In fact, there are several search topics on TikTok, such as ‘skin care for depression’ (1.6 million views) and ‘sad 60 second routine’ (237.2 million views), with videos showing the reality of maintaining a beauty routine with poor mental health. . in a video titled ‘skin care routine I’m capable of while depressed’, a woman looks at herself in the bathroom mirror, cries, splashes water on her face, towels it dry and walks away. In otherwhich starts with the ‘realistic morning routine of a lawyer who is depressed’, washes her face but doesn’t brush her teeth, mixes foundation with moisturizer because she’s “too lazy for a foundation routine”, and simply puts her hair up because she “can’t bring herself to give more f*cks than me”.
Some users, like @skinfiltrator, share practical tips to take care of your skin when your mind is wearing you down. “I suffer from chronic diseases depression and I wanted to do a few more videos on how I balance my skin care with my mental health,” she says. “I try to use what I have around me, instead of going to the bathroom.” she applies cleaner before ‘rinsing’ with a bottle of water, before passing a cotton pad with micellar water (“because I know I am not washing my face as well as I normally do”) and applying moisturizing. “And you know what, if you’re feeling too down to do even that, that’s okay,” she adds.
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The relationship between our mental health and our beauty and wellness routine is clearly complicated and could be related to our self-esteem during depressive episodes, says the clinical psychologist. Dr Linnie Telford. “Often when we feel discouraged and feel unable and unmotivated to do basic routines, it can be associated with a lack of Self esteem, but also hopelessness and impotence or tiredness. It is important that the lack of motivation is seen as a symptom and not as laziness”.
So what do we do? It seems counterintuitive that much of the advice to improve your mood focuses on self-care and mindfulness, that the National Health Service it’s even listed as a treatment option for clinical depression, when depression can make brushing your teeth feel like climbing Kilimanjaro, let alone applying a nine-step skincare routine to your face. kim k or drawing affirmation cards.
“The premise of this recommendation is that sometimes we have to do unmotivated things, like brush our teeth, and by doing and practicing that act, you develop the belief and motivation that ‘we can do things,'” explains Dr. Telford. “Try to break things down into steps; often, we feel overwhelmed by what we think we should be doing and the need to do everything in its entirety. For example, would washing your face every morning every day for a week be a good start instead of a full beauty routine? Or maybe brush your teeth at 2 in the afternoon?
This is something my therapist, my best friend, and Dr. Telford all agree on: When we’re feeling down, we often adopt an “all or nothing” mentality, but that something it is better than nothing, and even the slightest effort can make us feel better. So, following his advice (three medical professionals can’t be wrong, right?), I drag myself out of my pit of depression (in bed, with the curtains drawn, ignoring my WhatsApps, and alternating between serial killer documentaries and EastEnders). , in case you were wondering). ) and slowly get into the shower to wash my hair.
At first my legs feel like lead and my brain is fuzzy like white noise. This is a bad idea. But slowly, as I felt the warm water on my skin and breathed in the comforting vanilla scent of my shampoo, I began to feel less confused. A little lighter. Afterward, I enjoy a little how clean my scalp feels; it is no longer oily enough to fry an egg. Who knows, tomorrow I might even shave my legs. Maybe.
If you have problems with your mental health, talk to your GP or call samaritans at 116 123. For information on how to find a therapist, visit mind.org.uk.
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