Feeling Beautiful is Empowering

Several months ago another fibro blogger asked, “what do you do to feel better in the middle of a fibro flare?” My immediate response was, “dress cute!” It’s as my friend Marla says, “feeling beautiful is empowering.”

There are certain things I own that just make me feel better when I wear them. Not only that, but I find I always have to put on my makeup when I wear it; when my makeup is on I find I just have to put on my jewelry too… next thing you know, I feel sassy and not too bad.

It’s true I’m still in the middle of a flare. It’s true that I still hurt. I’m tired, etc., but now I’m cute too, darn it! And that means things aren’t quite so bad!

July was a really tough month for me. On July 1st, I had to put down my cat Bear. He was my baby; we’d been together 15 years – three times as long as my husband and I, to give you a little perspective! After losing him to cancer, I told Scott, “I’m afraid I’m going to get lost in this sadness.”

Two weeks after we lost Bear, we adopted a 4-month old kitten, Max. We had to put him down after 12 days because he had the “dry” form of FIP.

So yes, we lost two cats in less than four weeks. That meant FLARE! I went back on my pain meds for a bit – something I haven’t done for nearly a year. Now that we’ve adopted Sam (a healthy Maine Coon mix), and I’m getting back to life again, I’m definitely using the “dress cute” advice.

I’ve invited my friend Marla McNichols, from Premier Designs Jewelry, to share how she uses jewelry to help boost women’s confidence and show us that “feeling beautiful is empowering!”

Marla loves showing women how they can empower themselves through their accessories. In her parties, she shows women who are in the middle of, or have gone through, transition how they can improve their self-image thus giving them confidence to go out and conqueror any fear they might have. She believes in this because it’s part of her story too.

Feeling Beautiful is Empowering

Guest post by: Marla McNichols,
Premier Designs Jewelry

Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are very debilitating. It is a tough pathway to travel, but it does not have to be traveled alone. There are those that can support you and encourage you. Helping you find answers to questions, or just being there to pick you back up after a flare up.

Another resource that you might want to consider is accessorizing with jewelry.

Did you know that by accessorizing you could improve your day? The same challenges are a lot easier to face when we have taken time out for ourselves.

Jewelry is very empowering. It gives us confidence when we are not very confident in ourselves. Jewelry helps fight the depression when our circumstances are beyond our control and we feel hopeless. Does jewelry solve all our problems? No, of course not, but it is a great starting place.

Did you know that there are four different personality styles? Do you know what style you are? These are just a few questions that are answered while having fun playing in Premier Designs jewelry:

• What is the best color to wear when you are feeling fatigued?
• Should you wear small earrings or large earrings?
• Should you wear long or short necklaces?
• How do you get someone to look more toward your face and not at your hips?

When you are a guest at one of my Premier shows, our main focus will be the jewelry. We play in the jewelry, try it on and experiment with different styles and ideas. My desire is that when you leave you have had a lot of fun, you have learned some great fashion tips, and you have gotten some great deals.

If you are struggling with depression, or feeling worthless, there is hope. Even if you have a tough time leaving your home and you are in bed most of the time, by accessorizing you will find that your attitude is better. The hopeless feeling is not quite as strong, and you may even smile again. This may not be exactly what you experience, but you will find that wearing jewelry will improve your overall outlook on life.

What is there to lose?

If you’re in the Portland, Oregon area and are interested in meeting Marla and playing “dress up” with us, I’m hosting a jewelry party on Thursday, August 25th at 7:00 PM. Just call or email me to RSVP if you’d like to come, since space is limited. If you’re interested in working with Marla, let me know and I can connect you.