Glow Single Mama

Sometimes, the path to lasting change starts with taking baby steps – in fact, I believe it’s often the only way. Sure, you can turn your entire life upside down in a flash if you’re determined, but those changes rarely stick. Sooner or later, you usually find yourself slipping back into your old habits. Life has a way of intervening – you get sick, your child falls ill, your dishwasher breaks down, and you’re scrambling to find the extra cash to fix it or buy a new one. And those are just the minor hurdles that can derail your progress. Let’s not mention the major ones – divorce, terminal illness, a serious accident, losing your job or home, or facing losing a loved one.

So, how do you make your life better when it feels like life keeps tossing obstacles in your path, big and small, almost always? That’s a million-dollar question. It doesn’t work if you focus solely on changing external things, like your appearance. Sure, it might temporarily boost self-esteem and make you feel better for a while. But does it create lasting happiness? No, because you’re still the same on the inside. Your thoughts remain the same; your mindset remains the same.

Don’t get me wrong; it’s perfectly fine to focus on external things occasionally. You have to start somewhere, and you will only sometimes be in the mood to dissect your thought patterns and inner beliefs. Sometimes, the little things, a bit of pampering, can make you feel better in the moment. And that’s okay – it’s okay to seek momentary comfort. After all, that’s what you do when you want to cheer up others, like your kids. “Let’s make some popcorn and watch a movie together. Let’s go for a walk and chat. Let’s have some tea and biscuits and chat.” You don’t say, “Well, you feel bad now, but it won’t matter in the long run.” Heck no! That wouldn’t help at all.

For me, those small external comforts that have brought me momentary relief have mainly been Netflix, wine, and chocolate, as I mentioned before. While they’re perfectly fine on occasion, they haven’t offered much else during my precious “me time.” I want to discover new ways to feel better that will also have a positive, long-term impact on both how I feel and how I look.

At the moment, my financial situation doesn’t allow for extravagant expenditures, but there are plenty of free or low-cost options that I’d like to explore when I need a quick pick-me-up to feel better fast. One of my go-to strategies for feeling better inside and out is using face sheet masks, like the affordable ones you see in the picture. They’re easy to find at the local supermarket and perfectly suit my somewhat sensitive skin. What are your go-to pick-me-up strategies?