LAURA KIDD: orange dress

I've welcomed 2014 with open arms. I know I'm not the only one who was extremely tested in 2013. While it was my hardest year, it was my most life-changing. I began my career, moved out on my own, I lost my dear grandmother, and the year ended with chronic tension headaches. It wasn't easy but I learned a lot about life and about myself.
In the past two months, I've learned what chronic pain and anxiety feels like. I began getting headaches everyday since November and after trying medication, seeing multiple doctors, visiting the emergency and still feeling the same, I developed a strong interest in wellness. My personal wellness journey began when I realized my overall health wasn't in the hands of doctors or medications but my own. I made a lot of lifestyle changes including stopped drinking coffee and consuming caffeine, eating healthier, drinking more water and tea, practising meditation and yoga, writing in a journal, quit jobs that were causing additional stress, confiding in friends and family, exercising a couple times a week, and finally learning to relax. My life for the past three years has been amazing but one thing I forgot to do was relax. Come to think of it, I simply didn't. I had to be doing something at all times. And I know some of you reading this are the same way. From me to you, please sit down, breathe and relax once a day.
I was diagnosed with tension headaches during my day at emergency. When I inevitably googled the condition, I learned that they were mainly caused by stress, muscle tension, and "taking on two many activities". Yup, sounds like me. I knew right then that my body was speaking (rather screaming) to slow down. And slow down I did. My anxiety is now under control and my headaches have significantly reduced to about one a day (trust me, that's improvement). I know it will take more time to become headache-free but I'm very confident I will get there.
I'd love to share in detail my coping mechanisms and how I've gotten to reduce my anxiety, change my thoughts, and hence fix my health. And I welcome your tips too, of course. This may sound cheesy but trust me when I say that you are in control of your own life and you deserve health and happiness. Don't let pain, suffering, or judgement tell you otherwise. Don't be afraid to ask for help and believe in your potential, because it's huge.
Here's an outfit post (one I wore to work this week). Enjoy!

Dress: Gap, Rikochet Resale $25. Vest: Winners, $25. Bolo tie: Value Village, $3. Boots: Charlotte Russe, Rikochet Resale $18. Glasses: Kenzo.

My halloween night consisted of many a pumpkin. My sister Lisa showed me a recipe from her favourite food blogger, Bon Appetempt, and we were instantly smitten, and drooling. It's a pumpkin stuffed with bread, cheese, and cream and baked in the oven. What's not to love? We decided to make it for Halloween night in at Rosie's place. We made two stuffed pumpkins and also roasted the seeds in butter, brown sugar and cinnamon (mmm!).
All that pumpkin turned me into one! I decided to somewhat slightly dress up since I discovered how much orange and green I have. I also wore my new, and amazingly theatrical Kenzo frames that I am currently in love with. We had a great night in stuffing our faces, answering the door to kids, and watching TV. How was your halloween? What did you wear?