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| image via pinterest |
There are days
when you won't feel beautiful. Maybe you didn't get much sleep or
your hair is frizzy (or greasy) or you've been overcrowded by too
many loud people for too long. Maybe you wore clothes much too warm
for the weather and spent the day feeling unkempt and disheveled.
Whatever the case, you know you'll have a day when you stand in front
of a fitting room mirror in TJ Maxx and in abject horror notice every
scar, blemish, and hair on your face.
When that day
comes, you will be in need of feeling beautiful again. I know this
because those moments come fairly frequently to me. Since I work as a
nanny, my days are largely spent being hung on/grabbed at by young
children, reading-aloud on the floor, and playing dialed-back
versions of all the major sports games (which I invariably lose) in
the humid 95 degree weather. It is a common thing to leave work
feeling the very farthest thing from composed and elegant. Since I
usually do my errands before coming home, I'm quite familiar with
that loathsome dressing-room scenario. By the time I reach the
obnoxiously-exact TJ Maxx dressing room mirror I have worked a full
day, run several errands, discussed world politics (loudly), and been
given sidelong glances by the composed beauty ahead of me in line at
Starbucks.
Quit judging,
lady. I just want my iced coffee, no classic, add whip.
So to help all of
us win back a sense of beautiful, I've compiled a list of things
which help me. I hope you'll be able to see the true you again: that
beautiful, talented, strong-hearted woman who just kicked a whole lot
of sass.
- Take a walk - when I'm feeling out of sorts with myself, a walk always lends new perspective. Even if you don't feel massively better when you're finished, you'll have done something beneficial to your body, taken some fresh air, and waved at a stranger or two.
- Shave your legs – come on, it's impossible not to feel beautiful after a fresh shave. Makes even pajama pants borderline alluring.
- Shape your eyebrows – somehow the world gets a sharper edge after the stray eyebrow hairs have been tamed. You can go from “beetle-brow'd potato-fed great-aunt” to silver screen star in about three minutes. It's remarkable.
- Turn on your favorite music – I can never stay disgruntled for long when Meghan Trainor is blaring. Especially if I put on my booty-shirt and pretend I can dance.
- Do something you love – a lot of times the reason you've forgotten your beauty is simply because you've been away too long from who you really are. It could be reading a book, painting a picture, sketching a view, or photographing a friend. Whatever it is, do it again and I promise you'll feel a bit more like yourself. Feed your mind. Feed your heart. Beauty is bound to follow.
- Use that expensive lotion – I can't possibly be the only person who has a bottle of nice lotion squirreled away as if I'm waiting for some grand occasion. Get ready for it: the grand occasion is now, the guest of honor: yourself. Just use it already. Seriously.
Are there any tips
you cherish when it comes to feeling human again? I would love to
hear them if you'd like to leave a comment.
Music and dancing always work for me!
ReplyDeleteI love this list!
ReplyDeleteGreat list! I was suffering from this two days ago and what I did to make myself feel beautiful again was to wear a skirt rather than shorts. Wearing something a little dressier than usual made me feel wonderful.
ReplyDeleteTHIS. I just started college, and boy, do I need some me-time. For me the ultimate reminder of my value is makeup. Just touching my face and spending some quality time with it makes me feel better. : )
ReplyDeleteMost of my low-self-esteem days come back to the quality of my skin, so I like to pamper that when I'm feeling low! A good face mask or scrub are always a great way to lift my spirit.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I can't overstate the power of walking away from all mirrors and just focusing on anything but your physical appearance for the remainder of the day. You quickly forget feeling un-pretty, and feel better in your spirit. <3
Lovely post!
This is fabulous.
ReplyDeleteI've started occasionally splurging at fun body scrubs at TJ Maxx - and I always feel better when I add the extra touch of a scrub after I shave my legs.
In other news, it's been awhile since I've been to your blog and all three of the most recent posts made me smile and remember why I love this space.