Kristin Cavallari’s Black Sleeveless Bodysuit on Her Instastories

Kristin Cavallari 2021 Instagram Fashion

Kristin Cavallari was ready to party in her black sleeveless bodysuit. She was celebrating the holiday weekend and wearing  yet another Labor Day lewk that we loved.  I mean you can never go wrong with a solid bodysuit. And on top of that it can be worn really in any season. So even though summer might be on it’s way out the door, a new bodysuit can still be on it’s way in.

Sincerely Stylish,

Jess

Click Here to Shop Her Enza Costa Bodysuit

Photo Credit: @kristincavallari

Originally posted at: Kristin Cavallari’s Black Sleeveless Bodysuit

Decades ago, I decided that it would be my major intention in life to develop more patience. As a result, I am always mindful of my pre-disposition to lose patience with people, places, things, and most of all, grocery store check-out lines.

But the good news is, I am making progress and finding more peace and less stress, even when purchasing groceries.

Patience is a coping skill I find increasingly challenging to develop in the age of instant gratification. Since the onset of the electronic age, the preponderance of gadgets (phones, texts, email, Amazon Now) has encouraged an expectation that nothing less than speedy responses will be accepted.

Answer the phone on the first ring. Why does it take so long for that woman to count her change? I sent you a text an hour ago. Everyone in your universe is responding at a snail’s pace and causing you stress. Help!

I was caught up short this summer, when I visited my oldest and best friend two weeks ago. I was trying to finish my novel, and Pat was ever present with her council.

“Have patience, Joan. You won’t be able to get through this process if you don’t see the long distance. There is an end coming, but there is a way to get to that end gracefully.”

Wise words. If you have a friend, mentor or family member caution you that the end is not the most important part of the process, you understand that process is part and parcel of the end result.

The following are 5 guideposts that will help you re-direct the emotional attachment to instant gratification and develop more patience.

Transform Frustration with Patience by Letting Go

When a friend, or even someone you don’t know, makes a remark to “Have patience,” it might aggravate or offend you. You think, How dare that person intrude on my space and my feelings of self-righteousness?

But not everyone moves at your pace – the waitress doesn’t come to the table in a timely fashion, the people buying tickets at the movies take too long.

Your ability to let go and release the negativity from your heart, turning inward until your needs are met is crucial to understanding practicing patience. It’s emotionally freeing and a powerful practice that can move you into meditation until you receive the gratification that you are searching for.

Turn the Negative into a Positive Patience

When things aren’t moving the way you want them to, when frustration obstructs you or renders you ineffective, when you have to delay gratification, your first response is to get angry or be disappointed. Yet, this is an opportunity to turn the negative into a positive.

Take those uncomfortable moments to recognize your vulnerability and cultivate strength of purpose and emotional honesty. Re-set a mantra or an intention, shine light on your family and their needs. Meditate on giving gratitude, possessing joy and living a stress-free life.

Learn to Adapt with Patience

The easier you adapt to situations with patience, the easier your life will be. Change and growth will follow. Abu Said, a famous 14^th century Sufi poet in the Persian Empire gives us sound advice on adapting with patience: “Take one step away from yourself and lo behold! – the path.”

What Abu Said is advising is to get out of the way of yourself so you can see your life more clearly. I call this the 10 percent solution.

When you are frustrated because things aren’t moving fast enough, detach from the situation in order to gain perspective. Remove yourself from what is frustrating and then note how your stress level is reduced.

Better Relationships Through Patience

It is true that in difficult times, if you practice patience, personal growth will occur. When you face challenges as simple as waiting in line or trying to understand a new idea, patience is your path. And when you have difficulties in a relationship and hostilities increase, you heal with patience.

Patience is an indication of how successful you will be in relationships. With patience, you can take one step away and move forward, gaining objectivity, resolving issues, communicating more effectively and reducing stress.

Patience is liberating because it defies resistance and allows us to surrender, let go and see our life clearly.

Find Your Natural Pace with Patience

Life has a rhythm of its own – its ups and downs, its ins and outs – and is full of surprises. “Expect the unexpected.” The unexpected requires you to be aware, to be present to what is happening in the moment and put on the brakes if necessary to avoid unpleasantness.

Allow your breathing to fall into an easy rhythm, not overly deep or shallow, but with an easy cadence that feels natural to you. Release focus on the negative situation and know that your turn awaits you. Trust the flow, take joy in delaying gratification and reduce your stress level.

Which comes first? Frustration or lack of patience? The chicken and the egg dichotomy is a human dilemma that not only inhibits our emotional freedom, but it also brings out the worst in us. Lack of patience is not a good look on anyone.

People notice impatience, they can feel it in your mind and body. Transition the negative to the positive and discover a relaxed state of mind that will get you through the nerve-wracking moments in your day while reducing stress.

What do you do to reduce stress and develop patience in your life? Do you try to expect the unexpected and go with the flow in life? Which recent situation required more of your patience than you were wiling to give? Please share in the comments below.

My husband, with the help of his eldest son, finally decided to tackle his mother’s storage unit. A task long dreaded, yet long overdue.

The 10×20 unit was jam-packed to the ceiling with boxes of fabric, collectibles and furniture from the home she left in the mid-90s. With resolve, they worked diligently unstacking boxes, sorting items and deciding the fate of things representing years of memories and dreams.

