While beauty and products that help us achieve a certain appearance are already a big part of my life as a lifestyle writer, I’m talking about looking good to feel good from a self-care perspective. A majority of the time we have to unpack how we perceive ourselves. If we are not thinking of ourselves in a positive manner it may even affect us on the outside. Our inner dialogue can really lead us to focus on the areas we are constantly trying to improve instead of being grateful for the gifts we have already been given. Don’t think because I am writing this I am above falling in this trap. On the contrary I find myself constantly working to stay out of this mindset.
Our inner Dialogue
It was through tracing my thought patterns that I realized that I had a problem. In the future I will share more on the process but for now I will just share an example. I found every time I was unhappy with something it would lead into me being unhappy with my weight. That then left me feeling like I needed to eating which kept me in the same pattern I was struggling to get out of. If this is you I am sure you are saying, ok Amy how do I get out of that? That answer is going to be different for everyone but my story was not letting beauty intimidate me so much.
I look different now as a mother then I did as a teenager. I may have made all the excuses to myself for years about why it was ok to have gained so much in pregnancy and why it was ok I hadn’t hit my goal but on the inside I wasn’t satisfied. I still haven’t hit my goal exactly but I made the decision one day to changed my approach. I face those thoughts now and I decide how to handle them. What it boils down to is a series of small choices I have to make daily. While I have maded a plan for how I address my fitness and eating habits differently than before I still have to feel good in the shape I am in each day. Let me tell you I make that choice daily to thank my body for the progress it has made and to recognize it is still a commitment I am making daily to be the healthiest version of myself.
Beauty in the Little Things
While I know I am working toward a long-term goal and making new healthy habits that will last, I still want to Look Good and Feel Good. It doesn’t have to be about wearing the latest designer clothes, using expensive grooming products or booking hour-long facials. Trust me, even with all my couponing and shopping savvy I do not have the budget for these things on a regular basis. Beauty is in the little things. It’s about moving toward your best self, inch by inch. For me it meant not letting my weight define me. I could still work toward obtaining a certain weight or strength goal but I didn’t have to let it consume my thoughts.
For me, I know if I have a hard time shaking that negative self-talk I can simply take a shower, put on fresh make-up or a new dress and feel like a new woman. Sometimes it’s just that one new thing that does the trick. A new lip-gloss or pair of earrings. As a new mom it was just a hot shower and clean sheet night and that’s all I needed. If I look good, I feel good and can tackle life with a little extra confidence. Because I know this tactic works for me I even use it when I am in the midst of life’s storms when nothing seems to be going my way. “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” Psalm 139:13-14 (ESV)
0 Comments