Prioritizing Your Well-being: A New Year's Resolution
When life gets busy, it's easy to neglect your own well-being while juggling work, family, and other responsibilities. However, the start of a new year provides an opportunity to start fresh, reflect, and make adjustments that will help you become the best version of yourself.
Whether you want to elevate your living spaces, read more books, adopt a new workout regimen, or simply improve the quality of your sleep, we've got you covered with some amazing product recommendations.
Good Lighting
Lighting can make your break your space. What do I mean by this? Number one- lighting illuminates you and your space. I personally love that “golden hour” glow at sunset time. It’s a moody warm light and you can actually accomplish that in your space! Choose a light bulb that has the Kelvin temperature of 2700. That will give off the warm glowy light that you want. Number two- put your lights on dimmers. If you can put all of your lighting on dimmer switches, that allows you to be in full control. Do you want the lights on super blast? Or would you like it a little dimmer as you wind down for the night? Number three- materiality and filtration. The material you choose to place in front of your light source will inevitably filter the light. So ask yourself, do you want clear glass in front of it? Or would you like a linen shade to slightly diffuse the light? There are so many options when it comes to lighting and I love a good mix of vintage and new. Mixing finishes and materials gives your space a cozy acquired look.
Good Books - Cook Books
New recipes add new soul to the kitchen. My husband is German so when I stumbled up on this dreamy German cookbook, I knew I had to add it into this blog post. I’ll need to buy it soon. The best vacation my husband and I ever had was our trip to Italy because the food was incredible! No shade to Olive Garden, I love Olive Garden, but I did not know what real authentic Italian cuisine was until we went to Italy and it’s incredible! So this EATLY cookbook is a must. What kinds of dishes are you making these days? I’d love to know because it’s winter and I’m in my “need to make new recipes” era.
Good Beds
Good sleep can transform your year. It’s so true. Your bed is the last thing you see at night and the first thing you see when you wake up. So don’t you want to love it? There’s nothing like having a soft bed to rest your head against at the end of the night and read a book. You can opt for the fully upholstered headboard, siderails and foot board, or you can choose to purchase a wall-mounted headboard. That is a great affordable option that still adds a wonderful look to your room. I’m currently loving the Noah Headboard from Urban Outfitters and want to buy it so bad! But I don’t have a room to put it in right now haha. Can I please design one of your rooms with this wall-mounted headboard? It would be so stunning!
Good Bedding
People! I am not lying to you when I say that we got the Cotton Cloud Quilt from Parachute for Christmas and it has changed my life. Haha okay not like a complete 180 but it has made me so happy! I never realized that my previous bedding was such poor quality until this cotton cloud quilt showed up. It is the softest thing ever and is surprisingly warm. I typically wear sweatpants, sweatshirt, and socks to bed. Then I pile on the sheet, our quilt AND the heavy denim quilt from grandma. Why? Because I’m usually so cold! But I love this blanket and it keeps heat in really well. Even my husband loves it and he tends to sleep on the warmer side. So it must be breathable enough for him too. Gotta love that! I also love the oversized linen cover trend that we’re seeing everywhere on social media. Hot tip for that: Size up! Buy the size up so that the cover drapes elegantly onto the floor. Scallops and pleats are in. We know it, we love it! I love the subtle scallop on the pillow cases that Sara Sherman Samuel designed for Lulu and Georgia. I also love the Linen Box Pleat Bed Skirt that Jake Arnold designed for Parachute. These are great ways to elevate the look of your bed.
Good Workout Gear
Moving my body has transformed my mental health. Yes! My mental health! I had really bad postpartum depression and anxiety after I had my son…. until I started Brazilian jiu jitsu, then POOF! It all went away. I still worry and stress and get down now and then, but I have escaped from the mental fog that had consumed my brain. Brazilian jiu jitsu miiiight not be for you and that’s okay. One thing that always inspires me to workout is cute workout gear! When I saw these python boxing gloves I was like, “yes pleeeease!” I did not buy them, but I want to. So I began curating workout equipment around that aesthetic and came up with this grouping. I love the wood handles because I’m big on connecting with nature in whatever capacity you are able. Can’t get outside on a walk that day? No worries. Use your wooden weights or wooden jump rope. Then I Iove the neutral colors of the yoga mat and kettle bell balls. You might not use them at the same time, haha I wouldn’t even recommend that you do. But I like how they are complimentary. Then rounding it out with my favorite material: Leather! This leather boxing bag is stunning! It’s so good looking it could be a piece of sculptural artwork.
Good Books - Self Growth
If you’re anything like me, I am always trying to grow, learn and become a better person. It’s an endless pursuit but an important one because I never want to stay stagnant. I believe that if you want to grow in your business, you also need to be growing in your personal life. Growth is a lifestyle. The first “growth” book I read years ago was “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz and it rocked my perspective. The main takeaway I got from that book was other people’s perceptions and reactions have nothing to do with me. Read the book to find out more. I promise it’s a great steppingstone to be more aware and take things less personally. Next up, I strongly believe that every health class should be required to read “Come As You Are” by Emily Nagoski in leu of the sex ed curriculum they actually teach. (Not middle school level, but perhaps high school and definitely college age+.) All I’m saying is this book was incredibly informative to me as a grown adult woman and explored concepts I’d never even heard of. I’m so thankful I read this book and I’m trying to get my husband to read it as well, because like I said, I believe everyone should read this book. “Everybody Fights” is a book written by Kim and Penn Holderness but they quote SO MANY doctors and psychologists in their book. It is jam packed with helpful information on how to navigate conflict resolution. We all learned how to handle conflict by watching our parents, guardians or teachers as we grew up. I believe it is our it is our responsibility as adults to educate ourselves on alternate ways of coping and dealing with the inevitable issues that life throws our way. Every family struggles. No marriage is without disagreement. This book is a great place to start if you’d like to learn more about how to approach conflict resolution in a healthy way. I wish we could all read, understand and apply the principles in this book to our lives. Thank you Kim and Penn for writing a book that so many of us truly need.