Skin Positivity
Skin Positivity has been a big focus on social media for some time now. Influencers and bloggers have been speaking up about their “less than perfect” skin, posting unfiltered photos of their bare-naked faces, showcasing their “shameful” acne, rosacea, cysts, discolorations, and other blemishes that are deemed unsightly, and we are here for it! While we are all for finding yourself a great esthetician who understands you and your skincare needs, we also believe your beauty regimen should be a part of your self-care routine and something that you take pleasure in, not something you dread because you’re angry with your skin. Give yourselves a break! Believe it or not, not a single person is flawless, so why are you beating yourself up trying to be? Embrace all that is you and the beautiful skin that protects you every day.
Sounds like another one of those “easier said than done” positivity posts, doesn’t it? Well, we understand how hard it can be to learn to embrace the things that we have been hearing our entire lives should be disguised, covered up, fixed and ashamed of.
Here are some things you can do to move away from the shame and learn to love every bit of your lovely visage:
give yourself a break!
Give yourself a break! It is exhausting being so concerned with trying to be flawless. Perfection isn’t possible and driving yourself crazy is not only bad for your physical and mental state, but also not great for your skin either. Stress is known to cause all types of issues that can show up on your skin. They aren’t called “worry lines” for nothing. So, when you start to feel overwhelmed or upset about what you are seeing in the mirror. Stop. Take some deep breaths.
Here’s a great breathing exercise to help you feel relaxed that you can do anywhere:
4-7-8 breathing…
(You can do this exercise either sitting or lying down.)
To start, put one hand on your belly and the other on your chest.
Take a deep, slow breath from your belly, and silently count to 4 as you breathe in.
Hold your breath, and silently count from 1 to 7.
Breathe out completely as you silently count from 1 to 8. Try to get all the air out of your lungs by the time you count to 8.
Repeat 3 to 7 times or until you feel calm.
Notice how you feel at the end of the exercise.
2. positive self-talk
Pay attention to the way you talk to yourself and make sure its always with kindness. Negative self-talk is invasive and defeating. It breeds and strengthens insecurities and can cause us to hold ourselves back. Do you find yourself talking yourself out of going somewhere because of a breakout or having obsessive thoughts about people judging you because of a flare up? When you find yourself doing these things and talking badly to yourself because of them, redirect yourself. Focus on the things you already love about yourself. Give yourself compliments! Try giving yourself 3 compliments for every negative thing you caught yourself thinking about your skin. It’s the first step in getting rid of self-defeating thinking patterns. It doesn’t happen overnight. Like most things worth becoming good at, it takes patience and practice, so don’t beat yourself up if you struggle at first!
3. connect with others
Use social media to connect with others who are on a similar journey. Connecting with other people who are also embracing skin positivity will help. Its well known how social media can contribute to poor self-esteem if all you are doing is scrolling those perfectly curated profiles that are filtered and edited to highlight the “flawless”, instead find people and businesses that embrace all skin. There are so many people out their going unfiltered and speaking openly about their skin positivity journey, setbacks, struggles and wins. Take it a step further and don’t just follow them, reach out, connect, and share your story as well! Finding people that understand where you are and what you are trying to achieve can do wonders. We all need support and thrive more when we get it.
What does Skin Positivity mean for YOU? We'd love to hear how you embrace your skin and the things you find yourself struggling with.