Desired results? It’s easy!

Desired results? Let’s not kid ourselves – only through consistency. We buy cosmetics, exercise accessories, dietary supplements…and after a few days we forget about them thinking that just buying them will work wonders. We hope for magical results after one or two applications. Even the best cosmetics or exercise equipment cannot work without being on the skin or coming into contact with the muscles.

It is colloquially said that man is a creature of frugal energy expenditure. He may not resemble a lazy man sleeping through the day, but at the same time he is not a consistent and hard-working ant. Perhaps it is fortunate that man settles for the golden mean, but routine activities are the least of his desires. The day is only 24 hours long, we work on average about 38 hours a week, which is about 8 hours a day, we commute 2 hours, shopping and errands are an extra hour, and we sleep about 7 hours, which leaves 6 hours of free time.

We are usually burdened with additional cooking and other household chores (statistically 6h a day according to recent studies). How to find at least some time in a busy day for body care, a bit of exercise, a walk or simply a moment for yourself. The only possible, but also perhaps a little inconvenient truth is that it is only with iron consistency that we will achieve the desired results. The hardest thing to do is to wait through the first stage of the effort you have made, when you still can’t see the effect and the motivation starts to run out. Exercise makes perfect, but when at the same time it causes unbearable breathlessness and fatigue, and the weight does not budge, it is very difficult to overcome doubt. There are also variants of self-doubt linked to self-perceptions and projections of reality. Such a pattern often arises in beauty care… “I’ll never be able to visibly reduce the imperfections on my skin because I’m just not pretty”…the cream we buy ends up on the shelf, the friendly soapy water remains. When we buy a product, however, it seems real to us that we are able to make a difference, it is not about clever marketing, but about self-belief and optimism. The first point, therefore, is to change our attitude towards ourselves. It is worth answering a few questions, first of all, is the motivation to change positive or negative? Does it want to change because I don’t like myself and believe the manufacturer that I have one last chance to improve my “poor” lot? Or is it precisely the opposite? I am a special and unique person, I deserve health, good cosmetics, self-esteem and by taking a moment just for myself I am not selfish.

Step 1: Visualisation

This is a method related to the technique of focusing attention in a state of relaxation. In a word, the mind works, the body relaxes. There have been many publications and programmes on the subject, but most resemble the hypnotic performances of haunted assertiveness coaches repeating… “you are a world champion, a genius, you can be anything you want”…however absurd it may be. However, the method has positive aspects, it allows us to imagine difficult situations and simulate them, to play out different scenarios of a stressful issue. One thing that is certain here is that we really are a collection of perceptions about ourselves flowing from our environment. These are simplistic assessments, formed in a few tens of seconds, as cognitive energy is very precious. If we communicate with our attitude that we are unworthy of attention, neglected, don’t like ourselves, the environment must take this as truth, because who else but us knows what we are really like. It is a feedback mechanism. So let’s consider where that voice comes from, telling us that you don’t deserve this or that, you’re not fit, you’re not good enough. Whether it still comes from childhood or even from within ourselves, we can realise that we can modify this voice, for our own sake try to hear our inner voice and simply accept ourselves. We don’t all have to look like the woman from the cover, especially if her perfection is achieved through retouching – everything can be done in graphic programmes, from changing facial features and removing all wrinkles to enlarging breasts and flattening the belly (making shadows on the belly or adding illuminating “stripes” on the thighs is really a minute’s work on the computer – look at the photos carefully – complexes disappear in a flash). Let’s not fall for the ubiquitous pseudo-beauty propaganda, let alone that this is the ideal. Each of us has a natural weight that we are healthy and feel good about, it’s not 45kg at 170cm tall. Each of us has something pretty, alluring, appealing or intriguing about us. There are as many beauty types and tastes as there are people in the world, we are all unique.

Step 2 Believe in yourself and get on with it!

Every woman, when she looks in the mirror, sees a hundred imperfections, breasts too small, hips too wide, hair not so, not to mention the complexion…I am not going to convince any lady that it is enough to meditate and the dissatisfaction with oneself will disappear. On the contrary, I’m referring to strategies for realistically setting goals and consistently working towards them. Let’s say we are troubled by a wrinkle, or rather a deep furrow on our forehead. Instead of looking at this imperfection every night thinking of it as a disaster, we can buy an anti-wrinkle cream or even a whole treatment and give it a short massage every night for at least a month. It takes about five minutes, is that so much? If we repeat the massage every day for at least 30 days it gives 150minutes, the wrinkle will diminish, of course, if the cream is good, and we will be satisfied not only with the effect itself, but with ourselves! The very sequence of steps, which unfortunately we very often skip, related to daily beauty care takes only 5 minutes. The obligatory make-up removal takes 30 seconds, washing of the face with cleansing gel or scrubbing for about 1 minute, application of the cream with a short massage for another minute and the obligatory lotion vigorously rubbed into the body for 2 minutes. After a month of such basic skin care, your skin will thank you with a much better condition – it is a matter of consistency and developing good habits.

It is easy to turn the whole situation around and imagine if, for example, we abandon make-up removal. Mascara, shadow or fluids clog the pores, make-up residue gets into the conjunctiva and we wake up with puffy eyes. After a few days like this, tiny wrinkles form on the skin of the upper eyelid – the skin has no room to “breathe”, no opportunity for night-time regeneration and no opportunity to even out moisture levels. And it’s so easy to avoid! Care really can be fun, cosmetics have a pleasant fragrance and texture. When applying the cream to your face, first apply a little to the palm of your hand, spread on both hands and then apply to the face using circular movements on the cheeks, around the eyes. Massaging the skin around the eyes is another 30 seconds and the result is reduced puffiness. You can do elements of acupuncture – using your thumbs to gently press the points under the eyebrows, at the beginning and end, then do ‘figure eights’ around the eyes. It’s a really easy way to improve your wellbeing!

Consistency pays off

Skin in an average condition will respond to cosmetics with a significant reduction in the problem after only a few days to a month, especially if the cosmetic is good and effective. The body will also react to a change in habits (rational and not drastic) after about a month. So let’s give ourselves some time for this change, let’s not give up consistent action, after all, it’s not about running a marathon or swimming 100 Olympic swimming pools, but about healthy and hygienic principles of beauty care and a harmonious lifestyle.

It is worth taking care of yourself in order to feel good in a well-groomed and healthy body. A well-groomed body means a nice, delicate body, pleasant to the touch, not necessarily skinny or muscular, in the best condition we can give it. This is our perfection.