Self-Care & A Floral Boho Dress
Happy Friday friends! Another weekend has arrived and it basically feels like any other weekday because I don’t leave the apartment 😂 But I do get to spend time with Freddy which makes me so happy! I have to start this post by giving him a shoutout because he picked out this dress for me and I mean come on…he did good am I right?! 👏🏻 He definitely picked a winner—the dress and me 😘 The floral print, the purple tones, the blouson sleeves (you guys know I’ve had a thing for sleeves this year), and the ruffle details all make this dress so magical and lovely. It has a romantic, feminine vibe about it that I love and I’m 100% on board with Freddy continuing to buy clothes for me if he hits the bullseye like this every single time!
As August draws to a close and we inch closer towards September, I’ve found myself doing a lot of internal reflection. September is my favorite month of the year for 2 reasons: 1. It’s our wedding anniversary month (6 years on 9/1!) and 2. it’s my birthday month! Every September basically feels like my own personal “New Year’s Eve”. It’s a time when I reflect on the past year and all that’s happened and dream about what I want to accomplish in the next year. I’ll be entering the last year of my 20s which is wild to think about when I still feel like I’m 18 most days. It’s also the first birthday I’ll be celebrating without my Dad, which is hard to wrap my brain around. I have so many mixed emotions running rampant in my mind: joy, anxiety, grief, love, confusion, uncertainty, peace, fear, nostalgia…I’m learning to embrace them and let them come like waves crashing on the sand. Some of them hit me so hard I fall over instantly, while others are more subtle and gently nudge me, reminding me that they’re there.
This year has really taught me the importance of self-care. No, I don’t just mean the occasional bubble bath and glass of wine on a Thursday night when you’ve had one of those work weeks. I mean truly allowing myself time to process everything that’s happening around me and within me, and allowing myself to feel whatever it is I’m feeling. I’m a very positive person by nature, always looking on the bright side of things, and when waves of grief or anxiety hit me, it’s easier to push them aside rather than sit with those feelings and allow myself to cry or be angry or frustrated. I’m learning it’s okay to not have it together all the time, and that I need to give myself time to process what I’m feeling. I’m basically that chick from Mean Girls who gets up on stage during the all-girls assembly and “just has a lot of feelings” 😉 But in all honesty, if I don’t take care of myself, then there’s no way I can be the best version of me and show up for Freddy, my mom, my friends, and coworkers. It’s a balancing act and requires some give and take, but so worth the effort to recharge and reset.
Some of the ways that I recharge and feel most at peace are through reading my daily devotional, prayer, yoga, reading a romcom fiction book, meditation, watching Friends reruns, and snuggling up on the couch with Freddy. Sometimes it’s small things that help us reconnect with ourselves and make us feel rejuvenated. I’ve also done a bit of retail therapy as a way to practice self-care…a fun nail polish color, a yummy candle, or even a new dress! If you want to practice self-care but aren’t sure what to do or where to begin, start by making a joy list! Write down 10 things that bring you joy. These can be simple things like a homemade cup of coffee, the warmth of the sun on your skin, going for a walk in nature…jot down whatever comes to mind that fills you with gladness and do more of those things every day! You may not make coffee every day (I don’t recommend it—trying to break my coffee habit and dealing with caffeine headaches is no fun!) or you may not be able to go on a walk every day, but if you make it a point to do at least 1 of those things on your list each day, it’s a simple way to incorporate self-care into your daily routine. So, what’s on your list?! Let me know in the comments!
