I don’t even know where to begin at this point. I feel like no matter what happens in my life the first thing to take a hit and sit on the back burner is this blog. I love this blog - I love sharing thoughts and reviews with you all, and I love the feeling it gives me when my thoughts are enlightening to someone else. And yet, here we are - my New Years Resolution to post once a week down the drain, again. I’d like to promise that things are looking up and I’ll be back posting again regularly soon, but we all know how that story ends. So today you’re just getting a life update from me, and from here we’ll see how things go.
Late March Bug was officially diagnosed with ADHD. I am overjoyed to have a medical diagnosis on his file because he can finally get extra help through his school as special education cut him off at age seven. He also started medication - something I was completely on the fence about but as his doctor pointed out, this is a crucial age for him in school, so a small dosage of something to help his ability to focus will definitely do more food than not right now. He’s had small improvements so far in school, but they’re also working with him more and I see his attitude towards school in general improving as well.
I started Keto in the first week of April. I wanted to try Whole 30 - I purchased a book, I made so many notes, but it came down to cost of repurchasing everything in our household and I just couldn’t do it. Keto on the other hand, I can do with basic things I already buy, and my family doesn’t need to suffer because of it (literally laughing right now at the thought of my son and husband trying to survive without potato chips). I’ve lost 15 pounds so far, and plan to stick to Keto until August before bumping up my carb intake a bit. Right now my goal is to consume 25g of carbs or less a day, and I can’t tell you how good it feels! I’m noticing a lot less pain in my joints, I feel less sluggish, and my skin is clearing up! I’m not sure what I’ll bump to in few months, I’ll assess that once I see what kind of progress I’ve made at that point.
Last week Bug was also diagnosed with an ocular defect of sorts. His optometrist called it a lazy eye, but it’s not a muscular issue, it’s that he’s actually almost blind in one eye so his brain has abandoned trying to see out of it. His eyes and ears get checked twice a school year so I don’t know how this was missed until now, but we have a very small window to try and correct it. We ordered him glasses, and he’ll have to wear a patch over his good eye a few hours a day to force his brain to get in the habit of using his bad eye. Our hope is to possibly slightly improve the sight in his bad eye, and give his brain the opportunity to use both eyes at all times instead of dominating with his good eye. This was not the news I was expecting from this appointment, and really turned me into a depressed and emotional mess the past week.
But for anyone curious, we’re hanging in there! I’ve had my focus on skincare decants when Bug is in school, hubby is really loving his job (still not missing trucking), and Bug is being a real trooper. Venus and Miss Kitty are still getting along great, and the ducks are loving all this warmer weather we're getting. I hope you’re all doing wonderful!
I can hardly believe 2017 has already passed us by. I also can't believe how much I let things slip through my fingers for a whole year - how much I pushed dreams aside and let my ambition pretty much wash away. We moved into my family's homestead from the 1800's right before Christmas of 2016, and I've spent a lot of my time focused on family and pets that I used to spend on blogging - but I want to mange my time better and be more present on my blog in 2018.
I know I rant about my depression on this blog a lot - and I'm sure some of you are tired of hearing about it, but I feel like now is a good time to sit down and talk about how depression affects me, and the 10-step skincare routine many people think you need to have when jumping into Asian beauty. The truth is, you don't need to push yourself to use so many steps if you don't want to, or can't. But on the flip side, there may be an added benefit to taking your time with all those steps and really engulfing yourself into your routine.
I'll start with a little background about me... I've suffered from depression since my teenage years, and was finally diagnosed with depression and severe anxiety (and fibromyalgia, but that's a story for another day...) at the age of 18, after I had left home. After years of medication and feeling like a failure, I met my husband. He helped me out of the dark place I had been sinking into all my life. I was able to stop taking my medication and start actually feeling better about myself. When I gave birth to our son, my anxiety basically stopped - like I no longer cared about what was happening around me, just that I needed to keep this new life safe and healthy. My anxiety and depression were seemingly under control for a few years with small "flares" now and then, but things happen in life that aren't always great, and the past year I started struggling again. The worry of - everything really - just beat me down to the point where I struggled to eat, and felt like I couldn't make it through each day. But this time I knew I had a family who needed me to power through. It's taken a lot of support from friends online, and reminding myself that I have a young child, but I've made it this far!
So what does this have to do with Asian Beauty? Well, I was introduced to AB about two years ago, when I was starting to play around with makeup more, and wanting to start taking care of my skin. My anxiety and depression were on their way back and I was looking for a distraction before they got me beat down to the point were I couldn't function. Everything about AB brightened my spirits; the packages in the mail, the new products to play around with, and the improvements I started seeing in my skin.
When I'm feeling like myself, and ready to face life, or even take things one day at a time... I'm able to follow a good routine. Morning:
Cosrx Ultimate Moisturizing Honey Overnight Mask or Banila Co Miss Flower & Mr Honey Cream
I sometimes get comments about these routines because some people wonder if they're all really necessary, and the answer is no. But the fact is, when I'm feeling up to the task of going through all these steps, it gives me time to unwind. It helps my mind relax, and it helps me release my anxiety and get a good nights' sleep, and handle the following day better. Of course I'm not always able to stick to this routine. Times like the past week, or a few months ago, I'm too depressed to do laundry, buy groceries, or even sometimes to even get up off the couch.
Sometimes I don't care for my skin at all, but when I get the ambition to stand by the sink for a few minutes, I follow this routine that I recently posted on Instagram:
Keeping my routine simple still makes me feel a bit better about myself, and gives me something to help distract myself from my depression and helps calm me down a bit - but a simple routine when my depression is bad is easy for me to tackle without making me want to give up. I've been known to take a cleansing wipe and moisturizer in the morning, and just a cleanser and Curology in the evening too - and it feels like a great accomplishment to be able to do something to my skin to feel like I'm human again...
Asian beauty has not only improved my complexion, but it's been a great outlet for me, and has given me a way to allow my depression and anxiety to melt away through self-care, facial massage, masking, and just taking my time caring for my skin.
What are some acts of self-care that make you feel better about yourself?
Disclaimer: No monetary compensation was received for this post. The Glitter Chic blog will always provide honest opinions, beliefs or experiences on products reviewed. If you have any questions, please contact me at gothickornchic at gmail dot com. This blog contains affiliate links and I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase using one of those links. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you may have recently seen a few posts about the MIA - and today I'm sharing with you a few pieces that I happened to photograph for ideas for recent and upcoming projects for my Intro to Art Studio class - and some that I just loved. Sorry this post isn't more informative, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!
Minneapolis Institute of Arts 2400 3rd Ave S Minneapolis, MN 55404 612-870-3000 Open Tues/Wed/Sat/Sun: 10am to 5pm and Thurs/Fri: 10am to 9pm Closed on Mondays
