Everyone has days when they look in the mirror and are unhappy with what they see, but "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Here are some tricks that take less than 10 minutes that will retrain your eye to behold your own beauty.
1. Write yourself a love letter
Sometimes all you need to feel more beautiful is a different point of view. Research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology indicates that people who talk to themselves using "you" instead of "I" are more confident and positive when giving themselves feedback. In this way, writing a love letter to yourself allows you to step back and look at yourself from a new perspective. It will help you see what's beautiful about you.
2. Rock out to your theme song
Beauty is all about how you feel, and music has the power to change your emotions. Turn up your favorite girl-power anthem, and let the lyrics make you feel beautiful again.
3. Get a reality check
Media saturates our lives with pictures of gorgeous women on a daily basis, so it's easy to compare ourselves to them. But these images aren't real. Photos of models and celebrities are altered to create an unrealistic level of perfection. Check out this video that shows how warped the final image of a model becomes in comparison to what she actually looks like.
4. Smile at yourself
A study conducted by Orbit discovered that people believe smiling makes a woman more attractive than wearing makeup. Orbit photographed women two times: one time with makeup but not smiling and another time with no makeup but smiling. Orbit then asked people to choose which photo was more attractive. As it turns out, 70% of the time people chose the makeup-free smiling photo over the makeup non-smiling photo. Don't believe it? Smile at yourself in the mirror for 5 seconds. See how it changes your perspective on the way you look.
5. Put on lipstick
My former roommate always looked put together, even on days she ran out the door in a T-shirt and sneakers. Her secret? Lipstick. It automatically makes you look like you put special effort into your beauty routine, but it takes 10 seconds or less.
6. List what you're grateful for
How awesome is it that your body can heal itself? Or that you can see in color? Start with your toes and work your way up, listing everything you love about your body. By the time you've finished the inventory on how awesome your body is, you'll be feeling pretty great about it.
7. Look at yourself the way you would a friend
Are you as critical when you see loved ones, as you are when you see yourself in the mirror? If not, then stop it. No one is as critical of your looks as you are. As psychologist Marcia Hutchinson said in her book "Transforming Body Image," "If you talked to your friends the way you talk to your body, you'd have no friends left."
8. Spray some perfume
You can convince yourself that you look like a million bucks by smelling like a million bucks.
9. Use your words
Steve Rizzo, a personal development expert, said the best advice he's received is to Never use your words to describe a challenging situation. Rather, use your words to change your perspective on a challenging situation. In other words, avoid telling yourself you look awful even if you feel it's true. You have the power to alter your perspective through the use of your words. Even if your mind clouds with negative thoughts, it will cling to the clarity of something stated aloud. Tell yourself out loud you are beautiful, and you are more likely to believe it.
10. Focus on other people
Once president of the world's largest women's organization, Susan W. Tanner gave a speech on the value of the body. She explained how as a teenager she was insecure about her appearance, but her mother would always remind her: "You must do everything you can to make your appearance pleasing, but the minute you walk out the door, forget yourself and start concentrating on others. You will feel the most beautiful when you focus on making others feel beautiful. So, text a friend why you appreciate her, or say hello to someone you pass on the street.
1. Write yourself a love letter
Sometimes all you need to feel more beautiful is a different point of view. Research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology indicates that people who talk to themselves using "you" instead of "I" are more confident and positive when giving themselves feedback. In this way, writing a love letter to yourself allows you to step back and look at yourself from a new perspective. It will help you see what's beautiful about you.
2. Rock out to your theme song
Beauty is all about how you feel, and music has the power to change your emotions. Turn up your favorite girl-power anthem, and let the lyrics make you feel beautiful again.
3. Get a reality check
Media saturates our lives with pictures of gorgeous women on a daily basis, so it's easy to compare ourselves to them. But these images aren't real. Photos of models and celebrities are altered to create an unrealistic level of perfection. Check out this video that shows how warped the final image of a model becomes in comparison to what she actually looks like.
4. Smile at yourself
A study conducted by Orbit discovered that people believe smiling makes a woman more attractive than wearing makeup. Orbit photographed women two times: one time with makeup but not smiling and another time with no makeup but smiling. Orbit then asked people to choose which photo was more attractive. As it turns out, 70% of the time people chose the makeup-free smiling photo over the makeup non-smiling photo. Don't believe it? Smile at yourself in the mirror for 5 seconds. See how it changes your perspective on the way you look.
5. Put on lipstick
My former roommate always looked put together, even on days she ran out the door in a T-shirt and sneakers. Her secret? Lipstick. It automatically makes you look like you put special effort into your beauty routine, but it takes 10 seconds or less.
6. List what you're grateful for
How awesome is it that your body can heal itself? Or that you can see in color? Start with your toes and work your way up, listing everything you love about your body. By the time you've finished the inventory on how awesome your body is, you'll be feeling pretty great about it.
7. Look at yourself the way you would a friend
Are you as critical when you see loved ones, as you are when you see yourself in the mirror? If not, then stop it. No one is as critical of your looks as you are. As psychologist Marcia Hutchinson said in her book "Transforming Body Image," "If you talked to your friends the way you talk to your body, you'd have no friends left."
8. Spray some perfume
You can convince yourself that you look like a million bucks by smelling like a million bucks.
9. Use your words
Steve Rizzo, a personal development expert, said the best advice he's received is to Never use your words to describe a challenging situation. Rather, use your words to change your perspective on a challenging situation. In other words, avoid telling yourself you look awful even if you feel it's true. You have the power to alter your perspective through the use of your words. Even if your mind clouds with negative thoughts, it will cling to the clarity of something stated aloud. Tell yourself out loud you are beautiful, and you are more likely to believe it.
10. Focus on other people
Once president of the world's largest women's organization, Susan W. Tanner gave a speech on the value of the body. She explained how as a teenager she was insecure about her appearance, but her mother would always remind her: "You must do everything you can to make your appearance pleasing, but the minute you walk out the door, forget yourself and start concentrating on others. You will feel the most beautiful when you focus on making others feel beautiful. So, text a friend why you appreciate her, or say hello to someone you pass on the street.
