Personal Days

I really wasn’t feeling myself all of last week. I think it was a combination of things that had me feeling totally out of balance. Coming back from vacations are always hard, but when the trip was so perfect and so much fun, it makes it even harder. Then I realized July was pretty much over and I just love summer so much I don’t like seeing it slip away. I was also exhausted and feeling a little run down after the stress of launching the new site. Blech, I really didn’t feel good mentally.

I hate when I get in these funks. It’s not there’s anything particularly bad going on, just off. I needed to snap out of it, but it wasn’t happening on its own. I decided to spend a few days getting myself back on track.

A huge thing that I have been doing ever since little Hamilton entered the family is sitting at my desk at 6am and getting a headstart on the day. After a quick 5:40am walk and breakfast, the dogs settle into naps for a few more hours. The apartment is quiet, it’s dark outside, and my brain is super fresh. (I’m very much a morning person and do my best work then I think!) Besides getting great work done, it frees up my afternoon. I get in as much as I can by 12 or 1pm and then take a long break and do more work after dinner. It’s amazing how accomplished and productive I feel when I’ve put in at least six hours before lunchtime.

One-Shoulder Striped Swimsuit (on sale with “newclothes”) // Packable Bow Hat (c/o) // Turkish Towel // Straw Bag (c/o)

Here are some of the things I did over the course of four days that made me feel refreshed and feeling like myself again.

Cleaned // I do a lot of everyday chores around the house and then a bit more of a deep dive once a week. With two dogs, there is never a moment where something doesn’t have to be cleaned, to be honest. (Plus, not going to lie, my hair is everywhere… it’s so freaking annoying.) But I did some major cleaning this weekend. Big time and it felt so good.

Picked some things up for the apartment // Speaking of the apartment, I also (finally) picked some new things up for the place. I printed photos for frames that have been empty for months, rearranged some gallery walls, bought a few mirrors (similar if you saw on Snapchat), set up some new organization things, picked up a couple of new wall art pieces.

I didn’t spend too much money at all (only about $150, thank you Target and Homegoods), but if you don’t need anything new, just rearranging stuff can work. I fixed a few things that were bugging me, and it honestly made me feel like I was living in a brand new apartment. And the mirrors I hung? Seriously transformed the space.

Finished a book, started another // Reading is a major cure-all for me. I sometimes forget how amazing I feel when I dig into a good book. I like that while my brain is still “on,” it’s “off” from life’s stresses. It’s amazing really. I always read growing up, but it wasn’t until I was in college when I really learned how to love reading. It’s probably my favorite thing to do in the world. From going to the bookstore or library and reading book jackets and covers to cracking the spine for the first time to feeling way to emotionally connected to characters. I love it all.

This weekend, I finished a book (The Singles Game, great beach read) and started a new one (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, duh). I spent a few hours on Sunday curled up in bed, under the covers, while it rained

Took the dogs to the park and out hiking // Actually now that I think of it, this might have been one of the big problems with my funk. Hamilton got neutured, poor guy, two weeks ago and he wasn’t allowed to play really. It was torture for all of us and we started to feel really cooped up. He was finally cleared to run and jump and play to his heart’s content. Plus, it was cool enough one night for a real afternoon at the dog park. It was glorious and just what the doctor ordered, for all of us. Bonus? There were a ton of other great, well-behaved dogs and friendly owners so it was extra fun. We also hit up our favorite hiking train and let the dogs go wild. I always forget how much I love it. Sweat and mosquitos and all.

Shopped with a friend // My friend took the train in from the city for a full day in Connecticut with me. We had such a great time shopping and just hanging out. I think all my city friends agree that just having access to a car and easily driving around is a fun day! I practiced pretttttty good self-control, but we still had a great time window shopping and popping into cute stores.

Cooked good meals // I did a lot of cooking, too. It’s way too easy to go out to a meal or to eat junk from the pantry, especially when I’m feeling low. Garrett was out of town for a conference so I had an easy excuse for takeout but I made myself cook dinners every night and saved the leftovers for lunch the next day. Even an hour in the kitchen slicing and dicing can relieve stress. Something I’ve grown to love over the past year, now that we have a great kitchen!

Went to the movies // Going to the movies has always been one of my favorite ways to relax. (In college, if I had a free night, I’d go alone and sit in the dark demolishing popcorn, regardless of whether or not the movie was good.) When I had the whole seizure episode this spring after going to the movies, I have to say, I haven’t been too keen on going to the movies again. But I wanted to jump back in the saddle and it was fine! I don’t think I’ll ever be able to eat movie theater popcorn again (?), but I’m happy to report that I still love the movie going experience.

… In case you’re wondering, I saw Bad Moms. Hilarious. A little wild at times, but so so so funny.

Canceled plans // So I had really fun plans on Sunday with my friend Carter. She’s finishing up her summer internship in the city and heading back to Florida, boo!!!! The weather was too risky for what we wanted to do so we had to cancel. I was so disappointed to not have the chance to adventure with her one last time, but it was nice to have a spontaneously free day. Sometimes it’s okay to cancel plans.

Treated myself to coffees and ice cream // I had so many great coffees, lattes, and cappuccinos over the past few days. I try to limit my caffeine throughout the day and limit the calories I’m drinking too, but I let myself just go for it here. Similarly, I had a couple of really amazing ice cream cones. I didn’t even feel guilty for a second!

Went to the beach // Ah, and lastly…. Amy and I hit up the beach on Saturday afternoon. We were only planning on swinging by for thirty minutes for a few minutes of sunshine. And before we knew it, over an hour had gone by! We pulled the beach chairs out of my car, set up shop on some blankets, and chatted and chatted. There’s something so healing about being near the water. I tell you, it’s a game changer.