As an over 50 woman, I tackle many hard questions, but some of the worst are, is it worth it to do something "just for me". Is dressing over 50 a thing that makes sense, should I devote time to self care or do things for everyone else? Here are some of my best tips for dressing over 50!
This week my husband is away at a volleyball tournament with my middle child so it is just my son and I "batching" it at home. Because we both have some OCD and think nerdy stuff is fun, I am writing all week long and he is playing video games (his favorite thing to do, yay!)
So my first thought was, we are staying home all day and there is no one who cares so why should I get all dressed up "just for me".
And then it became, should I make the bed "just for me" since my husband isn't home.
And then it was, should I make fancy, healthy dinner "just for us" since two is so much less than our normal 4-5 family members (our big girl lives here, but is out having fun most of the time).
WOW... that just feels so sad to say out loud.
If I am only doing things "just for me" then everything can be so much less pretty and healthy and important.
Just Do The One Thing
I follow a woman who helps you clean your house called the FlyLady. She is awesome and I like her stuff but she sends LOTS of emails which I just can't manage so I have to take her in little doses.
But she has this method of getting started cleaning your house... keep your sink clean.
That is the ONLY thing you have to do morning, noon and night. Just keep your sink clean.
And when I first heard that I thought, "what the heck?!?!"
If your whole house is a wreck and you have piles of crap everywhere, how is cleaning your sink going to help your house get cleaned?
But it works. Just by cleaning your sink, that order slowly starts to spread out through your house.
Dammit Woman This Is Supposed To Be A Dressing Post
So how does this sidebar about cleaning your house matter to getting dressed up every day?
What if getting dressed is my clean sink?
What if I look better so I feel better and then I AM better to me?
Think about the last time you spent the day in your jammies, vegging on the couch. You didn't do your hair, and maybe forgot to brush your teeth.
Or you did "get dressed", but just wore your yoga pants and a sweatshirt.
Did you feel great and ready to take on the world?
For me not getting dressed DID hurt my business. I would wait to get dressed up before I would make my videos. I felt schlumpy and not cool. I looked 10 years older. I didn't do as many speaking events because having to show up dressed appropriately was really hard.
What About Getting Dressed "Just For You?"
So back to my week! Getting to write all week felt like such an indulgence that I almost feel like doing anything else just for me is way over the top... but why not get dressed?
For me, getting dressed is just a habit.
I get up in the morning, put on an outfit, slap on some makeup and do my hair. I make the bed. And tonight we are having spaghetti and meatballs (I am a pescatarian so I don't have meatballs, but my little guy loves them!)
I have a nice shirt on and shorts. I wore makeup so I could snap a selfie with Josey!
It Is Not Just Us!
So just in case you are thinking that struggling with being able to dress ourselves is a "normal people" thing, it's not!
I listen to the Happier Podcast with Gretchen Rubin. She is a legitimate badass with best selling books, an international speaking career and seems to have it all together. Well maybe not so much... BECAUSE she and her sister Liz had to make a plan to get out of their yoga pants and sweatshirts for a month. HA!
And Karen Kilgariff of My Favorite Murder goes onstage to huge audiences, half the time dressed in lame clothes she is not proud of. Now, don't get me wrong, she is beautiful and wicked funny, just not the best dresser on the planet.
THIS IS NOT JUST A NORMAL PERSON THING! This is a thing that many of us struggle with!
I was so happy to hear that I am not alone in being a dressing dork. Some of my favorite peeps are too!
So Here Is Your Homework
Get dressed, today and every day...even if no one sees you but the cat!
Make your bed... it is so much nicer to get between the sheets when your bed is made!
Have a nice dinner... make it yourself or eat out, you deserve to eat well!
Light that candle you have been saving, drink the special bottle of wine, use your fancy china and gosh darn it, be super nice to yourself today!