It took them three full days to empty the unit.

Originally, though, the unit had been set up only to be a temporary holding place for a short time. Her plan had been to get back to living the life she had planned for retirement.

That life included immersing herself in her favorite hobby of sewing. As a result, her sewing room had been carefully prepared several years before retirement. She’d ended up with so much fabric, her upstairs bedroom looked like a mini warehouse. But the life she planned eluded her.

Life Happens

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

–John Lennon

Shortly after she retired, her long-time partner fell seriously ill and needed assistance. Her daily routine became traveling a 10-mile round-trip, by bus, to his small home, as she never learned to drive.

After a while, she relented, giving up her own independence, to move into his place to give him the full-time care he needed. At that time, she moved her belongings, and her dreams, into the storage unit.

Her partner passed away some years later. As she had already made a home in the tiny place with his furnishings, her things stayed in storage. She refused offers from her children to help her go through the items in the storage unit. She would do it herself, and she alone would decide what to do with them.

As time moved on, she was diagnosed with beginning stages of Alzheimer’s, and became less able to take care of herself. We moved her into our home three years ago, and she is now 86-years-old and well-taken care of.

With Alzheimer’s now in the early part of the moderate stage, she has her good days, and days that are not so good.

When she first moved in, she somberly told me that living in a home that was not hers was definitely not in her life plan. Her plan was to be in her own house, independently living and fulfilling her dreams. There are two things I want to bring out by sharing this story.

One: Plan Now for the Things You Will Leave Behind

Now is a good time to plan where and to whom your ‘stuff’ will go. My mother-in-law didn’t get the chance to decide the fate of her belongings.

Many things were donated to thrift stores, and some things ended up at the dump. There is still a collection of about 80 Ashton-Drake dolls that must be decided on.

Recently, I was relating the storage unit saga to a few of my college friends over lunch. One of them shared that she has been paying an average of $175 a month for a storage unit that belonged to her mother. She has been paying this since her mother passed away 16 years ago.

The monthly fee was increasing to $200. Just for the heck of it, we sat there and did the math. She was perturbed to see that she had spent over $30,000 to store things that she will probably never make use of. Things that her own children most likely will not want.

Our children’s generation is not as keen on family keepsakes as our generation was.

Two: Don’t Wait for the ‘Perfect Time’ to Pursue Your Passion

Is there something you want to do, but you’re waiting for ‘the right time’ to do it? It could be something that may seem out of reach but could be accomplished if you just stretch yourself a bit and reach a little higher.

Perhaps you just need to reclaim your passion or recognize you can still start a new life. Don’t give up! Just do it!

What do you think about storage units? Have you got one? Are you waiting for the right time to come to start a new hobby, move elsewhere or just do something you’ve always wanted to do? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Bethenny Frankel’s Aztec Print Poncho on Her Instastories

Bethenny Frankel 2021 Instagram Fashion

There was a little bit of chill in the air when I woke up this morning and I have to say I loooved it. Then I saw Bethenny Frankel’s aztec print poncho from her Instastories (which I also loved) and new that only meant one thing: Fall is very close. I mean a poncho is the prefect piece for those chilly mornings and nights. It’s basically a fashionable blanket. So excuse me while I order myself a cute new poncho and a pumpkin spice latte to go with it.

Sincerely Stylish,

Jess

Click Here to Shop Her Alice + Olivia Poncho

Click Here to Shop Additional Stock

Photo Credit: @bethennyfrankel

Originally posted at: Bethenny Frankel’s Aztec Print Poncho

Now that we’re officially into September, we’re comfortable shouting from the rooftop that it’s fall, y’all. This also means that it’s basically the holiday season. What? You can’t tell us that you don’t think this way, either. Given that our countdown to Christmas has already begun—there are 109 days until Dec. 25, in case you’re wondering—we did what we could to track down the absolute best advent calendar around. 

Beauty fanatics and skincare obsessives get excited, because the LookFantastic calendar is everything you need and more to bring in the holiday with as much cheer as possible. It includes 25 days’ worth of hair, skin, and makeup favorites for you to discover and enjoy. This massive bundle is worth well over $500, but you can shop it for $115 and save hundreds. 

Surprising to nobody, this offering is a hit among holiday shoppers. For the past six consecutive years, it’s sold out on the spot. In fact, last year it was such a hot commodity that it sold out during pre-sale, according to the brand. This year, they added more inventory given all the success, but yeah, you’ll want to add one to your cart ASAP. 

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

Though the majority of products included are meant to be kept secret, there are a few favorites the brand previewed to entice. Among them: the NARS blush that practically every celeb has worn on the red carpet, Kate Somerville’s moisturizing cleanser that promises to clean and hydrate your skin all at once, and Shiseido’s redness-reducing facial concentrate. 

A beauty advent calendar is a pocket-friendly hack for testing out dozens of products to determine which ones you’ll love. Think about it. With this calendar alone, you get 25 items from all sorts of brands, some of which could become your new go-tos. It’s genius. 

If history repeats itself (which it always does), then this cal will sell out sooner than later. Pre-order it today before the Oct. 1 launch. 

LOOKFANTASTIC Advent Calendar

Courtesy: LOOKFANTASTIC.