The skin you're in ...

[softgrey]

How to be comfortable in your own skin...

every great outfit starts before you even put on your clothes...
it's all about confidence and feeling comfortable in your own skin...

this thread is for sharing tips and tricks on how to have the right attitude BEFORE you dress...
so that your own very unique and personal style can shine right through...
and you can look your very BEST!...

*my tip number one..
you're never fully dressed without a smile...

...

 

[cold_sun]

Seriously ? Dancing through the house to ridiculous loud music, for example Let Me Entertain You by Robbie Williams or New York New York by Moby.
It works wonders and just simply make you feel soooo cool I love it !!

 

[dumbfairy]

I'm not a huge fan of this line but it is true,and that is that confidence is sexy

 

[Meg]

For me, it is definitely not separate. Part of feeling great/confident/whatever, is wearing something that is comfortable and embodies my style. I always feel more comfortable when I'm wearing an outfit that is very 'on' for me.

 

[fashionista-ta]

I have a journaling/meditation routine that I do some variation of pretty much every morning, that really gets my head (and attitude) in the right place for the day ...

First 15 minutes with the journal, where I write down 5 things I'm grateful for, and then how I want my day to go ... what I want to get done, how I want my interactions with others to go--specific intentions and plans for the day ahead and things I know will be happening (like meetings). Basically the intentions are for productivity, harmony, flow. Then I make a list of what I want to put out there for the day--optimism, acceptance, peace, etc. For awhile now I've been ending my list with 'the willingness to be in non-judgment of others'--and it has made a huge difference. (I read that if one person truly lives hope, optimism, and the willingness to be in non-judgment of others, that person can cancel out the negativity of 90,000 people. So I'm trying )

Then I set longer-term intentions--for the weeks and months ahead. Or I may refer to intentions/goals I have written down.

Then 15 minutes of meditation.

It really makes a difference--if I skip it or cut it short, the different results I get and how I feel during the day are quite noticeably different (and not in a good way).

I will also say this--recently I got an invitation to an event and we were supposed to "bring" a couple examples of places we were "stuck" to talk about. I realized I didn't really have anything to bring ... that's what this (and a few other things) has done for me.

I'm sure this sounds very airy-fairy if you're not into this stuff ... but what can I say ... it really works. Believe me when I say I would not get up 30 minutes early for something that didn't

 

[Tinetush]

What is most important to me, is just to be able to laugh at one self, so what if you fall down the stairs, you happen to flash a bit of butt in you summer dress, you walk into a car etc. etc. People around you might laugh, and so it might brighten up their day - that's a good thing nó?

So that's basically my way of thinking, if I please others and make them laugh, I'll be pleased with my self - and thus more comfortable, happy and relaxed..

I really think too many people take their self way too serious..

 

[Feline]

If I'm in a good and happy mood, I could wear a bin bag and feel like a million dollars. If I'm feeling down, the most amazing outfit in the world would make me feel like a sack of cr*p. Think of the good things in your life, listen to uplifting music, have something to look forward to and enjoy the fact that there is nobody else like you in the world!

 

[fashionista-ta]

What is most important to me, is just to be able to laugh at one self, so what if you fall down the stairs, you happen to flash a bit of butt in you summer dress, you walk into a car etc. etc. People around you might laugh, and so it might brighten up their day - that's a good thing nó?

So that's basically my way of thinking, if I please others and make them laugh, I'll be pleased with my self - and thus more comfortable, happy and relaxed..

I really think too many people take their self way too serious..

I agree ... having a sense of humor, and more importantly being able to laugh at yourself, is just about the key to everything ... People who cannot laugh at themselves are a PITA

 

[Belowen]

ta-ta, we are quite similar. I changed my perception on life a couple of years ago, and now I believe more than ever that inner peace and a positive aspect are 2 main factors in what make me feel beautiful.

I wake up in the morning and have my 10 minutes to myself in the shower, which is my time to think about the day I have ahead. I try to stop and think about the things I want to achieve, the mood I want to "put out there", and I try to do some deep breathing exersizes & let the warm water and steam relax me.

Then I get out of bed, and am faced with my other half singing with my daughter as he makes breakfast, the dogs wrestling/barking, public transport, walking through the busy city, 8 hours of a maniac filled workplace & rush hour home....

But whenever things get too much, I try to stop and think about how lucky I am. I feel blessed, and happy, and confident in who I am, and underneath the clothes I am wearing I feel sure that I am doing the best I can to be the best I can, and that makes me feel strong and beautiful.



/ rant

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I love that

I think you're so right that it's important to feel the blessing of your own life ... whether it seems charmed or not at that particular moment.

We are all taken care of if we allow ourselves to be ...

It also just makes such a huge difference to the way we experience anything--it puts everything in perspective. You can make a huge drama or tragedy of just about anything ... but there are many more molehills than mountains in life

And like Tinetush was saying, laugh at whatever it is, and it automatically gets smaller.

