Hair: Danielle June "Madame Pompadour"
Makeup: Charlotte Paul
Photography: Kendra Blair
Dress: French Connection
Earrings: Forever 21
Sunglasses: Tom Ford
Heels: YSL Tribute Stiletto
Hello! How is your weekend going? Lately, it has been over 100 degrees here in Southern California. It's usually warm here, but not uncomfortably hot like it is now.
Speaking of being uncomfortable, I've been getting comfortable with being uncomfortable for quite some time now. Many of you know that I have been dealing with mental health issues such as depression and have been forced to face myself and actually deal with my problems in a healthy manner. Talking about feelings for days on end in therapy is not easy and it takes a certain amount of mental strength to put ourselves out there and be vulnerable to speak about things that we would rather pretend don't exist. Pretending that we aren't depressed, stressed, struggle with anxiety, or any form of disorder or addiction doesn't serve us. What kinds of things do you struggle with?
There is a great quote about this from James Baldwin,
"Not everything that is faced can be changed...But nothing can be changed until it is faced."
This is true and it stuck with me. I had been so focused on accomplishing my academic goals through higher education and work for so long that I forgot to focus on myself and my mental health. I put aside taking care of myself or self-care. Have you ever tried to survive on very little sleep and coffee? Do you always eat at your desk or skip meals? Do you ever take vacations or take the weekend off? Do you take the time to exercise or are you always too tired or too busy? Or maybe you always put your families first and yourself last? Can anyone relate? If we really stop and take the time to think about our answers to these questions, we may find that we are not practicing self-care. Taking time to put ourselves first and re-evaluate our priorities can change our lives dramatically in wonderful ways. You know what they say, "You can't pour from an empty cup." So true! Also, on days when I feel like I can't do it alone, I pray and ask God to give me the extra push or energy I need to keep going in the right direction.
How are you practicing self-care today?
You look so classy in this dress.
ReplyDeleteThe view are amazing too
Much Love,
Jane | The Bandwagon Chic
Thank You. Check out the California coast, it's beautiful!
DeleteI love every single piece of this look Joanna and your hair... amazing!
ReplyDeleteKisses, Paola.
Expressyourself
Thank You!
Deletegorgeous and love those earrings.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.henatayeb.blogspot.com
Thank You.
DeleteYour post came at the perfect time. I really need to begin focusing on self care myself. We've had a lot of intense situations happening in our lives here lately and it's important to step away at times and put yourself first. Thank you for sharing your journey with us, Joanna. You are a strong woman and an inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThank You! I'm glad it helped. Keep it up.
DeleteYes I deal with depression to, it is not easy. Some of it is from hormonal problems and a lot of it is from experiencing a lot hardship in life. I have never done therapy as it is too expensive. Maybe one of these days. Glad you are getting help.
ReplyDeleteAnd OMG it has been so awful here with the heat. I lived on the west coast for a decade and at least on the WC there is no humidity. It will be 94 here with 73% humidity. Just awful. Hard to really enjoy summer.
Allie of
www.allienyc.com
Thanks for sharing, it's nice to know there are people out there who can relate.
DeleteYou look amazing in this dress my dear!!! I love your earrings <3
ReplyDeleteThank You.
DeleteYou are very wise in what you say. In this modern world we often forget to take care of ourselves. We are taught to supress any emotion besides happiness but I have just read that it has been proven that bad mood can actually make us more emphatic and productive. We shouln't be made to feel guilty if we are not happy all the time, and we should always remember to pay attention to our mental health. You look lovely in that dress!
ReplyDeleteThank You. Check out TED Speaker Brené Brown Vulnerability researcher, she talks more about the negative affects of suppressing emotions.
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