How to maintain good habits

[spanieleyes22]

So I do let myself go and I hate myself then I have a burst of enthusiasm and do my skincare and nails but then I get lazy again. Wearing the same few outfits to work and wearing scruffy things when wfh. I know I need to work at it but is there anyone who has any advice on how to maintain habits . I always feel better when I make an effort. I want to look put together and more groomed but I keep slipping back to bad habits ! Has anyone cracked it

Start small and build up. Add one thing at a time until it becomes habit and then add one new thing, and so on. If you try to do too much too soon you can keep it up for a short time but then it becomes overwhelming and all of it ends up falling by the wayside. So for example start with skincare. If it involves multiple steps that are not habit yet, break it down into individual components if its too overwhelming to tackle all in one go.

Hello. I reckon I have good habits. Let's have a think.

Firstly, watch what you say - under no circumstances should a person hate themselves - no. Can you deal with that to start with?? 'I am cross with myself, I prefer it when I do better' etc - that's better yes?

Skincare and nails - try a simple routine - you wash your face with special facewash stuff and you use a day cream and a night cream, every day - can you do that?

Nails - do you have fake ones or do your own? I do my own because I play instruments and one hand has to be short. This means my nails can always grow as they are strong - I cut them and shape them once a week. I like wearing nail varnish but playing the guitar causes chips. Nude colours are best, or just nothing. Can you cut and file your nails every Sunday?

One more thing I do with skincare is - I use Michael Jackson gloves from the supermarket, the scrubby ones, and I exfoliate from top to bottom and then moisturise. Can you do that? It is LUSH. Gorgeous smooth hydrated skin.

With clothes, I used to feel like you did and I read somewhere that we should just get rid of clothes that made us feel shabby, meh, old, or just shit. Chuck them out, give them away - and you can never wear them again and hence never feel like that again. Step one.

Have you got any money to buy some newer things to lunge around at home in? pretty colours, good shape, as good fabric as you can afford? I have two main lounging outfits; one to wear, one in the wash, both lush.

I like buying second hand men's XL cashmere jumpers from eBay - buy it now, about £25, big and roomy and cosy, gorgeous fabrics, last forever, wear as PJs at home.

The thing about a self care routine is that it takes time - but I think it is worth it. I cut my moustache hairs with scissors once a week. I wax my own legs once every two weeks. I deep condition my hair every week. I scrub and moisturise. I eat fruit and vegetables and do squats with kettle bells. BUT the payoff is good. I feel nice, I look young, I am strong, I am supple, I am proud. It's about choosing your hard - it's hard to feel shit, or hard work to feel good.

ENJOY xxx

Get a caddy and put your things in it; nails, skincare etc. Wash your face before you settle down to the TV, read at night, and get your gorgeous pamper things out and do them whilst you are chilling for the night.

Multitasking ;)

I think I have pretty good habits, and for me the trick is not to wait until bed to do "night time" stuff (because then I would be too tired to do it properly), have a routine, and be organised for the morning the night before.

So...

As soon as I get in from work or finish WFH I take my makeup off, do skincare, change into loungewear. No loungewear for WFH because it doesn't work for me. I also pull out my outfit for the next day and hang it in the bathroom, right down to bra/knickers. If I didn't do this I would be going to work in my pyjamas.

Two or three times a week I paint my nails, which I keep short and squareish. I do this while watching TV in the evening.

On a Sunday I have a big bubble bath and shave my legs, exfoliate, maybe some gradual tan, do a pedicure afterwards.

I don't gym but I get at least 10K steps a day, and have a routine I do at home with (girlie light) weights in front of the TV every day - squats, arms, waist etc, then a plank for a minute. Sometimes my cat joins the plank which is nice.

I book hair appointments and eyebrow appointments as I leave the previous one.

Agree with PP about not keeping crappy old clothes that make you feel crappy - get rid of them! A few years ago I had a real think about where I wanted to focus spending on in my wardrobe. I am a 10/12 with a big bum and thighs, so cheap jeans and trousers generally are not my friend, so I buy mainly Levi's jeans and Cos trousers. I live in Scotland and feel the cold, so I buy "good" knitwear from Cos and Arket which lasts years rather than picking up cheaper synthetic jumpers from M&S or Zara. I don't tend to spend much on summer clothes as we don't always get the weather for them, but I do spend on coats/jackets, bags and shoes (still higher end high street, not designer prices).

If you wear makeup, consider what your "thing" is. I always wear red lipstick which is a bit of a "trademark" for me. I don't really bother with eye makeup beyond some mascara, and even with no other makeup I look polished just in red lipstick. One of my friends always has a smoky eye which is her look, just some clear gloss on her lips. And of course I have other friends who wear no makeup too.

Thank you so much for the very long replies I appreciate it! Am trying but keep reverting back to laziness. I did wash my hair and do skincare after tonight. Step in the right direction long way to go!!!

I just elevate lazy clothing. I wear a matching loungewear set and then add a large scarf or pashmina with some fancy platform sneakers. I tie my hair back because I can’t be bothered to style it but always wear medium sized earrings so it looks like I chose them rather than a small pair that go with anything.
Make some ongoing appointments to get your brows and eyelashes done because then you don’t really need to do eye makeup, I just wear lipstick and use the lipstick for blush.
skincare - do a micellar water wipe at night and then moisturise. Use a tinted moisturiser during the day so it looks like you have a bit of foundation on.
Personally I don’t bother with nails or shaving

@something2say
Choose your hard - love that. Could be applied to multiple life choices.