At the peak of the pandemic in 2020 I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and realised that things were definitely moving in the wrong direction. I have never really been one for excessive grooming but I always looked good out and about. But 'out and about' had stopped and at this point for about 4 months; I was a hot mess. My hair was mostly grey, I had taken my braids out and was now in charge of washing and styling my own hair weekly - ugh. I had put on 8kgs and my acne was inflamed. My nails were unmanicured and as for the pedicure - yes, a hot mess. I felt like "Ughh, who cares", and carried on in that manner for a few more weeks.
Who cares? It turned out that I care! After I reached a whole new level of scruffy - a whole new level - I looked even worse and started to feel slow, tired and frankly SAD! Could it be that makeup and hair and nails and nice clothes and shoes and gym and brunches were actually an important (and not superficial) part of our lives and therefore mental health? Listen! I made a decision to put on a little makeup, do my hair and actually take more that 7 mins to get ready (shower included), which meant that I spent time choosing an outfit. Yes, a whole outfit!
It was absolutely the right thing to do. Wear a little blush, mascara and filter-out a few spots with minerals and feel good about it. The old saying Look Good, Feel Good could not have been more true for me. I started to believe in myself again which meant I didn't have to eat my feelings every evening! We are a balancing act and I was reminded that the lighter, seemingly superficial things in life are a major part of that balance.
I promised myself
- to be active for at least 45 minutes, 5 days a week
- to take longer than 7 minutes to get ready - actually aiming for 35 minutes.
- to drink 2.5 litres of water a day
These promises have a variety of side effects from weight loss, increased energy, reduced appetite to looking good, shaving, grooming and being in a GOOD MOOD. I also bought a new red dress.
Look after yourself. It is your job to shine and illumiante the world.
Ego Iwegbu
CEO & Co founder The Good Mineral
Picture taken Feb 2021
