Few people interested in fashion, style, and beauty would argue that it doesn’t take effort and focus to keep up with. Sometimes, that effort can be a joy, the rituals of finding makeup you like, clothes you enjoy or accessories that define you can be exciting and even help connect you with other people.
But sometimes, it can feel like a chore, particularly when you’re trying to nurse your hair back to heath or prepare for an event with nothing to wear (or nothing you feel comfortable wearing). Moreover, obligation can make you feel completely burned out and tired, even in a hobby you used to enjoy. You may love cooking, but if you were forced to cook a perfectly elaborate and new recipe on a daily basis, you might long for the cheap snacks and comforts that you’re used to. Moderation, even in the things we love, is how we keep the passion alive.
So if you feel as though beauty, style and fashion has become a chore for you, you may just need to take another approach. After all, you owe no one anything with regards to your appearance, nor must you look a certain way to be worthy of respect.
For this reason, consider some of the following advice:
Take A Break From It All
If you’re used to constantly caring for how you look and maintaining your wellbeing and mood through that, then it can be nice to take a break, even for a few days.
Allow yourself the freedom to skip makeup for a few days or dress in whatever feels comfortable rather than what looks the best, or feeling as though you need to be on your top form constantly. This break will help you reconnect with your natural preferences and might even remind you why you started enjoying fashion and beauty in the first place.
Enjoy A Self-Care Tune Up
Self-care is a nice alternative to outright fashion or beauty, because while it helps you look and feel better, it’s for the benefit of no one aside from you. It’s totally free from the need for external validation. Instead of stressing about putting together the perfect outfit or getting your hair just right, you just have to focus on treating yourself well. Better yet, you define how this works. For some, it’s taking a long bath, putting on a soothing face mask, or giving your skin a break from daily products. Others might prefer a “tune up” such as teeth whitening treatment or having a pedicure.
A self-care day can feel refreshing and grounding on top of that. It helps remind you that beauty isn’t just about what others see on the outside but how you feel on the inside, and really, looking great is nothing without that. When you’re feeling good and relaxed, you’ll find that the pressure to always look a certain way naturally eases up and you get to see fashion as a more subjective comfort than an objective test to pass.
Experiment With New Products
Sometimes we just get bored of our continual habits, and there’s nothing really nefarious about it. A small change can make things feel fresh again, such as a different shade of eyeshadow, a new scent, or even switching up your skincare products can help you think anew. Maybe you want to try a new piercing or become a little more alternative in your style. Perhaps you’ve been inspired by a friend and want to ask them for advice to help dress in that style or similar to it – if that’s a good friend they’ll be flattered you think they’re cool enough to take advice from.
There’s no need to make drastic changes overnight of course. A little curiosity can lead you to rediscover the fun in experimenting like you may have once done. It doesn’t matter if you’ve rarely dressed like this in the past, there’s no reason why what you’ve done before needs to remain forever. Maybe you’ve been dressing in “masculine” styles all of your life but now you want to connect with your femininity again. That’s something you should be able to enjoy without asking permission (who would you ask it from anyway?) or worrying about how to explain yourself. Sometimes, just being open enough to try can help you feel better in yourself.
Have Fun
Ultimately, fashion and beauty should be fun. If you’re not having fun, consider trying something else. This is the only real standard you have to meet, outside of dressing for work or certain events. This could inspire you to get more involved, or just try dressing more casually from now on. It all counts.
With this advice, we believe you’ll feel more comforted in your beauty and style, without suffering from “chore syndrome.”
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