Do you dislike washing your face?
Do you often skip it because you’re too tired?
Do you “not have time” for a night time routine?
We’ll I’ve got a solution for you!
I often hear from friends and clients that they do not have time, or energy, to wash their face at night. That it’s a dreaded task, half the time they skip it and the other half they are too exhausted to make it past washing their face. This used to be me, 100%. I both “didn’t have time” (I’ve stopped using that phrase, but that is a post for another day!) and hated this process. Once I found a skin care routine that made my skin feel so good, and that I truly enjoyed doing, I wanted to find a way to work it into my life.
This may seem like an unnecessary post to some, but the more I’ve worked with clients and routines, including skin care routines, I learned we pretty much all do this to ourselves. We wait until the last possible moment, until we’re utterly exhausted and have to peel ourselves off the couch, to head to the bathroom to brush our teeth and take time to take care of our skin (hence the phrase, skin care!). But what if there was another way? What if having a night time routine was something you enjoyed, even looked forward to, and became a built in time day and night to do something just for yourself, often called “self care” these days. Recharging through a few minutes of brushing your teeth, taking a few deep breaths, and following a few steps of a skin care routine holds this potential!
The key, the secret sauce? Do your routine EARLIER! If 10:00pm rolls around and the last thing you want to do is wash up, you’ve waited too long. Try doing your routine at 8pm instead, before you settle in for the night.. Are you done with the dishes at 7 and headed to the couch to relax? STOP! Head to the bathroom for some me time, some time to actually enjoy taking care of your skin – and teeth for that matter! Heck, do you get home from work at 6:30, make dinner and then hit the hay? Make your routine the first thing you do when you get home. And this way, you actually get to enjoy how your skin feels rather than just going straight to bed. Whenever this fits best for you, make your evening routine a transition from day to night, at time when you can truly reap all of the benefits.
I can almost guarantee that committing to an earlier time for your routine will make a huge difference in the overall vibe of your night, and if you’re like me, it might actually help you get to bed earlier! You’re doing something good for YOU, and there is nothing quite like that feeling. But if for some reason it doesn’t, perhaps you just need a good ole’ perspective shift. We all need this from time to time. A change in your mindset, and suddenly something you hated doing, can be something you really look forward to.
Making coffee in the morning – you may really not like doing this and just wish the coffee was made. But instead, you could change your perspective and listen to the birds, take a few deep breaths, and enjoy the simple act of making your coffee (maybe before anyone else is awake). Going to the grocery store is another task many people don’t like, and I used to feel the same. And the one day I read an article about shifting my mindset and perspective to one of being gratitude and enjoying the present moment no matter where I was, and a big shift occurred. A once dreaded task, was something I suddenly looked forward to. There isn’t anything to actually “do” at the grocery store, other than shop for my food, so why not appreciate the alone and try to enjoy it (this is assuming you aren’t shopping with kids!). Getting irritated with the person in front of you or the yelling kid is a choice, and you get to choose if you respond or react.
The power of a small change, shifting patterns and routine, is so immense. Give this simple change in your nighttime a routine a try, and let me know how to goes. After all, no one said you have to wash up right before bed!
