WHAT DO I MEAN BY THE LONG GAME? TAKING TIME, INVESTING IN YOURSELF, KNOW THAT THERE ARE NO CHEAP OR QUICK SOLUTIONS.
YOUR FUTURE SELF THANKS YOU.
We live in a world where we can download answers to (almost) anything in seconds, order food and have it in minutes, speed dating, “there’s an app for that”, surgeries and procedures for almost any change we want and while constantly looking though the veil of social media where everyone’s life, body, husband, work, vacation etc seems perfect…those quick fixes get incredibly appealing. Lemme tell you, if it looks to good to be true, it probably is.
Start slow with baby steps. Fall in love with the process and yourself. Like planning ritual bath evenings – it doesn’t have to be expensive either, it just takes a bit of planning and creativity.
I used to be a freelance makeup artist in Toronto and would often work for brands in large fancy schmancy department stores. The women I would help were usually older, had a lot of money and would have typically worn a lot of makeup at least every day for most of their lives. Their skin was (typically) very dry, thin, crepey and their mentality was the “needed” products like addicts. Then I moved to the country where I had my wee beauty store and served a very different market, still the same age but farmers wives, women who worked in the city, mothers of three… rarely wore makeup and it was usually a low priority. Their skin was plumper, had more life and was way better in general. Makeup isn’t bad, but take breaks, give your skin some love, eat well and know that makeup isn’t life, use it if and when you want to, it’s a tool for some. I’d rather see a lip balmed smile over a perfectly lined red lip scowl annnny day of the week.
I remember coming back from some retreats that really fed my soul. Like my yoga teacher training, it was a month of yoga at least four hours a day, sunshine – hello a bit of a tan! And the most incredible clean food. I’ve never looked better in my life. EVERYone said how incredible and young I looked and I wasn’t wearing heels or dressed up, my hair was never that done and it was, most of the time, without any makeup. I beamed happiness, I was healthy, confident, more self aware and felt such an inner calm I was more present to listen to what others had to say. That was my prettiest self. Of course it starts to slip, in my ideal life I would have a month away like that at least once a year *fingers crossed for one day*. And then people would question if maybe I had an aging portrait of myself in my attic…
SOME IDEAS- MAYBE PICK A COUPLE TO START WITH:
- DIY products – just by purchasing a base amount of ingredients – there are so many things you can make! From Body scrubs, to oils, teeth whitening treatment, balms, insect repellent… oodles of options
- Eat well. I know I know, you’ve heard it before but you are what you eat. Try and be clean, organic and as local as you can.
- Take a Gua Sha or face roller class (or watch YouTube vids) to learn the proper techniques of a good self face massage – Gua Sha is a gem stone curved paddle which helps with muscle, joint pain, self with a bit of a natural facelift and can also benefit the immune system and reduce inflammation.
- Dry brushing
- Yoga and meditation – So important to have a calm mind. Self awareness is key for living a happy life. And c’mon, stress wrinkles aren’t fun.
- Acupuncture
- Naturapothy
- Do things just for you. Seriously. It isn’t selfish, you can’t pour from an empty cup. Do what fills your soul and makes you happy, your friends and family deserve you and your best, right?
- Say no – nicely, but if you don’t feel like going to that thing of Friday, just bow out, be honest. It’s ok.
- A great support system. If you leave your friends drained or feeling bad about yourself… check in, go there, ask yourself why and if you still want these people in your life or if you can shift the energy to a better place.
- Stare at the stars, go for walks without your phone, wander down streets you’ve never been on, be present and open
- Smile…better yet, laugh often. Find those people, those circumstances and laugh your ass off as much as you can.
- Love you. You deserve nothing less, love you first.
I hope you liked these ideas! If you have any to add, shoot me an email or find me on INSTAGRAM – I’d love to hear them
IF YOU WOULD LIKE ANY SUPPORT IN THIS, I GOT YOU
BOOK ANY TIME FOR YOUR FREE FIRST COFFEE DATE TO GO OVER SELF CARE, RECIPES OR ANYTHING YOU NEED
