Emmys Adventures: How to navigate big events as a sensitive soul
Last year’s adventures: Ballard and I at the 2017 Emmys.
So… life has been deliciously full so I forgot to mention that my now husband and I are headed back to the Emmys this year!
(Yes, Ballard and I got married just two months ago! He works for The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and we are blessed to get to attend the televised Emmy Awards in LA thanks to Stephen and his wife for the second year in a row!)
Now, as a highly sensitive person, big events can be daunting. There’s the staying up late, the interacting with lots of people with different energies, and, especially if it’s a new experience, the uncertainty of not knowing what to expect.
Attending the Emmys last year could have easily exhausted and overwhelmed me not just because it was my first time attending and it’s a very long televised event, but also because I was in my friend’s wedding in Utah the night before!
After an already full weekend of wedding prep and an evening of celebration in honor of my amazing friend, I awoke at 4am to take a car to a bus to the airport to another car to finally arrive at the hotel, get my makeup done and walk to the red carpet a mere 30 minutes later.
Yet instead of feeling all tuckered out, I felt invigorated, supported, deliciously glam and extraordinarily abundant.
Below you’ll find out how I did it and my advice for preparing for big events - award shows, networking events, weddings and more - as a sensitive soul.
Give yourself as much care as possible leading up the to event.
Last year this was a bit of a challenge as I was in my friend’s wedding the night before, but I still managed to take time to meditate and keep up my personal self-care throughout the weekend.
I also packed up all my bags before attending the wedding so I’d be ready to go at 4am the next day, ensured I went home at a semi-reasonable hour after the wedding was over, took a relaxing hot bath before bed, AND treated myself to a mani-pedi in the airport while I waited to board my flight.
All of the above made the transitions feel easy and luxurious.
This year I intend to keep up the same type of care. Yesterday I visited my favorite nail salon in NYC, Hortus Nailworks, for a fancy fun mani-pedi and we’re heading to LA a few days early to help us adjust to the time change, enjoy ourselves and feel rested before the big event!
When deciding on what to wear, focus on the feeling.
The full view of my 2017 Emmys gown by Kristi Vosbeck.
The first year I attended the Emmy’s I wanted to feel GLAM.
Honestly, I wanted to feel like I belonged on that red carpet. So my dress choice - made by NYC Designer Kristi Vosbeck (she also made my wedding gown and this year’s Emmys dress, too!) was not necessarily the best choice for sitting (check out the photo and you’ll see why), but it fit me like a glove, felt smooth and comfortable, helped me feel relaxed while also feeling sexy AND when I wore it I just felt ridiculously fun - like it added a bit of bounce to my step!
This year, my intention is to feel relaxed, flowing and magical. I want to feel more like everyday fairy Kelsey on that red carpet. More gentleness and ease. The dress I chose allows me to do that while also standing powerfully and, again, being unbelievably comfortable.
Shoes side note: Both last year and this year it was a priority to find heels that were beautiful but only 2 inches high and comfortable. I love my feet and feeling grounded and at ease starts with happy feet!
Additional love: This year my purse is covered in beads which make it soothing to touch and I’ll be wearing my amethyst crystal necklace - both of which will further contribute to my ability to feel grounded and at ease!
Pack for success part 1: Support your desired feeling (and yourself) with essential oils.
I always carry some type of essential oils* with me and being on the red carpet is no different. Last year I carried tiny 2ml essential oil bottles of:
Abundance - an energizing and uplifting blend with orange, clove, cinnamon and all sorts of other warm goodness;
The Gift - a grounding and spiritual blend with frankincense, vetiver, myrrh, jasmine and more;
And the forever classic Peppermint essential oil - for helping me stay alert and to keep my breath fresh.
This year I’ll keep the Peppermint, bring my Orange essential oil because it makes me feel happy, and also bring two additional blends to support my desired feelings: Faith and Envision.
*I no longer use Young Living products (find out why here), but still do love and use essential oils regularly.
Pack for success part 2: Energy on the go.
My purse and on-the-go energy support for Emmys 2018. (Nails by Hortus Nailworks in Manhattan and purse found at Bliss Vintage by Violet’s Volition in Queens.)
The next puzzle I had to solve was how to bring high quality snacks and drinks in my tiny purse to keep my energy up.
Hangry Kelsey is not a happy Kelsey so food is important. I chose Go Raw’s Chewy Apricot Bars for the Emmys because they are super small, all organic and I just like the way they taste.
In addition to snacks, I also packed a single serving packet of Ningxia Red in my tiny purse last year. Perfect for a natural energy uplift when you need it most.
This year I’m carrying Ningxia Nitro packets instead - a more concentrated version of the Ningxia Red that comes in even smaller to-go packets - so I can pack more of them in my tiny purse as well as have them all weekend long in LA.
(I have yet to find a travel replacement of the Ningxia Red or Nitro - comment with suggestions if you know something great!)
Replace expectation with clear intention.
All the physical things made a huge difference, but intention versus expectation was a huge part of why last year was such a success.
I went in with very low expectations of the event specifics. I wasn’t focused on meeting specific famous people or mind-blowing after party experiences. Instead my intention was to focus on the feelings of joy and gratitude. I wanted to be a beacon, appreciate every moment and help others along the way. This experience was a gift and I wanted to enjoy it.
This intention was embodied by maintaining a state of gratitude even when waking up at 4am that morning, chatting with people along the way and making new friends at the airport and in the car, showering other attendees with compliments on their Emmys wear, laughing at the hilarious journey of the red carpet line that first forayed through a parking lot, offering to take photos of people who were attempting selfies, helping a woman re-wrap her diamond covered shawl in the ladies room, and more.
At the end of the night we had gotten to see some famous people we greatly admired, but that was just a sweet bonus to being fully present to the abundance of the experience.
Maintain an abundance mindset.
Last year the mantra I used to keep myself present and in a positive mindset was: “All that I see is a reflection of the Abundance in me.”
It helped me stay in a space of expansion and unity versus one of comparison and competition. It meant that everyone and everything I saw was really just a reflection of my own inner abundance and love. This was crucial to keeping my vibrations high and staying true to my intentions.
This year my mantras are:
“I expand every day in every way and it is safe to expand.”
&
“Thank you, Angels, for making this better than I could have imagined.”
And finally, big event or not, Protect your energy.
Whether calling on your Angels, envisioning yourself encircled in protective colors or just claiming your energetic safety, ensure your energy stays high by keeping others’ energy out.
This will help you avoid total depletion by the end of the night and is essential as a sensitive soul no matter where you are.
If this is the first time you are hearing of this concept, please click over to these blogs to learn more and gain practical energy protective techniques: Feeling extra sensitive due to PMS hormone cycles? 3 tips to help!
Thank you so much for reading my recommendations for creating ease and joy as a more sensitive soul at big events. If you found it helpful, please share it!
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Big love,
Kelsey