Have You Looked In The Mirror Lately?

Boss Lady Tip #4

LOOK IN THE MIRROR – And feel good about what you see! Waaay easier said than done, I know. It’s cliché, but when you look good, you feel good…Heck, you might even feel great! The common theme for new moms is never having enough time to even take a shower or only having enough time to take a shower, but heaven forbid anything else be soo self-indulgent!!

Taking a hot shower is literally one of my absolute favorite things in life. Whenever I was upset as a little girl, my dad would say, “Go take a shower,” and I would – and I swear it solved all of my problems. I wish my shower was that magical as an adult, but I can tell you that access to a hot shower every day is definitely something I don’t take for granted. I actually shower twice a day, which is probably forbidden by some beauty experts (too much hot water dries out your skin?), but for me it’s a way to slip 100% “me-time” into my day, TWICE!!

My labor was 31 grueling hours, following an entire day of moving into our new house. I checked into the hospital on a Tuesday night, after my water broke, and I didn’t give birth to my daughter until Thursday morning. I don’t think I had showered since Monday night because of all the chaos with moving, so I didn’t care how much pain I was in (or that I literally couldn’t stand without help), I was going to take a SHOWER! My life depended on it, or at least that’s what it felt like at the time, and I can tell you it was probably the best shower I’ve ever had.

So given my love for showers…and hot water…and feeling clean, I didn’t fall into the no time for a shower new-mom myth. And I’m glad I didn’t because something as simple as a shower does so much. As a Boss Lady Mom, I have taken it to another level – not only do I shower, but I actually wash my hair, put on makeup, and sometimes wear something other than yoga pants!! (Gasp!) As moms we get convinced that letting ourselves go should be the normal status quo, and if we allow ourselves to believe that, we fall into a rut of never wanting to lift our chin to actually look in the mirror because we don’t like what we see.

It’s time to stop making excuses and start making what you look like a priority. It’s not because you need to impress anyone or live up to anyone else’s expectations; it’s for you to feel confident and happier and to remind you of the YOU that existed before you had sticky fingers smearing food all over your pants. Something as simple as wearing bright, bold lipstick can make all the difference in how you tackle your day. If your day sucks, it’s going to feel even worse when your outside appearance matches your inner exhaustion and turmoil. But if you can look up into the mirror and perhaps think, Wow, I don’t look half as bad as I feel, then that’s at least one bright spot in your day.

You definitely don’t have to look cocktail party ready every time you leave the house, but taking an extra 5 – 10 minutes to put on some makeup or do your hair may make a world of difference. Plus, you’ll be thankful when you run into that mom at the store who has her 3 perfect kids in tow and looks like a Khardashian sister, all flawlessly put together, skin glowing, and not a wrinkle or dark circle in sight.

Some of you reading this are already coming up with a list of reasons why any sort of self-care or time spent “getting ready” isn’t possible, but trust me – when you want something bad enough, you’ll figure out a way to make it happen. If that means wedging a Pack ‘n Play into your bathroom every morning, then do it!!

What’s one thing from your “previous” beauty routine that could make all the difference if you added it back into your daily routine? Do you have any quick-beauty tips for busy Boss Lady Moms? Comment below.