The Importance of Self Care and What I’ve Learned Along the Way

Hey guys! Sorry I’ve been a bit MIA the past couple days. I had to go up to Malibu for a new project and didn’t get back to San Diego until pretty late. Woke up to myself having a cold and just decided to take the day off and recoup. Currently writing this from the comfort of my bed and praying I wake up tomorrow feeling all better!

While on the topic of taking care of yourself I thought spend today’s post talking all about self care. Lately I’ve been go-go-go and it kind of was breaking me down a bit. If you ever feel the same and find yourself exhausted, irritable and kind of depressed then maybe you can relate to this post as well!

Think about it. When we are overwhelmed with work, projects piling up at the house and a calendar full of tasks we don’t know where to begin we start to give up on the other things that once made us happy. You start to skip the gym, skip eating and forget about your social life. Let’s be honest, we’ve all done it — at least I know I have. When we are stressed, self care is usually the first thing to go and that only makes things worse.

If there is anything my dad has taught me it is to learn to take care of yourself. He always gets upset with me because I am non stop and never take a break to think about me. He usually will sit me down and tell me that other thing are un-important and that your health is always no. 1. Of course, I roll my eyes and laugh to be done with the subject but then when it does hit me I always go back to our conversations as a reminder that well,.. damn, parents are always right.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m the girl that always says you won’t get anywhere in life if you don’t work hard. However, sometimes I take this a little too far to the point that it comes counterproductive. Your abilities are worn. Your skills aren’t as sharp. You lose focus. You might think you’re working hard, and maybe you are in some ways, but you’re not working efficiently. And sadly, it’s the truth.

I have days where I’m so exhausted I sit with my computer open to get “work” done but I’m so inefficient after 5 hours I look back and wonder what the hell I even got done? Maybe had I gotten a little extra sleep or taken a day off I could have killed those 5 hours rather than just sit on my ass staring at a computer screen. Does that make sense? Moral of the story — it’s easy to neglect taking care of ourselves when we’re busy and overwhelmed but it’s crucial to reduce stress and refocus. Always make time for yourself and keep track of how much time you’re spending on certain things. Don’t let the day go by without doing something for you. I always wear a watch on me and carefully track how I’m spending the day. The watch I’m wearing today is from CLUSE and they have so many amazing styles as well.

Working out is one thing I’ve found that helps me escape for a bit, focus on me and regroup. It’s easy to neglect exercise when you’re overextended because it requires time and energy. What I’ve learned however, is that I needed to make it part of my daily routine. Trust me, there are days that I do not want to go and I hate it so much  but I realize no matter how busy or unmotivated you are, sometimes you just have to get off your ass and do it.

Whenever you’re starting to feel antsy or irritable do something to change your thoughts. Go eat something,workout, go for a walk outside (seriously you don’t know how many times this has helped me) or even just hop in the shower! You’re never going to be consistently happy and you can’t prevent sadness or life from running its course. Self-care is a way to at least strengthen yourself, find some inner core so that you’re ready when life comes at you. It’s not something I’m a professional at but I am truly working at it every day.

Shop the Look:

Watch: CLUSE // Jacket: Tommy Hilfiger // Bottoms: Here // Necklace: Kendra Scott // Shoes: Christian Louboutin // Sunglasses: Gucci