.SOMETIMES RAW.

Cool jeans dress, eh.  And organic ketchup for BBQ later.

Fashion versus Style. I have always been more interested in style versus fashion. I also know that I do not need to spend a lot of time in the morning to get dressed to start my day. When I worked for the German Police, putting on a uniform in the morning made everything so simple. I applied this notion to my everyday style as well; however, added a little style to it since style encompasses everything. It is a mood, it is my clothes, it is time and energy put into it. Afterall, clothes are made to wear and not to wear us. 

My style is very simple. I want comfort, at times cute, sexy to go out and sporty when I work out. For some reason, I combine all this with a bit of hipster even though I do not put a label on myself. When someone has style, you feel it and you know that it is not about the latest fashion or the most expensive designers. I never figured out how anyone is willing to pay these amounts of money for a piece of fabric no matter how nice it looks. Style for me is that I am wearing what I want to wear because I want to wear it. Simple! I add a personal touch and nothing is holding me back; such as other people’s opinions, comments or thoughts that anyone cares how I look or if I am accepted the way I dress. I do my thing and do not care. 

Nobody is perfect, and those who think they are while sashaying around in their designer costumes just try to hide things like fear of being rejected, fear of being unwelcome, fear of not fitting in, fear of not being beautiful or fear of being too big/fat/thin/obese/ugly etc. They forget that they should simply dress for themselves and nobody else because nobody really cares. Just dress like this: 

I would like to share other realizations I have come up with that act as my foundation and are a daily reminder to truly not give a f*** what other people think since again those you think who judge you actually do not even care about you. 

We only have a tiny amount of time on this planet so WHO cares about clothes? There is so much more. When I was a teenager in High School, I spent a bit more time getting ready in the morning. There was even a short time I bothered applying make-up. This soon stopped. I never really cared about those things. It was way more important to chat with my friends, read, write or secretly smoke in the school washrooms. People judged me for wearing a leather jacket I found at a vintage flea market but it looked so epic. Quickly I realized, however, that I do not allow this self-limiting judgment of myself or those of others to affect me and what I wear since this is all such a waste of time and energy.

These days, I also love to dress like this: (It comes in handy if you have a partner who owns a plethora of funky socks) 

So, I usually leave the house wearing something like above. 🙂 What matters is that I am happy with how I look. I learned that whenever I was too fixated on what people think of me, I limited myself. The style is about so much more than clothes; I mean, look at those socks. I have style and have a je ne sais quoi about myself that goes beyond what I am wearing. Isn’t it better to feel good, comfortable, charming and unique and that we do not want to be different? I stopped questioning and over-analyzing my outfits because I know if I lack anything in the outfit, I can make it up in presence, intellect, and conversation anytime. 

“The famous pipe. How people reproached me for it! And yet, could you stuff my pipe? No, it’s just a representation, is it not? So if I had written on my picture ‘This is a pipe’, I’d have been lying!” — René Magritte

Sleep is so important for our overall wellbeing and definitely not time wasted. All my teachers at The Institute of Holistic Nutrition so far mentioned that getting enough sleep is the key to rejuvenate and be healthy. Nowadays it is so easy to make zero distinction between day and night. Nights turn into days easily. We get bombarded with artificial light, new things, limitless entertainment and new technology that disrupts our sleep when and wherever possible.

Living a hectic, stressful and busy lifestyle makes us forget pretty quickly that our body needs a sufficient amount of sleep to deal with it all. If we like it or not, our body is not a machine but has its natural rhythms to deal with and adapt to changes. We do not even need to think about it. The body just functions and does its thing. After I have taken and passed the anatomy course at my school I am even more in awe of it all. The human body is fantastic but it needs enough sleep to function properly. Did you know that according to Elizabeth Lipski “our culture is sleep deprived? Set your schedule so that you get at least seven to nine hours of sleep every night. This is where your body heals and recenters. Without adequate sleep, it is nearly impossible to heal” (Lipski, 2012, p. 174). 

The book “The Sleep Revolution” by Arianna Huffington was recommended in class and I read it in one day/night (duh!). I love science (nerd) and to get sleep information from all angles. The book provides information about the history of sleep, what happens in the body while we sleep, the role dreams play as well as all the consequences of sleep deprivation. Whenever there is a lot on my mind that keeps me up at night, I try natural remedies such as chamomile, lavender or passion-flower tea, magnesium or calcium (which relaxes the muscles and nerves), or I take the neurotransmitter/hormone Melatonin (3-5 mg) that supports sleep. Melatonin is also very helpful if you are traveling abroad and there is a time change. You take one pill when you are taking off (and doing an overnight flight) to try to help your body to sleep. Whenever I take Melatonin and arrive at my destination I am not quite as exhausted. I also downloaded a guided sleep meditation app on my phone that works really well. 

Other sleep tips that work well for me:

I do not like to sleep in a very dark room since I love to be woken up by natural light in the morning. Through adjusting my sleep rhythm (going to bed between 10-11 pm and waking up between 6-7 am) during the week, I rarely need an alarm clock. I love to stay up longer on weekend and sleep in but my body tells me at around 11 pm that I should get my ass to bed. Turning off all electronic devices at least about half an hour before I head to bed helps. I usually just read a book and relax in bed. 

Whenever I do not get enough sleep (because occasionally I watch too much South Park/Simpsons/Family Guy, eat too much dark chocolate, drink too much wine or analyze life too much), I take a power nap if I get the chance to do so during lunch break. Usually, 15 to 20 minutes is adequate for me to fill up my energy storage again. Sometimes I do not even sleep but rest, relax and let go with my eyes closed. Amazingly, our body has a way of telling us to slow down and I am listening now; a lot better than before. Reflecting on the last couple of months in 2017 it made me realize how little I prioritized sleep but things changed. For the better, and into a healthier, independent and happier me. Signing off. 

Good Night.