Have You Tried Champagne Therapy?!

Life has a way of knocking us completely off course sometimes, doesn’t it? When that happens to me, here’s what I don’t do: I don’t push myself harder. I don’t slap on a fake smile and pretend everything’s fine. And I definitely don’t force myself to “power through.”

Instead, I pour a glass of champagne.

And I don't necessarily mean literally. Let me explain.

In one of my earliest episodes of Jeans with a Blazer, I talked about bouncing back from career setbacks. To summarize: after a particularly harsh life crash-out moment, (ahem, I was let go from my job), I went to Miami with some girlfriends for the weekend.

I was feeling vulnerable, sad, ashamed, and worried about how I was going to support myself. Was fleeing to Miami for a couple of days a responsible decision given my sudden employment status? Absolutely not, but I wanted a change of scenery and to get out of my headspace.

And surrounding myself with my support system was a key part of that. My friends rallied, validated my feelings, and gave me a soft space to land. We drank champagne by the ocean, and danced until 5am (there truly is . . . no place like Miami). It was healing and freeing—thus, I decided to call this radical self-soothing: Champagne Therapy.

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But when I got back home, I told myself—okay, playtime's over, I need to figure out this next chapter. So, Champagne Therapy could look like a lazy weekend binging shows, grabbing dinner or coffee with a friend or loved one, or whatever makes you feel good for the period of time that you give yourself that grace. Today, my preferred version of Champagne Therapy looks more like FaceTiming my mom or best friend and ordering delivery—ah, how times change.

So if you find yourself struggling with any kind of setback lately...a hard time at work, a heartbreak, or something just not going your way, I hope you give yourself permission to breathe and remind yourself that sometimes, things have to fall apart only to come together in ways that spark new ideas, experiences, and connections. Besides, setbacks don’t define you, or quantify your worth.

I hope this week treats you like royalty (and if not . . . demand it).

Cheers,

Melody