Awesome You
Fashion and beauty fatigue strikes everyone. For sure, we’ve all experienced it. We had our fair share of, “I’m not in the mood to dress-up” days, or “I don’t feel like putting effort on looking my best, I’ve far more important things to do.” It can either be something recurring thing or a once-in-a-blue-moon concern, but bottomline, it happens.
And I know it happens more often than not to already-committed-people, aka married or with kids.
When I finally settled down and had my own kids, I went through such a phase. It wasn’t easy. The entire time, I was struggling. But then I started thinking, if I want something bad enough, how can I not do it?
When you’re a mother, a young mom to be exact, you sure have to undergo a lot of adjustments. Think, you’re not on your own anymore, you have a husband to please, kid/s to attend to, chores to do, among all the other things in your everyday bucket list.
But then, looking at this scenario, shouldn’t it motivate you more to be the better version of yourself?
- Husband to please > Absolutely the primary reason why you should be at your best! You always have to look good for your husband. No one wants to look ‘losyang’. That is if you don’t want him to look for other eye candies.
- Kids > Attending to your kid/s consume a lot of your time. But, I guess this is the challenging part, learn to manage your time, so as not to throw the very little that you can provide for yourself.
- Chores > Errands here and there, household chores, and whatnot, again good time management is the key to this. Use every opportunity that you can to play dress-up.
The said things must never be regarded as hindrance towards becoming your best! Besides, fashion is something you can generate from your home, most particularly inside your closet. What you need to do is ask yourself this: “How bad do I want this?”
With this, I suggest you try these simple tips and work your way out of fashion (and even beauty) fatigue:
1) Make errands day as opportunity to dress-up
BUT: Make sure that you don’t sacrifice comfort.
How to do this: Plan your outfit the day before, and take into consideration the places you’ll go to, time of the day you’ll most probably be out and the like.
Minutes needed: 0 minutes. Do this when you’re already lying in bed, before sleeping. Or plan while you’re washing the dishes, while you’re taking a bath. In other words, multi-task
2) Visit the salon, atleast twice a month
BUT: Don’t compromise your family’s budget for beauty services.
How to do this: Be practical, go to the salon for services or treatments that you can only afford. Have your hair trimmed or get a hot oil. If budget isn’t an issue, experiment on different hair colors and hair styles every so often.
Minutes needed: 180 minutes. Since you won’t do this everyday, twice a month is good, providing 3 hours (min) for this won’t hurt.
3) Turn massage or spa treatments as bonding time with your husband
BUT: No ifs, no buts, just do it!
How to do this: Search for a spa or massage parlor that can accommodate both men and women (not the ones wherein you have to go to a separate sauna room or something). Again, make sure you’re on budget. Have this bonding moment at least once a month.
Minutes needed: A Whole Day. If you have a nanny for your kid/s, making this bonding moment a whole day event won’t be an issue. So go ahead and indulge. If ever you don’t have a nanny, ask the favor from your parents/sisters/brothers or whoever you can fully trust to take care of your kid/s. And again, just savor the moment.
4) When the going gets tough, get some retail therapy
BUT: Only when absolutely necessary.
How to do this: If you think you’ll have melt-down because of the pressure life is giving you, go for some guilt-free shopping spree.
Minutes needed: Half A Day. You don’t need a whole day for this, or else you’ll end up broke, and you wouldn’t want to get into a fight with your husband because of that. Just keep in mind to shelve only the amount that you CAN, and not that you WANT.
5) “Me” time never fails
BUT: No buts, you gotta do this!
How to do this: Wake up atleast 1 hour before anyone else wakes up, and have some quiet alone time in your living room, or anywhere in the house that you’re comfortable discovering an epiphany.
Minutes needed: 60 minutes. According to a book I’ve read on finding your true purpose, you have to spend atleast 1 hour for introspection. Be it before going to work or at the start of the day, or before going to sleep.
6) Swear on morning and night-time rituals
BUT: When you start doing this, make sure to continue it
How: More often than not, we forget the importance of these regimens. Start thinking of your skin as the number one indicator of how stressed or happy you are as a person.
Minutes needed: 15-20 minutes in the am and pm. Cleansing, toning, moisturizing, you can do all these in less than 30 minutes! Don’t be stingy in giving yourself time to do this.
(Photo c/o Google)
Remember: Don’t forget to have fun. Having new responsibilities doesn’t mean you have to forget about your own obligation to make yourself happy.
I always say this, nothing’s impossible to a persistent soul.
xx, A
