Self-care Journey Month 10

 

 

Ah, November. This year is going to be different for me for the holidays, and it’s because of more than Covid. My son is 10 hours away at college. He came down a few weeks ago for a brief visit, and because of that, he won’t be able to take off work for Thanksgiving. He is supposed to be here for Christmas, however. G is still traveling for work, and there’s a very good chance he’ll have to be away for Thanksgiving. That leaves just  me and my daughter, who still lives in town. Thanksgiving has never been a really important holiday for me. I think families should get together more than just once a year, and growing up, that’s how my parents were. We got together to have big family dinners throughout the year. Which was always why I got so confused when Mom – and then the rest of the family because of her – got so stressed out for Thanksgiving.

So, my wish for everyone reading this for any family gathering, stop striving for perfection. Stop worrying if everything looks just like the picture you found on Pinterest. Stop trying to get everything done yourself. Delegate duties. When others ask – and you know they do – if they can do anything, tell them to bring a dessert, a bottle of wine, bread, anything to take something off your shoulders. Because these gatherings are about enjoying the friends and family who are with us, in sharing the love and joy.

We’ve been working so hard on self-care these past months, but the next couple are going to be even more difficult, which means we need to be more diligent about it. Whether you have a family gathering of any kind of not, remember that this year has been wonky in all ways. If Thanksgiving or Christmas gatherings are cancelled until next year, then that advantage of that. Enjoy a special time with those in your household. Or if your like me, and will most likely spend it by yourself, then treat yourself with that movie you’ve been wanting to rent, that book you’ve been dying to get to, or just sitting and enjoying the fact that you are alive and healthy. So, celebrate yourself.

My goal this year was to try something new every month. Not everything is something that required money. Most months I’ve bought something new for my self-care, but also incorporated something like mediation or epson salt baths into my routine. And usually, I like to try something out for a month before I ever mention it. This month, however, is different. I’ve only been using this product for about a week, but the results are phenomenal.

As we age, our skin – especially our faces – show the signs of sun damage (because I used to never wear sunscreen), melasma (the bane of existence for a lot of women), wrinkles, and a myriad of other things. In 2015 after living 5 months in Colorado Springs and going from the very humid climate I grew up in to a very, very dry climate, my hair and skin revolted. It was my skin, however, that caused me the most concern after I returned to Texas. The redness began. It wasn’t bad at first, but as the months went by, it grew worse. Finally, in 2018 I went to a dermatologist and learned that not only did I have rosacea, but the dark spots forming on my face was melasma. We went to work on the rosacea first, and after a couple of trials, finally found something that worked to reduce the redness. But never got rid of it completely. I had to put the cream on every morning in order for it to work, but it was better than having a red face.

With the redness under control, the melasma was even more noticable. So much so that I didn’t want to leave the house without makeup. It was an ad through Facebook that brought me to a possible fix – Musely. If you’ve seen the ads, then you see that it works. (If you try the Spot Cream, I highly recommend you do the online dermatologist visit first!!) I took a chance on it, and within four weeks, I saw a difference. Two months later, and I was really liking my skin. Except where the rosacea was on my cheeks, because melasma was beneath it. I used the Spot Cream from Musely on my cheeks, which began to take care of the melasma, but made my skin very, very red. It was like I couldn’t take care of one without having the other.

Then, I came across Popsugar article about this product from Dr. Jart+ called Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Color Correcting Treatment. The reviews were great, and it had SPF 30 included. I thought, what the hell. I’ll give it a shot. It reduces redness, dryness, dullness, and uneven skin tones. The author of the article couldn’t say enough things about it. On top of all of that, it was free of a host of harsh chemicals.

The day I got it in, I put it on my face. I’ve been using it in the morning every day for almost a week now and my skin looks amazing. The melasma on my cheeks is fading, the redness is all but gone (and I rarely have to use my rosacea cream). This is like the holy grail. Now I understand why the reviews were so wonderful. Tiger Grass is called that because the Asian tigers would roll around in it to heal their wounds. Curious about it? Check it on on Sephora!

I love to hear if you’ve tried something new you love, so please share!!

Life is always a balancing act. You must accept the good and the bad to balance yourself to get the most out of life. But remember: You aren’t alone. You don’t have to carry the weight of everything yourself. You’re stronger than you know, and there are others who are around if you need them. Please, please, take time for yourself.

xoxox
DG

 

“And I said to my body, softly, “I want to be your friend.” It took a long breath and replied, “I have been waiting my whole life for this.” ~ Nayyirah Waheed

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3 Comments

  1. Betty Vigneux on November 5, 2020 at 10:11 pm

    I click on the link and it says the product cannot be found.

    • Donna on November 6, 2020 at 8:19 am

      Which product?

  2. Gillian on November 10, 2020 at 4:36 pm

    Hello Donna!
    One of my jobs is working for Sephora. I agree that this Dr Jart product is amazing! He has a whole Cicapair line dedicated to calming redness and sensitive skin. It is currently sold out (maybe why the person above can’t find it) in stores and online. But, there are two holiday gift sets, featuring the above Cicapair Color Corrector. That may help if someone is looking for it. Lol. Enjoy!

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