem from can brighten your colleagues’ day!
4. Be extra kind and thoughtful. Sometimes a gift needn’t be an obvious one, channel EXTRA good vibes to show your colleagues you care.
5. Take something off of their plate. Relieving someone of an onerous task is a BIG gift. Is there something which you find easy, or which won’t take up much of your time, which you could offer to take off of your colleagues’ plate?Image by Secret Garden Daily

5 ideas for sharing the love with your love

1. Show your partner you love them, using their love language. Have you heard of The 5 Love Languages? The concept was created by marital counsellor Dr. Gary Chapman and focuses on the idea that everyone receives and gives love using one of five love languages. Learning which language you speak, and which language your partner speaks can help you to communicate your affection for one another better.
2. Try a new date night idea! A friend of mine recently recommended ‘The Adventure Challenge, The Couple’s Edition’ which suggests fun dates using a ‘scratch-to-reveal’ method. You could also canvas your friends for fun date suggestions, or simply try an activity you don’t usually partake in. Here are some of my favourite dates: bowling, going to a gig, taking a class together, going to a comedy club, going to a book signing, visiting a new restaurant, travelling, going to a market . . . all accompanied by great food + drink ofc.
3. Carve out 1:1 time around your normal routine. Spending quality time together doesn’t have to mean a big grand gesture. 1:1 time can look like getting up an hour earlier to take a morning walk together, or setting up a ‘cinema’ at home complete with popcorn and pillows. Doing something which isn’t the norm, and allocating time for one another, is a gift no matter the cost or grandeur.
4. Organise a double date. In a recent episode of The Blonde Files podcast, with bestselling author and certified sexologist Shan Boodram, Shan shared that double dates can actually offer more of a connection to your partner, than a solo date. Why so? A double date offers you the opportunity to see your partner through someone else’s eyes, thus reigniting that ‘first time’ feeling with one another.
5. Discover ‘new favourites’ together. Go wine tasting, visit a Farmer’s Market, try a new coffee shop . . . dicovering ‘new favourites’ is a double win: it’s a date in itself, and you get to enjoy your new favourite thing together in the future too. All sweetened by the memory of when you first found it!

5 ideas for celebrating your closest friends

1. Send your BFFs cards letting them know how much you love them. By now you probably know that I love beautiful stationery, and what better excuse to stock up than for some sweet love notes for your BFFS? Papier is my go-to for personalised stationery, I also love Oliver Bonas’ card selection, and one of my local florists Catkin & Pussywillow always have a great range of stationery in too.
2. Use a framing service, like Addison Ross, to frame your favourite photos together. Specifically with Addison Ross you can upload a photograph to the website, which is then printed and inserted into the frame you purchase for you. It’s a brilliant service and I can attest to the quality and style. Plus delivery is usually super quick! Printed photos are one of my favourite gifts ever ever.
3. Drop them a line sharing your love for them. A digital love note can do the trick too! A simple: “hi, you are WONDERFUL” is one quick-win way of sharing the love for your bestie.
4. Create friendship bracelets. For a friend’s baby shower recently we ordered boxes of beads and created our own friendship bracelets. It felt nostalgic and was so fun to do altogether! Bonus points for personalising. I bought this Tacobear Bead Craft Kit and it was perfect!
5. Assemble a personalised ‘favourites’ hamper. Everyone has their ‘favourites’: a preferred lip balm, a go-to snack, an I-always-choose-this-one nail shade . . . keep note of your BFFs fave-everythings, and when you next want to show them some TLC you can assemble a ‘favourites’ hamper, personalised just for them.

5 ways to show your love to your family

1. Buy or share a book you think they’ll enjoy. Sharing books is one of my favourite ways to connect with friends and family. Next time you find a title you can’t put down, give some thought to who you can share it with next. A friend just recently shared The Castaways by Lucy Clarke with me, and I have since gone on to pass it onto Oli. And now my Mum too! A great book can travel indefinitely, and it’s so fun to discuss together at a later date!
2. Create a family playlist including fave songs from each family member. You can ask people to submit a song via a group WhatsApp/email thread. Then you can either share the playlist for everyone to enjoy at home and/or put it on when you next have a family get-together, knowing that everyone will have a favourite tune included!
3. Start a family recipe book. What better way to pass down ‘famous family recipes’ than by starting your own family recipe book? You could start a physical book, or ask family members with a signature recipe to share it with you so that you can print a physical copy to share with everyone. With foresight this could be an amazing Christmas gift!
4. Gift Storyworth. A while back I gifted my parents with a Storyworth subscription, and I have LOVED reading the stories which they share with me. Storyworth sends writing prompts weekly to your giftees, with questions about their life. The stories are then bound into a hardcopy book. You can use this link for $10 off of your Storyworth order (it’s an American company but you can purchase from all over the world).
5. Send plantable seed cards. What could be more wholesome and family-friendly than sending a card AND a wildflower gift all in one? These Wildflower Platable Seed Cards are such a sweet idea for family members, and make such a lovely gift for children since they can watch their little garden investments grow!

Will you be putting any of these ideas into practice? 

I’d love to hear if you put into practice any of these ways to show love to the MVPs in your life! ❤️

Wishing you and your loved ones many loved-filled days!

Love, Monica x

Yes, I’ve typed ‘love’ a LOT into this post.

Title image photographed by Charlotte Bryer-Ash