I did a poll over on instagram yesterday afternoon, checking in with everyone on how they are “feeling,” and by far the most popular response was “mixed emotions.” Same category I fall into. I shared this on Monday, but I’ve been all over the place, and continue to be. Yesterday morning I had to remind myself that I had the tools I needed to work myself through some of these feelings. In the middle of editing photos for this post, I received a message from a reader who was feeling very overwhelmed with the current state of life + looking for some guidance. Having just walked myself through some of it earlier, I was able to provide her with a very general framework of what worked for me….

Given that we’re all in this together, I thought I would share the simple steps I took to work myself through the uncertainty of this time… mild feelings of hopelessness, sadness, frustration, etc….

1. Validate: I always come back to this one, but whenever I give my feelings validation, I feel much better. I allow myself to feel them, lean into them if you will, and then I feel as if I’m in a much better place to put a plan together to manage them.

2. Reframe: Something that has been profoundly helpful for me is to reframe the situation. Whenever I feel sad or frustrated I find that I’m feeling as if I’m alone in this, that everything is happening to me. The reality is that we’re all in this together… everyone is being mandated to stay indoors, to figure out how to manage their jobs while balancing their kiddo’s education, fears regarding job security, financial loss, etc. And, for many, they’re very concerned for their health. Reframing my mindset from “me” to “everyone” really helps me feel less alone and to see this as something we’re all in together.

Also, remembering that everything in life is temporary always helps. In hindsight, when we look back at this time, it will be a small period in the grand scheme of our life.

3. Schedule In Fun: Sometimes during this time, I think it can become easy to get mired in the challenges that surround us, which further negative feelings. Scheduling in something “fun” to look forward to always brightens my spirits and gets me excited (and in moments of chaos throughout the day, provides something positive to focus on…). Whether that be a true date night at home (as in, out of your pajamas, put some make-up on, get some fancy clothes on, and have dinner after the kids go to bed….), a long face-time group chat, glass of vino in hand, with your girlfriends, or a long, uninterrupted bath, followed by sipping your morning tea or coffee uninterrupted. Anything that makes you smile. Even though we’re isolating at home, we don’t have to emotionally isolate from our loved ones, and ourselves.

Express has so many great options for whatever your “at home fun” might be. They have pieces that are on trend, well made, and fit so well. I grabbed this beautiful red dress before the quarantine, for our Hawaii trip, but have decided that it will work beautifully for an at home date night with TJ (insert a glass of bubbly to complete the outfit….). I also love these stretchy black jeans + statement sleeve top for a date night in, or that face-time call with your girlfriends. Both have significant stretch… so, comfortable enough to sit in for long durations (also great for work-from-home conference calls). The jeans come in petite sizes (yas for short people like me) and have the perfect high rise. Annnd, if you just want that uninterrupted evening, reading your favorite book, then this super soft jumpsuit is perfect. As a bonus, these items are all currently 40% off… and they have lots of other great tops + dresses options too.

4. Exercise: Literally, always my life saver. The endorphin release always makes me feel better. It’s hard not to smile after a sweat session. It helps me to feel accomplished and motivates me for the day ahead. And even though gyms are closed, we can all do simple at home workouts, or plop the kiddos in a stroller and head out for a long walk.

Nothing groundbreaking here, but some really simple steps that I hope can be helpful to anyone needing it during this time!
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(Outfit Details || Black Top (size down) | Jeans | Red Dress | Jumpsuit | Similar Sandals )

Thank you to Express for sponsoring this post