Before I get into the nitty-gritty guts of this post can we talk about this sweater/sweatshirt hybrid for a minute, because it’s awesome. I ordered it in the absolute heat of the summer knowing it would be gone long before the weather merited a long sleeved ensemble. I stared at it lovingly for two months waiting for October to arrive with promise of crisp afternoons and turning leaves, when I would finally get to wear my sweater-shirt. Which is what we’re now going to call this cowl-neck hybrid in all it’s strip-ed perfection.
Here’s the truth of it, and probably more than you’d like to know about me. I’m rather hormonal. My sisters and I are all that way. We swell up when we travel, when we’re pregnant, when it’s that time of the month, and also we get a little crazy. It’s fun. It’s sooo fun. Especially for the men in our lives. Unfortunately it also makes the post-partum period rather dicey for us as well. My sister Meghan and I talk about how we deal with the rough patches after having a baby, we call it “running off the crazy.” In other words, exercising the crap out of our mood-swings.
While I try not to dwell on the unpleasant parts of being a woman, because there are so many fabulous things about being a girl, (aren’t there?!) I thought maybe, just maybe there’s someone out there who might be experiencing the same type of thing, and since I’ve done this five times now, I figured I’d share a few of my tips for navigating the post-partum battlefield. (But really, I think these things can just be applied to anyone, anytime, any day.)
1. Run the crazy off. If I don’t exercise, I feel like crap. Period. I swear, there doesn’t seem to be any bad thing at all in my life that doesn’t get better after a good hard, lung burning run. I like to run or do really hard core intense cardio (think Insanity) but you can choose your weapon of choice. Just get your heart-rate up and kick your troubles to the curb. (it’s fantastic for anxiety too ;-)
2. Sleep. This is a hard one for me, because I am a total night owl. I can’t help it. My brain just comes alive at night! Except a lot of the time pulling an all-night marathon just ruins my day the next day and I get puffy, which also makes me feel icky. Going to bed at a reasonable hour, getting good sleep and waking up early does wonders for my psyche.
3. Eating well. You are what you eat. You eat crap, you feel like crap. Eat well, feel well. End of story.
4. Get ready for the day. More important to me than almost anything else, is getting dressed. I have to get dressed every single day. It’s not that I’m a primadona. If I stay in my pj’s all day I get so depressed. Even when I’m sick I get dressed, even when I had a baby yesterday, I get dressed. Even when the whole world seems to be crumbling, I get dressed, I fix my hair, and I put on some make-up. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, and in fact I have a little formula for dealing with those rough days when your closet doesn’t like you. I call it KISS. Keep it simple, stupid. Find a go-to outfit (or two or three!) One that you always feel great in, and isn’t complicated (think great jeans, and a sweater). One that you can fall back on in a pinch, or when you’re low on time or when you know, all the forces of nature and your closet seem to conspire against you. I promise that if you make yourself get ready everyday in a way that makes you feel great it will change your whole world. Plus, like Chanel said: “I don’t understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little – if only out of politeness. And then, you never know, maybe that’s the day she has a date with destiny. And it’s best to be as pretty as possible for destiny.”
Sweater-shirt.: JCrew Factory. Jeans: Hudson. Belt: Mr’s (I stole it from him-hehe) Shoes: Payless.