 

[cold_sun]

I already love this thread, and thanks to you fashionista-ta & belowen, I'm thinking about having a bit of a karma-routine in the morning now as well, I think it'd do me very well Thanks for inspiration !

 

[Bella24]

Ahh this thread is lovely! I completely agree with all the suggestions made thus far... journaling, meditation, listening to upbeat songs... all have greatly helped me prepare my day. Here are a few more things I do in the morning prior to dressing that make me feel comfortable in my skin:

1) Having a cup of tea in the morning - nothing better!
2) Taking a walk around my neighborhood - the crisp morning air really helps to clear my thoughts
3) Planning my day the night before - that way I wake up in the morning relaxed and already knowing what I'm aiming to accomplish
4) Following certain "beauty rituals" ie. moisturizing, giving myself a manicure, curling my hair

 

[SundayMornings]

Oooh, thanks for starting this thread! I really need help in this department. I live in a tiny apartment that doesn't get any light (my windows are blocked by a huge building next door) so it's like living in a cave. If I don't set my alarm clock, I can't even wake up in the mornings b/c no daylight gets in. It's actually really taken a toll on me psychologically and I'll have days where I can't even muster up the motivation to get dressed and go outside.

I'm going to take some cues from you all and try some of the morning rituals suggested here. Once I'm outside, I'm fine. It's just getting there that I can't seem to manage.

Thanks!

P.S. I've always had major issues with body image and self-confidence so I'm doing this new thing where I've gotten rid of all the mirrors in my apartment. And the mirrors that are not removable (i.e. bathroom over-the-sink one), I've covered completely with inspiring photo editorials. In fact, my bathroom walls have now turned into a gigantic collage of magazine tear-outs. It's really helped me b/c I'd get SO DEPRESSED in the mornings when I wake up and see myself looking gross in the bathroom mirror when I go brush my teeth. :-/

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Sounds like you could really use a new apartment

You know it's very interesting about the mirrors ... when I first moved into my house I didn't really have any ... I hadn't hung anything on the walls yet, and I'd told the previous owners they could take the huge gilt mirror that was in the bath & I hadn't had the new one made yet ... I just had one little mirror somewhere so I could fix my makeup & hair. It was quite interesting & refreshing to be mirror-less ... before I'd had a dressing room with two mirrored walls.

Have you tried a light box? I've known people who used & liked them ...

 

[fashionista-ta]

I already love this thread, and thanks to you fashionista-ta & belowen, I'm thinking about having a bit of a karma-routine in the morning now as well, I think it'd do me very well Thanks for inspiration !

You're welcome, and btw, what I do is largely based on these three books ... all of which are well worth reading ...

Simple Abundance, Sarah ban Breathnach (the value of gratitude & gratitude journals + other good stuff)
The Amazing Power of Deliberate Intent, Esther Hicks
Archangels & Ascended Masters, Doreen Virtue (I like to have company when I meditate )

 

[CaitlinC]

I usually just play music when I get dressed, I dance and sing a long with it.

Plus I make sure I take my depression and anxiety pills regularly. I exercise 30 minutes everyday. Keeps my mood up as well

 

[The_Ida]

I'm unconscious when I put on clothes in the morning, so I have no idea what I'm thinking.

 

[SundayMornings]

LOL! That was me back in high school/college. I was always SO tired every morning that I barely even opened my eyes during my morning routine. I was proud just to have gotten clothes on and teeth brushed before I flew out the door for class.

I want those days back again.

I'm unconscious when I put on clothes in the morning, so I have no idea what I'm thinking.

 

[Melisande]

I love this thread, and great answers! Angelina Jolie has said that she feels most beautiful when doing UN refugee work in some country being natural, grubby and glowing with sweat. This is so true, the inner beauty you experience when your hands are busy in service, you're giving your all unencumbered by ego, and you can feel the worth of your work is the best feeling in the world. Once you experience this, you cannot fully go back to the pain of obsessing over superficial standards of beauty.

 

[SundayMornings]

I love this thread, and great answers! Angelina Jolie has said that she feels most beautiful when doing UN refugee work in some country being natural, grubby and glowing with sweat. This is so true, the inner beauty you experience when your hands are busy in service, you're giving your all unencumbered by ego, and you can feel the worth of your work is the best feeling in the world. Once you experience this, you cannot fully go back to the pain of obsessing over superficial standards of beauty.

I have to completely agree with this. Because no matter how bad I feel about myself (thinking I'm too fat or ugly or whatever), whenever I volunteer and am doing something constructive for my community (and I sometimes travel abroad to volunteer as well), I just feel amazing. Because it just puts everything in perspective and helps remind me that all the issues I have with my body are just so silly and trivial.