What I Wore: Take It Easy

Lately I’ve been working hard at creating a healthier work/life balance. I am soo guilty of spreading myself too thin, and I let the past two summers get away from me while I surrounded myself with side work. As I scramble between my full-time job, freelance work, blogging and personal life, the part that generally gets neglected is relaxation…and sleep. Being a workaholic and a creative, I am my absolute happiest when I dive into a project headfirst. That being said, the extrovert in me starts to dwell when I see all of my friends out boating and hitting up happy hours without me… #FOMO. Living downtown in the summer is one of the main reasons that Dillon and I chose our apartment, so these next few months I am really forcing myself to slow down, take on less, and enjoy more.Recently I have (mostly) stopped taking freelance photography jobs. In the past, photography took up a ton of my free time. I was at a point where I had way too much work to juggle with a full-time job, but I also realized that I didn’t want to make a living off of it. What began as a hobby started to feel like work… I was becoming an anxious, uninspired, and sleep-deprived version of myself. One day I took a step back and looked at the situation big picture: Why was I doing it? I really couldn’t come up with a good answer, which made it obvious that I was stressing myself out for no reason. My full-time job compensates me enough to where a side income isn’t totally necessary, and the time I was putting in wasn’t worth the money. This led me to realize that I still love photography, but not always in the form I was pursuing it. As selfish as it sounds, I love taking photographs for myself. Brainstorming, styling, photographing, and editing a blog post from start to finish is the exact type of creative energy that gives me a high. The process of seeing an idea come to life is so rewarding for me, and I wasn’t getting that satisfaction from my freelance photo jobs. Letting go of portrait photography gave me the time I needed to start this blog, and I couldn’t be happier with that decision. To be honest with you, I am absolutely hoping that this platform will eventually become a side income. But for now, I’m focusing on it being a place where I explore my creative interests at a pace that I have time for, and that feels really good.

Another thing I’ve been trying to make time for is relaxing for at least 30 minutes a day. In the past, after dinner was cooked, eaten, and housework was done, my nightly routine was working on my laptop until about midnight (on a good day) and then heading straight to bed. This habit was terrible for my sleep pattern, left me feeling constantly exhausted, and never allowed me to attentively spend time with Dillon during the week. We watch a ton of Netflix in this apartment, so an easy way for me to manage this goal is to shut my laptop and lay down to watch an episode of something before bed (without multi-tasking). I know it sounds easy, but it’s something that is really hard for me to stick to with my crazy schedule (it’s 11:30 as I type this, so tonight’s not lookin’ good ?). However, I definitely notice that when I am able to get some downtime in, I feel so much more refreshed the next day! Relaxation is just as important as other parts of your life. Make time for yourself to chill out and recharge ?

Dress: Similar. Sunnies: Similar. Bag: Similar. Shoes: Here. Bracelet: Here.

In case you’re interested in using my “watch an episode before bed” tactic mentioned above, I thought I would quickly throw in 5 of my favorite Netflix series! I could easily list at least 50 #embarrassing, but these are five that I really loved. I’ll let you do your own research on the plot, (IMDb knows all) and I’m sticking to ones that aren’t super well known because the last thing you need is another person recommending Orange is the New Black (although I’m totally not bashing because I just binged season 5 hard). ?

1. United States of Tara (Comedy/Drama) 3 Seasons
2. Flaked (Comedy) 2 Seasons
3. The Get Down (Drama) 2 Seasons
4. Sense8 (Drama/Sci-Fi) 2 Seasons
5. Love (Comedy) 2 Seasons

Annnnnd last but not least, the outfit. This is a total go-to summer dress, it’s so comfortable and lightweight. Wrap dresses are also universally flattering; the crossover section hides the area that most women are uncomfortable with. I can wear it like I am in these photos to head out for lunch on the weekend, or throw a tank underneath to make it appropriate for work. These heels are super comfy, and the fringe on the purse really dresses down the look to make it feel more daytime. You can’t go wrong with a classic pair of tortoise sunnies, and my hair is loosely curled so that it can easily be thrown up later while I’m running errands. Looks like this make it really easy to transition through different areas of my schedule without going home to change in between. And the shape of the dress leaves me feeling comfortable in my skin, which is equally as important. #LookGoodFeelGood

Alright guys, it’s midnight. I already broke my “no laptop right before bed” rule… guess I’m a work in progress ? Thanks so much for reading; I hope that y’all are making time for yourselves this summer too. ☀️ We deserve it! #TreatYoSelf

If you’re using this post as outfit inspo please tag your pics with #347Style, I can’t wait to see! And if you have any tips on how you “take it easy”, leave some wisdom in the comments below. You guys are smart and I love hearing your input. Slow down! Enjoy. ?

Xo Amanda