Turning That Frown Upside Down

I'm sure I'm not alone in stating the obvious - we all have those days when nothing feels quite right, even though nothing particularly has changed.  Last week I was there.  Although I'm running more than ever, and focusing on making good-for-me meal choices, I was feeling blah.  It doesn't help that no matter what size I am, my stomach is always larger than I'd like, and couple that with wearing capris for my runs, which cut into my stomach no matter what size or how high or low the waist is, I was not in the greatest of moods.

A flip of my weekly calendar page showed that I had my hair appointment on Wednesday with my usual cut and highlights - all the good stuff.  Sure enough, I walked out of there feeling fabulous, and that feeling has stayed with me since then.  Nothing has changed except for my hair - I had more layers cut into it to take advantage of my natural waves, and of course the highlights brighten everything up.  But that's it - my stomach still looks the same, my clothes still fit the same...and yet?  I feel lighter, and my mood is much better.

During - all foiled up with highlights.

After - laughing because I tried to get my hairdresser in the shot with me and she literally dove out of sight yelling "NOOOOOOO!" (her hair wasn't done, haha).

Can a haircut really make that much of a difference?  I have to say yes, and I bet a lot of you will agree.  It's not that I spend a lot of time on my appearance, nor do I constantly look in the mirror (or the modern-day equivalent, take selfies), but on a subconscious level, when my hair starts to get overgrown, it drags me down.  How else to explain the fact that when I put on my capris to go run the next day, I didn't get that UGH, my stomach is so gross feeling...and believe me, nothing else had changed aside from the hair - I didn't miraculously have a body transformation overnight.

A real after - in the parking lot of the grocery store.  Had to document this style as I probably won't be able to replicate it.

Couple of days later, this is what I was hoping for - nice curls with minimal effort (aka all I have to do is scrunch my hair a bit while I blow dry).

I don't know why something like hair can lift me up or bring me down, but that was the only change I made last week, and my mood did a 180.  For good mental health, I'm glad I always schedule my next hair appointment when I'm there for my current one because obviously this is something I need to keep up with.  And I guess it could be anything - getting your eyebrows done, or your regular manicure, or whatever - but somehow, just a little bit of beauty pampering really makes a difference, doesn't it?