Inspiration

Hi everyone!

Sorry for being so MIA this month, but I have been so bogged down with exams etc and I am on a giant health kick to try and shift some of the extra Christmas weight. At times like this, I think we all need a bit of motivation and inspiration so this is why I am posting a guest article that is a little bit different from usual. Jackie Clark writes for a website called www.mesothelioma.com which is about cancer but I think you could apply what she says to almost any situation that is affecting you as she sends out a message that I think every girl should hear.

Hope you feel inspired by this article, and let me know if you'd like to read more things like this!

Thanks for reading, don't forget to follow the blog or tweet me at www.twitter.com/celestecohen!

Celeste xoxo

You are Nothing Shy of Beautiful

By: Jackie Clark

The idea that fashion can play an important role in recovery from serious injury or illness may seem a bit bizarre to some.  However, considering the role that maintaining a positive outlook can in one’s overall recovery, the idea is not that far fetched.  How one feels about one’s self can help or hinder medical recovery.    

All women are beautiful.  However, when faced with obstacles such as illness or injury, they may feel that their beauty is not as evident as it is under better circumstances. Their confidence may be undercut by innocent comments that their family and peers make about how “tired” they may look. They may feel their personal power slipping away as their appearance reflects their medical setbacks. How one is perceived by others, can have a pronounced affect on one’s self - perception.

A woman who is experiencing an illness as serious as mesothelioma cancer, for example, may be so preoccupied with doctors and treatments that she has little time or energy to spend on trying to upkeep her appearance.  After all, one might imagine that outer appearance would play an insignificant role in the overall scheme of things.  However, when a woman is ill, her need to feel beautiful is fuelled by a desire to also feel strong and confidently in control once again. Fashion can play an important role in the life of the already-beautiful woman whose confidence has been undermined by her outer appearance.

Adding colour through fashion choices can go a long way toward changing the outer world’s perspective of someone who is chronically ill. The comments that a woman receives about a pretty scarf or about how good she looks in that rose coloured hat can begin to help improve her self esteem or give some relief from feelings of isolation or depression by helping her feel more a part of things. Compliments about how her blue collar matches her blue eyes, for example, can enhance a feeling of self-awareness. This has the potential to bolster the spirit and transport her from dwelling on that which is overwhelmingly discouraging, to those aspects of life that cause one to feel awake and alive.

Stylish bed jackets constructed from beautiful fabrics, hand woven shawls, chunky-knit sweaters, elegant scarves, playful headbands and hats of all shapes and colours are small fashion items that can all play helpful roles in nurturing that feeling of confidence.