Summer is hot and uncomfortable. All that sunshine and blue skies bring with it an unsuspecting 7th layer of hell in the comfort and confidence zone. Your clothes stick to you. You put your face on and it melts right off before you’ve even left the house. You’re miserable, which makes you feel unattractive which in turn makes you a tiny bit irritable.
We want to be memorable for our confidence: the most attractive thing on any woman. We are more than just the sum total of our children.
We want to walk into a room and demand its undivided attention and not because our toddler just shat his pants and we are dripping with sweat and simultaneously threatening our 4-year-old while yanking on her leash. Screaming at the top of our lungs, sniffing the babies butt and trying to order our Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino with two extra shots and, “ Yes, damn it! I want the whip,†all while pretending this is normal.
Here are some tips on how to grab hold of your life by the short and curlies and get your confidence back this summer, or at the very least not appear to be in the throes of a complete mommy meltdown.
Drink Water: Water makes the world go round. Your skin will look gorgeous, you will be energized and it helps you to eat less if your belly is full of water. I need water like I need air and if someone tries to take it away; I’ve been known to go a wee bit Courtney Love.
Be Clean: Do I even need to explain this one? Showers make you feel better and they wash away all of the sweat and grime of the day. Don’t fall for that B.S. about natural odors. How can you be confident if you feel dirty and self-conscious?
Also, wash your clothes on the regular. Believe me, dirty clothes hold odor and for the love of God please don’t throw wet clothes in with your dirty laundry if you have no intention of washing them immediately, unless you want mildew clothing.
I know. I hate laundry, too, but we all have to do our 10 loads a week. I think of it as my penitence for some transgression I must have committed as a teenager, otherwise it makes absolutely no sense.
Look Confident: Fake it until you make it. If you are prone to “glistening†a lot during the summer months, keep tissues on hand to dry yourself. Beads of perspiration belong in the gym and no place else, except for maybe in the bedroom but NEVER out in public while simply breathing in the park. Make sure to reapply melted off tinted foundation with SPF and use blush.
Smile: Everyone looks more beautiful and pleasant with a genuine smile, add to those clean, well-maintained teeth, fresh breath and a coat of lip gloss and you are unstoppable. A smile creates the illusion of friendliness and approachability.
Brush Your Hair: I know sometimes we wake up and after 30 minutes of trying to wrangle kids out of bed and get them dressed and fed before sending them off to school, brushing our hair is the last thing on our minds. I know I‘ve rocked last night’s pony at drop off on more than one occasion.
I assure you that if you take that extra 2 minutes to locate the brush, run it through your hair and pull it back in a new pony complete with a spritz or two of hairspray, you will feel so much more put together and confident.
Stand Straight: Channel your mother or your ballet teacher, or sister Mary Catherine and her knuckle-busting ruler. Sit up straight, I tell you. Not only is it fabulous for your posture, it makes you appear taller (which is intimidating to the children) and thinner (which is intimidating to everyone else).
Check yourself before you wreck yourself: You know what I am talking about? It’s hot out and you have not been drinking enough water; you do the math. Breath and pit check. You do not want to be emanating the smell of onion from either place.
Go ahead laugh, but I know that you have come in close contact with either an old hippie or a dead person who has smelled this way. Deodorant and sugar free gum in your purse at all times will help this situation.
Leave them wanting more: Make an impression when people meet you and using a signature scent is not a bad idea. A couple squirts will go a long way and if you were particularly pleasant to be around, the idea of you will be even sweeter.
How do you make yourself feel and appear to be confident and pulled together at all times, even when you are melting? Please share your tips.
Photo Source: Robert Bejil Photography
