I was completely unaware of how little I had been taking care of myself until my college girlfriends came to visit a few weekends ago. I was hanging out in their hotel room that weekend, and I look over to see my friend Sarah putting on a facial mask. I was just staring at her in astonishment, because I had completely forgotten what it felt like to have time to apply a facial mask. I could not for the life of me remember when I had last applied a mask to my face, let alone the last time I had actually washed my face before bed (terrible, I know). Honestly, it has probably been years since I have even thought about applying a mask or done any sort of facial treatment for myself.
After I saw my friend Sarah, I decided I needed to make some time for myself again. The boys were now both going to bed at a decent hour, they were both sleeping through the night (Finally! It took Nathan 10 long months, but we got there), and my skin needed a little work. Between the stress of work and just life in general, my face has broken out in ways that I have not seen since I was a teenager. I blame the change in my hormones from weaning, but regardless this situation needed a remedy, and that remedy was for me to invest time into myself again.
I came across the podcast Forever35 shortly after the visit from my college girlfriends, and now I cannot get enough of it. This podcast discusses ways in which we can take care of ourselves. Not only does it cover topics regarding makeup and face creams, it covers things such as gratitude journaling and other ways to create calm in our lives. It came at a crucial time in my life, and I am enjoying hearing ways of how other women create calm and order into their chaotic lives. It also is a great reminder to know that I am not alone in this.
It has been a few weeks of listening about self-care and talking to my friends about it as well, and I am happy to report that things are going better. I have found a simple nightly routine for washing my face. I have also ordered a facial mask that you actually can sleep in, making pampering myself a little easier. I am all about making the most out of my time, so any product that saves me time and helps this face from becoming a shriveled up prune, I am all ears. I am sure it way too early to tell, but I feel like my nightly routine is already making a huge difference in the appearance of my face, and that is definitely enough motivation for me.
a life well loved 