I’ve noticed something recently, and wanted to know if any of you had any thoughts on this issue as well. Sometimes I seem to get stuck in a rut so to speak. I get used to my routine so much so that I could almost go through my entire day blindfolded. I know what needs to be done at what time and how it needs to get done. I also fall into a rut with myself too. I get up, get dressed, fix hair & makeup in the same way I did the day before, and head off to conquer the world. Very monotonous. Can any of you relate so far?
Well, I found out something interesting recently that was a bit of a pleasant surprise. If I make small changes to myself from time to time, it can affect my mood and overall attitude. For instance, I decided to get a new hair cut. I was tired of the same look, so I made myself an appointment and went and did it. It wasn’t a drastic change, but it was different, and I felt wonderful afterward! That 4″ that was cut off really made a difference to me. My head was lighter and I felt my mood lighten too!
Another thing I tried recently is painting my toenails and fingernails. I am not really a ‘girly-girl’ so this isn’t something that I do often. I thought about it and decided to go with the color BLUE. Why not? Who says I have to conform to the norm and pick a pinkish-reddish shade? After sporting my blue fingers and toes, I realized that I seemed to be smiling more. It was as if I had lightened my mood a bit just by adding color to my nails.
I can think of other “small changes” that have also affected my mood… new/different purse, new/different earrings, loss of 5 lbs, new hair color/highlights, and even a new bra! I think that sometimes I get into too much of a rut. Now that I know making a small change here and there definitely has a positive influence on my overall attitude, I’m going to try to make small changes more often. Maybe it just gives me a little ‘boost’ in my self confidence?
So what about you? What small changes have you made that resulted in a higher self-esteem or more positive outlook?
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Christian Nymphos 
I went through a similar thing. I lacked a lot of confidence and self-worth so I tried out some different things. I dyed my hair bleach blonde and got a nice style cut. I started getting my nails done regularly. I bought a bunch of lovely girly clothes and some high heels to look better. I bought all new makeup from napoleon. I went to them and got a makeover as well as a makeup lesson which helped a lot. I started making these changes and found that I was a lot more confident in myself and in my relationship with my husband and my husband noticed a big difference in me too. Plus I got involved in some courses that teach you about confidence, self worth, finding your meaning and purpose. All this stuff started changing my perceptions!
i got a hair cut also and even started wearing makeup somedays
its really nice to give my self confidence a little boost every now and then.
I totally get where you are coming from. I work from home, so it’s pretty easy to get into the same rut. Get the kids up, make lunches, send kids to school, work, make supper, ferry kids to various activities, get kids to bed, watch a little tv, go to bed. When I get to the point that the monotony of the routine feels like it’s going to drive me insane, I try to find something to do that’s outside of my comfort zone. Join a new church group, help out with something at one of my kids schools, buy some clothes that are outside the norm of what I usually wear. Or like you said cumingirl – a new bra (or some sexy new lingerie) can work wonders for lightening my mood and boosting my self confidence. I think as moms/wives/employees, we spend a large part of the day looking after other people, so sometimes
doing something nice just for yourself can work wonders!!
One thing I do to keep myself from falling into the “prepare for the day” rut you mentioned is making a conscious choice every day about how to fix my hair and makeup — I keep my hair long so there is a plethora of styles available to me & I have 2 eye shadow color schemes that can be mixed and matched with each other. It’s amazing how wearing purple eye shadow tastefully can make me feel like I can go conquer the world!
Once my kids entered the teen years, I found I had to become much more flexible. This year has been full of big change that I miss having more of a rut-like life. My dh changed jobs, we moved from a big house to an apartment 4 hrs away, our daughter is getting married, our son needs a job, we’re trying to find a good church (frustrating), putting our house up for sale and trying to find a new house. We even had unexpected problems like coming home and finding that the upstairs apt flooded ours. And to top it all off, I’m our daughter’s wedding coordinator so I have been going back and forth between apt living and the house every month. We will be so glad when things settle down to where we can enjoy being home. However, there is one thing that has remained constant. My long hair. I haven’t cut it since our son was born 23 yrs ago (it grows slow and it’s only to my waist) and I have no intention of ever doing so. I told my kids they would know when I felt old when I cut my hair short. I do keep it styled and do many creative things with it to keep it from getting boring, but my dh and kids think I look better (and younger) with it long.
hehehe I had my mother-in-law do my finger and toe nails bright blue with sparkles for my wedding!!
Umm small changes as of late…making myself take more time out of my busy schedule to take a nice shower. =) It feels nice and I feel like I keep up on myself more.
I recently did these things too. Lose weight, new thrift store clothes, new hairstyle, high heels, perfume, makeup, (even false lashes sometimes), red lipstick, next up…clip in hair extensions. I’ve had short hair forever and am growing it out and clip in extensions look sooo fun! I’m sure my hubby likes these things. But I’m doing it for me. I just turned 32 and am loving this age of beauty.
Thank you for this article. I have been trying to find the right words to express what I’ve been feeling to my dh. Sharing this with him was the perfect conversation starter. This is a perfectly timed article! Thank you!