Hey internet, how are you doing?
Same. When people ask, I’ve been saying “personally fine, nationally horrible,” which I think about sums it up. I’m not here to dwell. I was spiraling pretty hard for a couple weeks and then realized I needed a better game plan so that I could be there for the things and people that matter to me.
I also realized that spiraling every. time. I put on an outfit. was not helping.
One of the best things you can do when things are going poorly is reduce, not increase, energy, so I devised a very simple style combo this month. Can you spot it??
The combo is high neck tee + pleated pants + fun shoes.
That’s it! I figured it out when I put this outfit on, and it was the first time I didn’t want to throw my whole closet on the floor in frustration:
I thought, “shouldn’t I mix it up more?” but then the reasonable part of my brain said, “no, mix it up less!” and that’s exactly what I did:
Even better, I hid most of my clothes that didn’t fit the formula, and suddenly, my closet felt like a friendly place again.
A few MVPs of this outfit formula were:
A great belt: All of mine are from Madewell
The right pants: Several of the pairs featured here are thrifted and tailored. Which works great when you have the mental capacity. If not, this Gap pair was also excellent.
A great tee: I love this one! But this built-in bra tank was a close second that will be great for summer.
A few other honorable sanity mentions:
-Deleting Instagram except for when I wanted to post!
-Lowering my reading standards from “trendy contemporary fiction” to quick crime novels (I’ve read 10 of these) and romcom status
–Lifting weights, which is extremely good for mental health. I downloaded this app and have been doing a lot better ever since.
-Using 5Calls, making my calls, and then getting away from the news for a day. And continuing to donate to Run for Something.
Many hugs to you all, especially to my fellow researchers and educators. We can get through this, but we must be there for each other, our colleagues, and our students <3
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