As part of my get happy campaign this month (see what spurred this change), I’ve been focusing a lot more on my physical, spiritual, and emotional health. In order to get all of those in check, sometimes you need a day for you and only you where you indulge in the things that make you feel like the fabulous person that you are.
This doesn’t mean sitting in front of the TV for 8 hours straight (although sometimes those days are highly necessary too) because at the end, you’ve accomplished nothing and generally feel even more lethargic than when you started.
Instead, I’ve put together a day of fun and healthy activities (with a photo diary below) that will make you feel wonderful by nightfall. Perhaps you should take a day off of work later this week or pencil in a weekend day for just you, but either way I highly recommend enjoying a YOU day with whatever makes you the happiest.
I always wear a comfy outfit on my personal days and this Eberjey sweatshirt and sweat pant suit is my absolute favorite “hang out” look as of late. It’s light (I am always really warm) and soft and looks pretty cute too. I also recommend doing your hair or putting on a little make up or spritzing on your favorite perfume so that you don’t feel grubby all day.
Before I get into the good stuff, I want to mention that I’d love to get some feedback from you guys below. It seems like you respond more when I write “lifestyle” posts about life lessons, tips, home decor, etc as opposed to just fashion. What do you want to see more of on Lemon Stripes? I’m trying to expand what I write about (as you can probably tell lately) and it’s all for you so let me know!
8:00 am Yoga and Meditation
I had dropped the ball on this for a while, but I’ve recently gotten back into starting my day with a few yoga poses (I like to do 10 sun salutations in a row) followed by 5 minutes of light meditation. This opens up my body and mind for the day ahead. It sounds crazy but it really does make a huge difference!
8:30 am Tea Time
Now that the weather is chilly, I like to drink a cup of hot green tea (or hot water with lemon) before I eat any breakfast. It warms me up from the inside out and the small boost of caffeine doesn’t hurt either.
10:00 am Fresh Flowers
For whatever reason, having fresh flowers in the house always makes me feel beautiful, special, and fancy. Light pink roses are my favorite, no matter what the season. If I’m feeling down, a bouquet of these bad boys often does the trick. I like to secure the stems with a rubber band before placing them in a wide-mouthed vase to keep them in a neat little bunch.
11:00 am Read a Book
In this day and age, it’s easy to spend 10+ hours/day look at a screen (Think your iPhone, computer, iPad, TV). Use your eyes for some old-school information gathering and read a book. I just finished The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen (one of my favorite author’s) and could not put it down. I highly recommend it! Reading has become something that I look forward to every night before bed but doing it during the day with a cup of tea feels so luxurious.
12:00 pm Healthy Lunch
Keep it healthy for lunch by ordering in or making a healthy and delicious salad or soup for your lunch. Try to avoid gluten, dairy, and sugar to keep you feeling fresh and alive for the rest of the afternoon.
1:00 pm Light a Candle
Always a good idea. It smells good, the flickering light feels romantic, and it warms up any room. I always have candles burning in my apartment no matter what time of day.
2:00 pm Give Yourself a Mani / Pedi
To this day I have never seen my mother without perfectly manicured nails. I think her hand perfectionism has been passed down to me because I feel so much more feminine with a fresh coat of polish! Home mani pedis can be just as luxurious as the real thing if you soak your hands and feet in bath salts, scrub them clean, moisturize, and use the right products for painting.
3:00 pm Guilty Pleasure
I love Vanity Fair. I also love US Weekly but am so embarrassed about that addiction that I read it exclusively on my iPad where no one can see it.
4:00 pm Bubble Bath
I take a bubble bath at least 3x/week when the weather is cold. It calms me down before bed and if you get fabulous bubbles, it smells like heaven. People think it’s a little odd when I tell them that I do this but it makes me happy! I add bubbles to my hot steamy water (obviously) along with Epsom Salts to soak my muscles and detoxify my skin, lavender oil to calm me down, and sometimes body oil to keep my skin from drying out.
5:00 pm Cocktail Hour
Ok maybe this isn’t the “healthiest” tip but I enjoy a good cocktail or glass of wine at the end of the day and this day is all about what I love to do so that’s how I’m recommending you end it before venturing out into the real world again.
These gorgeous photos were taken by Rebecca!
This sounds like my kind of day! You have inspired me to take a day off soon. 🙂
So fun! Enjoy it. You deserve it 🙂
These are the best days. I don’t really get them much anymore now that I have kids. But someday I will!
Love this! And I do like how you mix up your fashion posts with some of these wellness/lifestyle ones– you seem to have a great balance.
Great Idea! I always take days off work to catch up on chores or to pack before a holiday (vacation) but never to just indulge in some time for me! I mostly have my daughter with me too when I’m not working so a lot of my downtime and energy is focused on her – I love the idea of a personal day!
PS Im a newbie reader to your blog but I love this style of post and can’t wait to read more, right up my street!
OMG I love this post! You look too cute 🙂 One of these days we are going to combine our personal days and hang out in your apartment in our PJS and do this haha
xoxo
Love this Julia! I was thinking about taking a personal day on Friday anyway, so I’m definitely going to put some of these tips into use! Glad that you’re well! 🙂
Your lifestyle and wellness posts are my absolute favorite posts of yours, Julia! You just seem to have a great balance, and I always end up inspired to make changes in my life after reading them. So, I say, more please! I NEED to have a day like this. It is so easy to just plop down in front of the TV when you need some time off, but I feel a day like this would fully recharge me!
Thanks for the feedback, Meghan. I really appreciate it!! More to come, I promise 🙂
I’m pretty obsessed with this post! After morning meetings, I was feeling like shit and promptly parked my ass on the couch to rest and watch bad television. I should have had your kind of personal day! Redeeming myself by organizing/purging a different area of my apartment and read a new book.
Yeah! Get it girl 🙂
After a recent NYC type of meltdown…I can totally relate to this post and the need to take some time for myself. Thanks for sharing, Julia!
Love this post! I especially love when you feature a theme i.e. vacation outfits from this summer, your apartment tours, and a personal day. Keep it up! Any ideas on how to make your closet somewhere you want to be…even if it’s teeny tiny? Yours looks so bright and fresh!
This is a great post… especially the wine bit 🙂
I really enjoyed this post. I like that these are all such small things that can make such a difference in your day!
Keep up the good work, Julia!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this!!!! Such a cute idea and perfect for every woman to read! I am taking you up on the wine idea tonight 🙂
xx,
Mary
M.A.S. FASHION
I’ve been feeling a serious need for a personal day lately, too. Thank you so much for these suggestions! The idea of having a schedule (even on a laid-back day) is actually really great — I can only imagine it will help eliminate the “where did all my time go” syndrome. 🙂
I recently read the Happiness Project which led me to linger over this particular post… it’s reassuring to read about other gals experiencing similar things that are doing something about it! great inspiration, i’m taking notes!
What a great idea for a post! I try to have an hour each day that is just my own and spend it doing what I want, but I think the idea of having a full day-long, mini break from the world every once in a while is a great idea. Sometimes we all just need a me-day, and I think it’s better to plan to treat yourself to one than to crash and burn! I find that sometimes I feel guilty or unproductive about a full day spent doing what I want, so it’s great to see others taking the time for themselves too.