\’SHE COMES FIRST\’ COULD NOT BE MORE ON POINT

I had every intention of working on this blog on Sunday night so I could post it first thing Monday, because you know, the Instagram algorithm and all. That didn\’t happen. Instead, I sat on the couch and watched Christmas movies and the rest of Miss Maisel season 3 because I needed a little self-care.

My current life situation, which I\’ll be sharing in another post, has me in overdrive. Between work, the kids, the house, and everything in between, oh yes, and the holidays, I\’m going a million miles an hour trying to get a lot done. The most challenging part? Slowing down.

Reigning myself in and shutting down the engines is one of my constant learning lessons. When I start to notice my anxiety is higher than usual, or I\’m feeling overwhelmed and it\’s affecting my mental health, that\’s when I stop, asses, and slow down. Overplanning and overbooking triggers my anxiety, but at the same time, not having a healthy balance of \’things to do\’ also affects my anxiety. I can\’t be completely idle, but I also can\’t be maxed out to the point that I burnout. When I start noticing that I\’m reaching that point, I\’ll cancel events, commitments, and start saying, NO to everything else and YES to me, because I come first. If I\’m at capacity and my batteries aren\’t fully charged, then no one is going to get the best version of me.

Walking through the Design District when I was shooting looks, I had no idea that this mural existed and was shining bright with a very clear, and to-the-point message- She Comes First. So much YASSS in it\’s simplicity in truth. Women are known for taking care of others, for being leaders, and trailblazers, mothers, wives, career women, you name it. And so often, that means we don\’t always put ourselves first because we are too busy trying to put out fires and change the world, because that\’s what we do!

We\’re also entitled to put ourselves first. We\’re entitled to a little self-care so we don\’t burn the candle at both ends. We\’re entitled to a little \’me time\’ so they we recharge, refresh, and reconnect with ourselves. Whether it\’s five minutes or five hours, we need to check in with ourselves and show ourselves a little love and TLC. That\’s what I had to do on Sunday night, and guess what? It\’s okay. Instagram didn\’t fall apart.

If you\’re in the Design District, go check out this sign as a friendly reminder, plus, it\’s also quite pretty! I\’ve been going on and on about self-care and haven\’t even mentioned the outfit. Part of my self-care is dressing up, some would even go as far to say that animal print makes me happy. Sometimes, something simple as putting on red lipstick, or wearing your favorite blouse, or getting a blowout, can be an instant mood booster and a form of self-care. We all have our rituals!

You guys know I\’ve been having an organza moment and I just love this animal print bow blouse from zara! It\’s amazing and I can wear it so many ways! This time around I wore it with my gray paper bag jeans because they\’re the most comfortable things in the world, and anything paper bag is having a moment right now and I\’m into it. You know what color combination I really love? Gray with red. When I saw these red booties at, you guessed it, Zara, I needed them for my closet! I didn\’t own a pair of red booties and I had been looking for the right pair with the right price tag. I love the low heels on these and they look great with both jeans and dresses.

A girl can never leave home without her Chanel Classic and it just makes any outfit look extra special when I bring this baby out! I wore this look for a business meeting and lunch with a friend, and sometimes the best self-care is getting all gussied up and meeting a girlfriend for good conversation and a glass of wine!

How do you self-care?!

In Style,

Kathy