5 Ways to Look & Feel Beautiful
- By Kimberley Chalmers
- •
- 12 Feb, 2018
While everything around you
points to a specific image of what is beautiful, it’s important to remind
yourself now and again, that true beauty comes from within your spirit. True
beauty is about how you look after yourself, how you think about yourself, and
how you shine brightly in this world.
I used to beat myself up all the time for not being good enough, or pretty enough, or slim enough, or confident enough or whatever negative thought was going through my head at the time. I was really good at telling myself all the things that were wrong with me and my body. I sure didn’t feel beautiful. I began to realize that the people I truly admired, were those who were confident and happy and shined brightly as they entered a room. They weren’t necessarily the model-esque person who looked perfect and flawless, they were always the people who were happy with themselves. I began to discover some basic things I could do to feel better about myself and to be on the journey to becoming a beautiful person from the inside.
Here are my top 5 ways of looking and feeling beautiful...
5. Eat Well
When you eat food that is nourishing for your body, you feel good about your choices and your body thanks you by functioning properly. You know the feeling you get when you eat that donut or that massive plate of fries soaked in ketchup…it’s not so fabulous. So let’s eat more greens, and be sure to have a rainbow of foods every day.
4. Breathe Deeply
Take 20 Deep Breaths at a time. When you do this you are actually communicating to your nervous system and letting your body know you are safe and well. This can be done while sitting at your desk, or while laying flat on your bed. If you incorporate this into your daily rhythms and create a habit of conscious breathing, your body will function better and will literally feel less stress, which will add greatly to your beauty.
3. Rest Daily
Sometimes our lives are just filled with so many activities that we find ourselves rushing from one to the next. The idea of resting in the middle of this may be a completely abstract idea but one that is super essential, ESPECIALLY if we are under a great deal of stress. Resting may be for 10 minutes only but let me tell you, those 10 minutes will add so much healing and wellness to your life.
My idea of rest is to read a book or take a bath, or journal and write out my thoughts. Some people enjoy taking a brief nap mid day to support their wellbeing. Rest for you could be taking a walk, or stretching out on a yoga mat, or sipping a hot cup of tea with no distractions around. Whatever you choose to do, be sure to create space in your day, or at minimum in your week, to have time for yourself to rest.
2. Smile & Laugh Lots
This may seem obvious but wasn’t something that came easy for me until I realized that I wasn’t laughing much. I was too uptight and things were not rolling off my back. I made a conscious effort to lighten up and to laugh more. We know how gorgeous people look when they smile and when they laugh. There is something so beautiful about a whole hearted belly laugh or a contagious giggle. My daughter has the very best giggle on the planet and when she laughs others laugh too.
If smiling is not yet something you do often, become more conscious of smiling while you are doing normal chores like doing dishes. Simply pick one activity that you do often and practice smiling while you do it. You’ll start to find you’ll smile more and more and you’ll naturally start feeling happier too! It’s amazing the connection between what our body is doing (smiling) and how we feel.
1. Think Beautifully & Be With Others Who Do The Same…
The more you feed and nourish your mind with things that are loving, beautiful, purposeful, and life giving, the more happy and beautiful you will be. It’s just as important to nourish your mind and spirit as it is to nourish your body.
Consider your thoughts about yourself. Are they joyful celebratory thoughts about how amazing and beautiful you are? Are they filled with ideas and dreams for your future? Or are your thoughts filled with how you don’t measure up, or aren’t good enough? Do those around you lift you up, or tear you down?
I used to think I wasn’t good enough and as I began to purposefully transform my thinking, it was amazing how people began to comment on how young I looked, or how great my skin looked, or how beautiful my smile was…
We shine from the inside out. Our beauty on the outside is a reflection of how we feel on the inside. So let’s treat ourselves with the love and respect we deserve and nourish our body mind and spirit!
To your most BEAUTIFUL self,
Kimberley