On Feeling Like an Ugly Bird

I like to mess around with the way I look from time to time, playing around with hair color, cuts, makeup, and clothes. It is fun & it kind of reminds me that looks are so temporary & kind of insignificant in the long run.

But sometimes, I fudge up when I'm making these changes & I know a lot of girls have had these moments too. You accidentally color your hair something awful (been there), cut it too short (been there!!!), or you have days where your clothes just seem to fit horribly, etc.

I decided to write this post because I am finally starting to give in to the fact that my vision is not quite what it once was & am wearing glasses a lot more often.  I love glasses on just about everyone else in the universe, but I hate them on me so I'd been feeling like a bit of an ugly bird myself.

These things happen, but here are some things you can do when you are feeling like a bit of an ugly bird, they work for me!

1. Seriously, it could be a lot worse. Okay, so you've cut all your hair off & regret it. Or you thought that hair dye was going to look different. At least your hair hasn't fallen out! Has your hair fallen out? Now you can save up to buy wigs & you can wear a different hair style/color/length every day! You don't like your clothes? Well, I hate to sound like your mother, but at least you have clothes to hate! You can learn to sew & adjust them, or save up to replace them with things you like better. My issue with glasses is so minor really. When I was a much smaller version of myself, I had to have an eye surgery as I was born cross eyed (yes, my baby pictures are hilarious!). I am more focused on being glad that my eyes don't do that anymore & also that without my glasses, everything is in soft focus, but my vision could be so much worse so stop complaining, self!

2. There's more to you than your ____. Now is the time to focus on your other wonderful traits, inner & outer! If your hair is less than appealing, throw it in a hat or in a bun & focus on your outfit or your makeup if it'll boost your confidence a bit. If your body is stressing you out, focus on your favorite facial feature, or just anything else! More importantly, focus on things that do not revolve around your appearance in the slightest! I am filling up my attention with my friends, my crafts, my education, & my volunteering stuff, I have no time to fret about how odd I look in glasses!

3. Don't hide away. Now is not the time to hibernate until whatever physical flaw you think you have goes away! No way! Go out! Be with your friends! If you don't have many friends, take yourself out. I recommend museum dates if you are going out solo. No pressure to rush through things when you'd rather linger & no obligation to stick around the art that just doesn't catch your interest. Know that regardless of what you look like, you are still you & are still fully capable of doing everything you did before.

4. Dance it out. Seriously. This applies to even having a simple bad day. You know those kind of dance moves you pull when you know no one will ever see them? Do those. I like to keep a running playlist called, "Move.", that is filled with songs that inspire me to do just that. Genre, style, whatever does not matter, as long as it's something that gets you moving. I am actually taking a dance class now that lets me do these idiotic things in a slightly more public venue & it's so fun! If you are not feeling up to that, take your playlist with you while you're out. Listen in your headphones & daydream of the moves you would be pulling if you were actually in the comfort of your own home.

5. Just get over it. Ultimately, this is what we all have to do. Until your hair has rested enough to color over, or has grown out, or you've bought a new wardrobe, whatever, this is what you have to live with. As far as wearing glasses goes, they will probably become more and more of a permanent fixture on my face unless I decide to get contacts. At the moment, I can get by without them. I don't see that great & I can't read, but I'm not blind. I tend to not wear them when I think they might get damaged (like in dance class). But, with my newest prescription, the world is clearer than it has ever been in my memory, & why would I want I want to pass that up? Come on glasses, let's be friends!