Self Image

What does it truly mean to invest in yourself? I feel like i’ve been hearing this phrase more and more lately and for a while I struggled with it. Was it vain to put time, money, and energy into my appearance? Sometimes being in LA, especially working in media, this can be incredibly challenging. I’m surrounded by models, influencers, and photographers constantly. How can I find that balance between loving myself for who God created me to be, while also still treating my body well.

For me, i’ve found the difference is truly all about mindset. Once I made the shift from thinking about outward appearance to thinking about my health, treating my body well, and showing up as the version of myself I want to be, outward appearance naturally followed. This is so much easier said than done.

Gut health tea: another little treat from Vail Valley Wellness while waiting for my treatment

This idea of health and wellness rather than simply looking for results in the mirror was something that I learned early on in Colorado. My hometown truly has a culture of taking care of yourself, spending time outside, and loving movement for movement’s sake. Moving to LA and working in media hasn’t always been as easy and glamorous as it sometimes seems from the outside and even with a solid foundation and understanding of health, i’ve struggled, often falling victim to negative self talk enforced by high beauty standards around me.

This past few months has truly been a time all about reflection. I removed thousands of followers on social media, and went home for a little while in order to reset. While home, I was lucky to be able to spend time with friends and family, hike through the beautiful fall colors, and got to go to Vail Valley Wellness for an amazing spa day. This day was truly the reminder I needed that there are so many ways to care for your body- specifically your skin, without harmful chemical, surgeries, or other common practices.

I got to learn all about facial acupuncture and wow was I amazed. While i’ve heard so many women in my industry talk about botox, fillers, and plastic surgery, I struggled to find what I wanted to do to care for my skin. Trust me, I don’t want wrinkles- but since switching to all natural beauty products a little over a year ago, putting chemical into my body seemed counter intuitive to everything else I have been doing.

I’ve been a HUGE fan of acupuncture for years now, but had never thought of it as something to help my skin. Facial acupuncture is basically the natural version of botox- without injecting anything into your body. The small acupuncture needles help activate the muscles in your face to decrease stress and increate collagen production. Our bodies have the ability to do so much for us, and we often push them to a point where they are not functioning how God designed them to. For me, this is due to extremely high cortisol levels triggered by PTSD. I’ve gone to countless doctors to help heal this, and luckily I am in a way better place today than I was a year ago. That being said, the effects of this stress began showing up on my skin.

Though not everyone struggles with high cortisol levels or PTSD symptoms, many people begin showing signs of abnormal, unhealthy, aging due to excess alcohol consumption, anxiety, or underlying health conditions.

I want to always be open and honest on this blog, and that includes talking about taboo subjects within the health and beauty spheres. I believe in investing in yourself. Not in being irresponsible, but in recognizing the things about yourself that you want to work on, and being okay with putting time, energy, and yes money into those things.