OOTD & A Challenge: What Makes YOU Happy?

As I was coming down from the high of completing Kendi Everyday's 30 for 30 Challenge, I came across this post on Little Girl Big Closet.  Tara talks about the effects of facial expressions on moods.  Little things like smiling when you're less than happy can actually make you feel happier -- fake it till you make it.  I do this a lot in every day life and not only with happiness.  When I'm feeling less than confident about a presentation, a project I'm leading, or a serious talk I have to have with a friend, I literally talk to myself.  Cliches like "You can do this", "Suck it up, you're better than this", and "You can step up to the challenge, you have before", actually have lasting effects on my confidence.  When clothing is a mechanism of personal expression, can dressing "happy" actually have similar effects?

Well, let's find out.  My life has been less than perfect lately, mostly due to a highly stressful project at work.  This stress leaks out into other aspects of my life, wreaking havoc on my social life, my temper, my workout schedule and sometimes my general ability to sleep (which really, truly, has never been a problem before).  Prior to starting this blog, my outfits would be a direct expression of how I felt.  If I felt good, I took the time to pick out an awesome outfit, feeling good about looking good.  Others, I would throw on the first thing I found (though recently, that thrown on outfit looks better now that I've been investing in my wardrobe, but still), and slink out of the house.  This blog has made me more accountable in creating "good" outfits, but there are still days when I want to say "Eff it". Those days become no picture days.  So this week, along with Tara, from Sunday-Friday, I will be dressing "happy", regardless of what my actual mood is.  I will also make an attempt to do something that directly makes me feel good, regardless of how small. 

Now, I know what some of you are thinking.  Shouldn't I be doing this anyway?  Finding small things that will make me happy?  Well, sometimes we all forget the most obvious things.  I think this will be a small step in reminding myself to take good care of myself and my well being.  

So, without further ado, today's outfit: 

Outfit Details:
Cardigan: LOFT Stripe Cardigan (on sale here)
Top: Anthropologie Claudine Tee
Skirt: J Crew moss tweed mini (on sale here)
Belt: Forever 21
Shoes: Steve Madden P-Oxford

 

Not an angry face, just a cold face :P.

Today's mindset: Tired from yesterday's snowboarding trip (which was AWESOME), which left me less than energetic today. It's cloudy and gray outside and my soccer game was canceled for the 4th week in a row due to rain.  And, as it's Sunday, I spent a lot of time worrying about having to go to work tomorrow (which is silly, I know, but I do it anyway). The BF and I had sushi today, which was fun.  I was hoping today would be a more productive day than it was, but I did manage to get out of the house and I'm writing this post, so that's something, right? :D  Overall, I feel a little lethargic and grumpy.

"Happy" Clothing: The tweed skirt is something that I've been dying to wear, but couldn't because of 30 for 30.  I love how there are tons of colors embedded in the green tweed.  It's a little rainbow that can only be seen close up or if another aspect of the outfit pulls a color out.  Today I did that with a hot pink belt.  That's a happy color if I've ever seen one. Besides, the BF said I looked cute today, and that's a mood booster if I ever saw one. 

One Happy Thing Today: I treated myself to a Voodoo coffee at Barefoot Coffee Roasters in Santa Clara.  I love coffee shops for their bustle of energy, and ambient noise, which gives me energy to get work done.  The smell of coffee lifts my spirits instantly.  In fact, I can feel it lifting as I write this post.

I hope you all will enjoy this little mini feature.  Thanks for stopping by, see ya tomorrow!