What Makes You Feel Good About Yourself?

[StripedElephant]

I’m planning a bit of a S&B overhaul. Currently I am overweight and just wear whatever fits. My hair needs a good cut and my nails are awful.

I’ve sorted my skincare and it’s a habit now and I always feel better after I’ve done my routine.

I’ve ordered some nice new loungewear, rather than slobbing about the house in old baggy joggers, and I plan on sorting my diet and restarting some exercise.

What do you do that makes you feel good. Anything, big or small that I can add to my
list.

Colour. I wear a lot of it, and it always cheers me up, especially in winter. I rarely wear black.

What does ‘planning on sorting’ mean, @StripedElephant - it sounds reassuringly vague …

Since I no longer grow a large proportion of my food, I have a weekly veg box. (Entirely made up of individually chosen items, not pre-selected by anyone else.) And usually have vast quantities of beans, lentils, etc in the cupboards. I have the rest of my groceries delivered (Ocado / fishmonger / cheesemonger, etc,) so I never (almost never) walk down the crisps aisle. I scarcely touch takeaways or ready made food. I’m definitely not saintly and eat and drink just what I want - but I started intermittent fasting about 18 months ago and although I’m less rigorous now, the habit has stuck more or less. It means I can maintain a reasonable weight without any real effort.

Other than that - very minimalist, but perfected through trial and error, daily beauty routine. Stopped colouring my hair over the lockdown period - it’s really settling down now and I’m pleased with the result. Don’t really bother with nails.

I spend unconscionable amounts of time browsing clothing sites, and don’t feel obliged to limit my shopping to what’s available in my local town. Or to any strict or arbitrary budget. So wearing my wardrobe brings a lot of joy.

A tan
Getting my eyebrows done
A new lipstick

I know this sounds really shallow but losing weight and feeling slim. When you put something on you think might be a bit tight and find it's not.

I definitely feel better:

When I exercise on a regular basis
When I bother to blowdry and style my hair
When I'm sleeping well

Finding what shapes of clothes really suit me. I'm an akward torso shape - small boobs, relatively large stomach but otherwise relatively slim, but I have found dresses with swingy skirts and a slightly high waistline look really flattering and show off my legs, which are quite nice. I buy that shape dress when I get the opportunity as I know it'll always work.

These days I also buy fewer clothes but better quality.

Clean hair, face mask and full body scrub with those exfoliating gloves

@Echobelly where do you buy your dresses from? They sound nice.

Tinting my eyebrows.

A full "Sunday shower" every week where I exfoliate, face mask, shave, hair mask etc and body cream after. Then a little facial massage with oil.

How you feel in your body will be different to someone else

For me, eyebrows tinted and shaped, bikini wax, and good haircut are things I spend money on

Day to day it's a Dermatica serum mixed with a couple of tanning drops; exfoliating in the shower then Moisturiser. Don't forget your neck! Toenails painted

You don't need to spend loads OP, or have lots of Treatments

But only you know how you'll feel comfortable in your own body. Good luck

@Mamette - Boden (when in the sales) and basically whenever I spot that high waist flared skirt style somewhere, I think my others have been from various websites. Websites like Joanie and Sugarhill Brighton sometimes sell that cut.

Losing weight so I can just know when I buy something that it will look ok.

Doing my nails.

Really good matte red lipstick.

My hair being all shiny and flippy.

Wearing heels makes me carry myself better and gives me confidence for some reason.

Once a week, after a long shower, slather myself head to toe in moisturiser and listen to music lying on my bed until it dries.

Saving up and buying nice leggings for the gym (I love gym shark). They're very flattering and comfortable.

And the week of a fresh hair dye and cut

Yoga, preferably a class, but also Yoga With Adriene on You Tube at home.

A pedicure.
A new lipstick.

Eyebrow wax and tint and gel nail polish.

exercise. When I’m exercising regularly I feel a trillion times better about myself

Ok I’m going to add a different answer without sounding like a complete wanker. Getting the balance of my outfits right. - the balance between modern, urban, minimalist and “chill”. Often this means limiting the outfit to 2 or 3 colours. I have certain rules in my head which throw me off if I can’t abide by ( if I don’t have the thing my brain thinks I should wear). Does this make sense?. I often have to play around with looks to get the balance to feel right. ( for example if I wear a light top with dark trousers I don’t want light shoes because that’s too matchy matchy and chops my body up). Makes sense to me anyway.

Divebar2021,

That makes sense. Yes.

No amount of make up, hair colour or nail polish can compare to a decent night's sleep, healthy food and exercise.

I've had a really good weekend where I was out every night, felt confident and "good". Honestly I don't think it had anything to do with my appearance, I was on good form, made a few people laugh, had an "important" conversation with someone that I think helped them, talked about a big achievement I"ve managed lately and which people were really interested in, bumped into a colleague from 20 years ago when a had a high status job and chatted like it was yesterday.

I felt/feel really good about me, not my appearance.