I cried, “I have NOTHING that fits!” My sweet Joe stood there with compassion in his eyes. The bed was strewn with outfits I had put on and taken off again. We needed to head out the door within moments. I was frustrated and feeling disgusted with myself. How can a STYLIST and Image Expert possibly feel like she has nothing to wear?
The truth. It wasn’t so much that I didn’t have ANYTHING to wear, it was just the dress I wanted to wear was snug. Then the next one and the one after that. I mean, who wants to walk out of the house wearing tight clothing? A consistent reminder that my body is not what it used to be or ‘should’ be. I’m deep in the throes of menopause and while my weight is not up, everything has shifted making my clothes tight at the waistline and belly. To make matters worse, I put some support hose on that I knew would make the first dress manageable and they ran BIG time down the back. UGH!
I was literally feeling like I wanted to have a 3-year-old tantrum. After taking a few deep breaths, I settled for a loosely cut gray cashmere dress with my favorite scarf, tights and booties. Then, I added an extra coat of mascara and my favorite shade of red lipstick and we were out the door.
Now to the bright side! This experience makes for a good blog post. Reminders to you (and ME)! What WOULD I have told a client? 3 Simple Points;
- Planning. Sunday morning I turned on some quiet music and brought my cup of tea and my calendar into my bedroom. I carefully planned (and tried on) an outfit for each event on deck this week. Much better to make my creative choices when I’m relaxed. Also, I recognized that I needed 2 new pair of tights and that one pair of booties needed cleaning. Realizing things like this last minute when you’re in a pinch- NOT SO FUN!
- Buy something new. I am constantly teaching this. I hadn’t wanted to spend money on new clothes when my body was not where I’d like it to be. Why? Is it because I’m admitting some sort of failure? Ridiculous maybe, but have you ever felt that? It’s not necessary to go out and break the bank, but VERY important to have an outfit or two that I feel great in. Off to the stores I went. Not being concerned about the (size) number on the tag. Simply that it fit and would be versatile depending on how I accessorized.
- Think the bite through. Yes, I have been stress eating more than usual and I’m sure that my food choices haven’t helped this menopausal situation. Just this morning I was on the phone with my friend Lisa and she reminded me that my food choices (and that’s what they are) have consequences. Before I take that bite, consider how I felt last Saturday night and ask myself if it’s really worth it. THANK YOU for that loving kick in the pants.
Clearly my clients and I are not the ONLY women who feel this way at times. What advice would YOU give?