What's the first thing we do when we wash our hands in the bathroom?? Look in the mirror as we lather up the soap. What do people most generally do when they're brushing their teeth?? Looking in the mirror. What about when we get dressed and need to make sure our outfit or uniform looks appealing.. look in the mirror. I even have one on my coat closet door so I can take one last glance as I head out. Whether it's while we're driving, passing a window, or even looking at our phone to get a glimpse of how we look.. it's human nature to want to see yourself. But what about those that don't like what they see in the mirror??

We've all had those days where we feel bloated, or are having a bad hair day. Simple fixes: were cute sweats or a messy bun. What about those who have bad breakouts?? Oh that's what make-up is for, right?? Wrong!! Make-up is meant to enhance one's natural beauty. But what happens when you can't see past the blemishes and forget about your beauty. What if you have sensitive skin and even the touch of washing your face or putting moisturizer on causes pain and inflammation? Now top that up with attempting to 'beat your face' with make-up, just to see exaggerated uneven texture and and discoloration still peeking through no matter what efforts you made to conceal it all.

As a person who has overcome and backtracked with my battle with skin issues, I know how it feels to wake up and try to avoid looking in the mirror. It's easy to just let yourself go when your face is the main thing people look at while in a conversation and you wish you could be wearing your hoodie with the drawstrings tied as tightly as Kenny did on South Park, so no one could see your skin. Or regretting the days of work as a make-up artist because you get to make everyone look beautiful, meanwhile your make-up is either melting off or flaking off.

I wish I could give great advice or words of encouragement, but that's the exact inspiration of this post. I have nothing yet. I suffer from self esteem issues that don't partner well with anxiety/depression. Now, I know some feel bad juju about openly admitting to depression and/or anxiety but that could be the very problem. How could one overcome the issue if people encourage you hide it or keep it bottled up. That's just an emotional explosion just wanting to happen. I however, want to help reiterate that all of the above are REAL ISSUES. Everyone copes and handles things differently, and that's ok. I'm still learning how to work on myself and be happy with the person I am inside and out. I pray that if anything, I could have at least been of help to someone that's feeling like they're alone.. you're not.. we're not!! Just try to smile when you do manage to get a glimpse and know that once you're down, the only way is up from there.. as long as you don't give up. Thank y'all and as always.. stay beautiful!! <3

All Things Beautie with TeYonna