Has it hit you yet?
If you’re in the States, there’s a great chance you’ve just survived Thanksgiving (with or without family), and the planning, shopping, eating, and people have left you exhausted. No matter where you are, the winter holidays are coming, full force. The sales have started. I woke up to an inbox full of invitations to sift through. And while none of this is bad, and I’m grateful for it all- it feels like a lot.
Maybe it’s that the lockdown took the social sense out of me? Maybe it’s that things are moving too fast? Maybe it’s that the holidays always feel a bit insane and I’d just forgotten it?
I have no clue. Truthfully, it’s probably a bit of it all. All I know is sometime on Friday, the stress hit. Not the average “I have a lot to do stress” (because yes, that), but the “I have a lot to do, and should give a lot, and places to be, and feel this pressure for it all to look and be perfect” stress.
Am I the only one who gets it?
Holidays can bring with them their own brand of stress, and their own pressure for perfection. (This is where I remind us-me- that perfection is not a thing, but this is one of the times of the year when PERFECTION feels like a requirement. Hence the stress) And while I thought I had mentally and emotionally prepped for the stress, and the outfits (see here), it turns out that there are times when the stress is unavoidable.
If you’re reading this there is a high chance I’m stressed about in no particular order:
-the work to be done
-the work completed
-the decorating for Chrismas
-the present shopping
-my shopping
-my pop-up weekend
-letting down people I care about
-letting done people I don’t care about
-finishing the library book I’m loving but don’t have enough time to read
-taking time to read the library book I’m loving but feeling like I should be working or decorating or something
-how Thanksgiving went
-how Christmas should go
Given the chance, I could go on about my stress all day. And the thing is- I know so much of this doesn’t matter, or has easy solutions. Yet. I can’t help but feel the stress.
What do you do to deal with stress? Currently, I’m working out and trying to read (but see above). I’m either wearing some sort of sweats or am dressed to the nines. To combat it all, I’m trying to come up with outfits that calm me down. Yes, I’m one of those whose coping habits is planning outfits. So, a cropped pant with a sweater (with it’s twists) and statement shoes? This outfit can’t shop and decorate and meet deadlines and make me feel like I can breathe easier. But. It does make me feel better about the day. And what to wear.
These shoes are vintage Prada. The other pieces are from seasons past. But, if you need some stress relief I found you similar items. And if I do say so myself, outfits like this make stressful days seem less stressful.
Xo RA
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