Before you read any further, you should know that this post probably isn’t what you had in mind. I will not be telling you about which foundation I use or how to perfectly apply your mascara. I will not be telling you what my favorite shampoo is or how to achieve those ~voluminous~ waves. I won’t go into depth about how I combat breakouts or the type of face lotion I use every morning. I am definitely not here to tell you about what I eat every second of every day or how I stay toned. I am NOT here to explain to you how I keep my outsides pretty– I am here to talk about something that’s a little bit more important to me. I’m here to talk about how I make my soul shine! I’m here to tell you about how I keep my insides feelin’ fresh and beautiful, because at the end of the day this is all I’ve got!
It’s important to feel good about your appearance, but there is absolutely no feeling in the world like feeling good on the inside. If you’re anything like me, this takes quite a lot of work. I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression for almost my whole life and it’s not hard to let the negativity consume me, leaving me feeling worthless, unmotivated and just gross. On days like this I have to work extra hard on my inner beauty routine. In the past, I have used just about every type of escape in an attempt to quell the craziness that is my mind. Most of these escapes have only left me feeling worse off in the long run, even though they felt so good in the moment. In the present, I still do this. But I am so much better. In recovery I have acquired a healthy set of tools that I can use in order to keep my insides in check! Of course everyone is different, and what works for me may not work for you, but I’ll give you guys the lowdown anyway 🙂
The way I start my morning sets the tone for the entire rest of my day, so I’ve gotta make sure to give myself some extra TLC when I first wake up! So, literally the FIRST thing I do when I wake up is groggily walk to the kitchen and turn on my coffee maker because I am not human without my morning coffee. While I’m waiting for my coffee to brew, I make my bed and then start my meditation process. I begin my practice with 5 minutes of “breath of fire”, which is a type of detoxifying breath-work that reduces stress, tension, and anxiety and gives you a natural burst of energy. (I have posted the link on how to do this below!!) Following this, I read a passage out of one of my many daily reflection books (listed below). Shortly after I practice about 10-20 minutes of guided meditation; there are many different apps you can use to meditate but my favorite is one called “Calm”. After my meditation is done I finally make my coffee and breakfast (soo important) and proceed to journal for about 20 minutes about what I am grateful for, and if I am in a bit more of a time crunch I just make a quick gratitude list. If my schedule allows for it I usually follow my journaling with a run outside or a fun group workout class. Working out is a HUGE anxiety/ depression reliever for me, so I try to get to it whenever I can. When i’m feeling super lazy though, a walk will suffice… just anything to get me out of my own head, really. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a healthy morning routine in order to keep your insides squeaky clean!!!
Therapy is another thing I have found to be helpful in keeping me sane. In the beginning I had an adverse reaction to the idea of telling a stranger all of my problems but I quickly learned how advantageous it could be, and I now make it a priority to go twice a week. In addition to therapy I also attend support groups for some of the things I am struggling with. They literally have support groups for just about anything you can imagine (hi Google), and knowing you have a community of people going through what you’re going through is incredibly comforting and helps you to feel a little bit less crazy!
Reading, social media cleansing, hiking, yoga, playing the piano, buying some fresh flowers for my apartment, and drawing are some other things I try to incorporate into my schedule from time to time in order to keep my soul happy and to get out of my head. The most important thing I have learned though, is to be gentle with yourself. Don’t obsess about your self-care routine because then it takes away from the whole point of it in the first place; recognize that some days will be good and some will be bad. I am far from perfect when it comes to taking care of myself and I find that sometimes I go DAYS without doing anything that feels good for me, and I begin to feel it to the core. But what’s important is that I have these tools and I can always turn to them. It may be hard to get into a healthy routine at first, but once you start practicing these things more frequently, you will learn it gets easier to be good to yourself every day. You are worth feeling good, and the better you feel the bigger and brighter your life will grow to be. 
Nicole Zimmermann 