Lessons on Love, Life and Heartbreak from Newlywed Miranda Lambert

From learning to love yourself to compromising, the country star has opened up about a lot over the years

Look for Someone Who Loves You for You

Brendan McLoughlin and Miranda Lambert. Courtesy Miranda Lambert

Lambert opened up about the importance of finding a partner who cherishes the real you on Feb. 16, when she revealed she had married NYPD officer Brendan McLoughlin in a secret ceremony.

"In honor of Valentine's Day I wanted to share some news. I met the love of my life. And we got hitched!" Lambert wrote alongside a pair of sweet photos from the couple's happy day.

"My heart is full. Thank you Brendan McLoughlin for loving me for…. me," she continued, adding a red heart emoji and the sweet hashtag "theone."

Be Transparent

Jim Wright

For the country crooner, staying open and honest to who she is remains a priority - particularly when it comes to sharing her life experiences in her music. "I am who I am. I am honest about being flawed. That's all I can be, you know? I cuss. I drink. I get divorced and get my heart broken. I break hearts," she said in an interview with HITS Daily Double.

Focus on Your True Loves

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... and for Lambert, that includes three very important things. "Music and mutts - pretty much all I live for are those two things," the singer told Redbook in 2017. "Men used to be on that list, but I cut that one out."

She added: "Just kidding! It was the three M's, and now it's two. No, it is three: The last one is Miranda."

'Find Peace in Dark Places'

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"The last year of my life has been one of heartache and healing, Of learning to be honest," she wrote on Instagram in 2016, following her split from husband Blake Shelton. "Accepting the flaws and celebrating the smiles. Finding peace in dark places having some moments alone with me."

Embrace Your 'Medicine'

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After announcing her breakup from Shelton, Lambert dived into songwriting, a decision she credits with jumpstarting her healing process. "Music is medicine - it truly is," she said onstage at Marathon Music Works in Nashville.

Follow Your Bliss

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It's important to still do things you enjoy, whether you're in a relationship or not. "This store is part of my personality," she told PEOPLE of opening up the first outpost of her Pink Pistol boutique in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. "This place is a little piece of who I am. It makes me feel at home."

Keep It Amicable

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When it comes to dealing with breakups, being on good terms with a former flame is the ideal situation. After splitting, Lambert and ex-husband Blake Shelton exchanged silly tweets in support of mutual friend Ashley Monroe.

Love Yourself First

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"I'm just like anybody else, insecure and scared of looking bad or being criticized. But everybody's making this big, giant thing about [my weight loss]," she candidly told Marie Claire. "It's way too much focus on women's bikini photos, and I hate it. Why do we care? I want women to love themselves whatever they've got going on."

Show Some Puppy Love (Literally)

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Nothing makes the country star and animal lover happier and more connected than introducing an adorable pooch (or cat) into her life. As she's said, "Don't forget your four-legged friends need unconditional love too!"

It's All About Communication

No excuses! "If you can't jump on the phone to chat with your significant other, keep up the texting," she's said.

Be True to Who You Are

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The best advice she's ever received came from mom Bev: "Know who you are and stick with it."

Share the Real You with the World

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"My biggest advice to anyone," she told Success, "If you don't know who you are, how is anyone else supposed to know? How can you sell something you don't believe in?"

Lean Into the Pain

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"I make it my mission every single time I step on the stage that no matter what, no matter where I am, I want to make you feel everything you could possibly feel," Lambert said during a March concert following her split from Anderson East, her boyfriend of two years, in early 2018.

"I want you to feel sad, mad, happy and nostalgic and really pissed sometimes. That's my favorite. And part of feelings is also heartbreak, unfortunately. But fortunately for me, I can use it for my art or whatever. I like to write sad songs. I like to listen to sad songs, so I want to sing y'all one."