How Beauty and Fashion Help with Chronic Illness
I love getting ready. I love picking out clothes and getting dressed; I love being able to put makeup on even if its just a little bit of concealer and some mascara. I love the whole getting ready process, and I have enjoyed it a lot more since I was diagnosed with endometriosis.
It seems like it would be the opposite, and depending on my pain levels, sometimes it is. But on a whole, I like to feel like a person and like to feel like myself and chronic illness takes away so much of that from you. You are getting tested and poked with needles every time you go to the doctor (which I visit monthly). You are getting shoved into tubes for scans, people ask you weird and invasive questions, and to top it all off you leave feeling worse than when you got there.
For me, fashion and beauty have been the things that keep me feeling like a human during even my worst days. The past week and a half, I have been sick with some new illness that has left me with limited mobility, a lot of pain, and a lot of doctors telling me they have no idea what is going on. Below are some of my basic little beauty and fashion routines that help me feel better even when I am laying in bed binging Netflix for five days straight
Nails. Keeping my nails done is something that is extremely important to me. I went and got them done especially before surgery last year for that reason alone. Its hard to explain, but I have always loved having my nails done, and love it even more since I have been sick. As a writer and retail worker, my hands are up front and center all the time and keeping them pretty even when I am living the blogging life from my dorm bed.
Hair. I always keep my hair up and done. I keep up with getting it cut (about every eight weeks) and keep up my color if I have any going, and I will often still move from my bed to a chair to style my hair to lay in bed all day. It really is the little things when dealing with chronic illness.
Clothes. Always get dressed. Always. I have a million pairs of cute leggings and hoodies that I can wear in bed all day or doctor jumping and still feel cute and put together. Braletts have also been key here because they are often lacey and soft and not only are they comfortable, they add a little pep to your step when you know you have a cute bra on.
Skincare and Makeup. Every night and morning, without question, I always do my full skincare routine. Because there is nothing more demoralizing than being sick and not being able to move and then getting a massive breakout. It really just adds insult to injury. Having a clean face even if you don't take a full shower can feel so wonderful. When it comes to makeup, I only do it when going out. That means to the doctors or the pharmacy or just to live life on my good days, but never if I will just be in bed all day. It’s good to let skin rest and I don’t go through my makeup routine (which is minimal) if I am just going to be in bed. But a little concealer and mascara go a long way when you have to sit in the doctors office or hospital all day.
Thank you all for reading! Short post for today since I am sick and not up for much, but I hope you enjoy it all the same. Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Madey