by Sophia Smith: Wherever you turn, there’s another magazine article telling you what product to use to look younger – but what about how you feel?

As wonderful as it is to allow yourself the playfulness of makeup and beautifying yourself, we should all pay much more attention to the skin care steps that contribute to our overall well being, and vice versa. Your health, not just of your skin, but your entire body and mind relies on a multitude of choices you make daily, and that includes what you do with your skin.

Your body is wise, it knows what it needs to thrive. At the same time, listening to your body will ultimately help you in boosting your sense of self-awareness and confidence. Have you noticed that when you focus on refining your nutrition, your complexion is much more radiant, but your immune system benefits, and your energy grows, too?

In a similar way, taking good care of the external, or in this case, your skin, means you’ll contribute to the internal, your sense of self-worth and confidence. Investing in looking well, radiant, and youthful means you inevitably grow your feeling of self-esteem. Here’s how you can achieve both.

Feeding your pores

What you decide to put on your plate will have a profound impact on your complexion, and even more so on your mood, energy levels, and your sense of wellbeing. Not only will you be able to retain radiant skin for years with the right nutrition, but achieving hormonal balance and immune resilience will contribute to your feeling of confidence and self-love.

When you start learning about healthy vs. unhealthy foods for your skin, you quickly realize that what’s good for your pores is good for your heart, weight management, hair, and your overall health. Start by replacing refined sugar with fresh, organic fruits as your sweet treat. Add more veggie snacks to your day. Introduce healthy fats such as omega-3 fatty acids in salmon, and go for filling nuts and seeds. Diversifying your nutrition will boost your zeal, purify your complexion, and make you feel invincible.

Your skin needs downtime

Committing to a self-care and skin care routine that makes sense means starting with the one step you cannot afford to skip: your shuteye. Getting enough healthy sleep protects your pores from premature and excessive signs of aging, while you simultaneously allow your body to flush out all the unneeded compounds from your system, detox, and prep for the next day.

It’s not just the eyebags. When you don’t have the zeal to go through the day, you’re much more likely to skip important, healthful activities like your skin care routine, and succumb to sugar cravings or any other unhealthy habits you might be harboring.

Your mind, too, is overwhelmed by exhaustion, so negative and self-deprecating thoughts are much more common. To avoid the guilt and feel grateful, give your skin and your body ample sleep every night.

Get that glow with exercise

Just like sleep, exercise might seem like a no-brainer for those of you who religiously follow a workout routine every week. For others, especially those who have already entered their golden years, perhaps it’s getting more challenging to stay motivated and active.

If you look at Australian women and their fitness approach, you’ll notice that ladies in every stage of their lives stay devoted to their training, and that they keep things interesting for themselves. Give yourself the same opportunity: diversify your workouts with regular walks, jogs, video tutorials, some yoga, and perhaps a dance class.

The post-workout glow will make your skin shimmer with beauty, you’ll preserve your skin’s elasticity for longer, and your mind will be overflowing with happy hormones, elevating your sense of confidence.

Follow a seamless skin care plan

Women everywhere have a different take on what skin care should be all about. You’ve probably seen and admired Korean women for their immaculate complexion and youthful radiance – so why not follow their advice? You can use Korean skin care in your own lifestyle to accomplish similar results, both in terms of your confidence and youthful glow.

Korean women follow a set of ten steps to tend to their pores, from double cleansing, exfoliation, to proper moisturizing and long-lasting sun protection. Take your time to savor your skin care, just like Korean women do. Your skin deserves the attention, and if you pick the right products such as cleansers and serums, you’ll learn to appreciate your reflection in the mirror, and your skin will be revitalized more than ever.

Create a stress-detox strategy

Remind yourself every now and then that beauty is far from skin-deep. Even if you start noticing those wrinkles and your skin losing some of its elasticity due to natural aging, keep in mind that stressing over it can only make things worse.

That is why you should find ways to nip stress in the bud. Using soothing bubble baths will both cleanse your pores and help you relax. You can start meditating to learn how to slowly banish negative self-talk and replace it with reassuring, self-empowering mantras. Reducing stress means reducing cortisol levels, and you’ll feel it not just in the purity of your skin, but also in that liberating sense of enjoying your age, whatever it brings.

Your appearance is a reflection of how healthy you truly are – a glowing, radiant complexion can only be the result of a powerful, holistic lifestyle. Such a lifestyle, on the other hand, gives you plenty of control of how energized, vital, and resilient you are, both physically and mentally.

Taking care of your skin is merely one piece of the puzzle. Remember that in choosing skin-friendly foods, you also nourish your heart, and your entire body. The energy combined with the beauty you preserve will be more than enough of a confidence booster to help you feel grateful for who you are, inside and out.

Sophia Smith is a lifestyle blogger, graphic designer and a food enthusiast. She is very passionate about eco-friendly and green topics, sustainable fashion, eco beauty, and conscious business. Sophia’s other hobbies centre around her love for yoga, wellness rituals and living in balance with nature. She loves sharing meaningful content that inspires people and has covered topics ranging from organic products and sustainability to self-care and mental health. Sophia has contributed to a number of publications including Eco Warrior Princess, Naughty Nutrition, Herbs Mother Earth Living, Yoga Trade, Sivana Spirit, Bonvita Style, High Style Life, Carousel, and Cause Artist.

You can find out more about her writing by following her on Twitter (@sophia_bri) 

Contact: sophia.smith.bri@gmail.com