“Look good, feel better.”
This is the revolutionary charity that seeks to improve women’s self-imagine whilst undergoing treatment for Cancer. The idea being that taking care of your appearance (hair, beauty, and clothes), can have a positive impact on the mood.
Being self-employed often means that one works from home and therefore don’t have to see other humans. (No complaints here). My aunt recently made the switch and commented that she “hadn’t got out of her dressing gown all day!” Sounds idyllic and I admit I’ve spent my fair share of days in my pajamas, especially in recent months when I’ve been recovering.
However, looking in the mirror one morning last week, I felt deflated. My hair was greasy and slicked back. My skin, pale and drawn. I was wearing slouchy pants, a T’shirt and a cardigan that was easily three sizes too big.
I looked disheveled, (to put it politely), or ‘a skanky mess,’ (to not). I’d become stuck in a rut that was now making me feel low.
Could making an effort with my appearance really improve my mood? And I mean like a measurable and longstanding improvement, not just; “oh wow! She brushed her hair and wore a bra and suddenly felt like a million dollars.”
As someone who needs motivation/proof for engaging in most things. I knew I’d needed a plan. Some of the common excuses for not making an effort include:
- You work alone, nobody sees you. What’s the point?
. - Even in cafes, your interaction with others is minimal. Why waste thirty minutes doing self-maintenance?
. - It’s a self-indulgent waste of time that will achieve nothing. You’re not a f**king beauty influencer!
Here are the answers/motivation;
- Doing hair and makeup is a form of ‘mindfulness’ for me.
When I worked in an office, I’d visit the gym most mornings beforehand, and my favourite part of the whole experience were those precious twenty minutes spent grooming, after the shower.
Body moisturising, facial routine, make up, sorting my hair out. During this time my focus was 100% in the present and on me.
It felt like a ritual or a basic form of self-care.
. - Maybe the ‘point’ is the activity itself? I find the experience pleasurable. It’s not about the end result, so to speak.
. - When I feel like I look good, I’m happier. If I’m happy I tend to be nicer to other people. The postman for example. Rather than snatching the parcel out of his grasp, like a viper darting back into its nest, I might ask him how his day is going.
Is that called paying it forward?
. - When the incredibly FIT tree surgeon knocked on the door last week, I very much regretted my decision to answer it wearing Dan’s dressing gown! I do not want to feel that way again if another FIT tree surgeon knocks on the door!
. - I could use Instagram to document and ensure I stick to it.
SO! Starting on Valentine’s Day I will commence – The Claire Eastham twenty-eight-days of self-love. Click HERE to follow me, or use the hashtag #28daysofselflove Let’s see what happens….