Look good, feel good. I’m sure we’ve all heard this phrase before, or at least some sort of variation of it. But what is the meaning of it? Is there even any? Well, the answer to the second part is yes. And no. Yes, there is meaning behind the phrase, but no, it’s not as superficial as many of us around the world have come to believe it to be. It’s not just about getting dressed up in new clothes and struttin’ your stuff that makes you feel good.

You see, I think the phrase, “Feel good, look good” is more suitable. I mean think about it. When you eat better, exercise, and get your rest, do you not feel ten times better going into your day? And when you go into your day feeling good with a can-do attitude, can you recall times where others told you how good you looked? When you eat nothing but junk, skip 1 or 2 (or 3 or 4) workouts, and try to run on 3 hours of sleep a night, how does that feel going into your day? And how do you feel you look on those days?

Now, I don’t mean that you can’t ever eat your fave thing. If somebody tried to take ice cream out of my life, let’s just say it wouldn’t go over well… What I do mean is that incorporating healthier and more proactive choices into our life can have a major impact. Not only that but going back to what I said earlier about feeling good and then looking good, when you do those positive things I mentioned above (eating better, exercising, sleeping) and feel good for it, do you recall having more positive interactions with others?

Crazy how things work sometimes, right? Well, get ready for what you’re about to hear next. Did you know that the way we think can affect the way we look? Okay, wait. I just realized how that sounded, and you may be thinking, “Uh…wait, does this girl actually think she’s teaching me something?” Sorry, yes I know that the way we think is obviously how we perceive ourselves, which in turn creates the image we see, aka the way we look. But the way we think, positively or negatively, actually affects our appearance (and not just what we see).

Here’s how it works. Positive thinking positively affects our health, which in turn positively affects our overall appearance. In fact, research has shown that positive self-thinking can provide long-term benefits such as a longer lifespan, a stronger immune system, and a better physical and psychological well-being. To read more about it, you can click here! So what is the point of this post then? To put an end to the “look good, feel good” era and begin the “feel good, look good” day in age! When we start to talk positively to ourselves, (or in other words love ourselves) our life starts to have positive changes happen, and our overall health gets better. Appearance should only be a happy consequence of self-improvement, not something we aim for to believe we have improved ourselves.

Remember that if you want to look good, you must start by aiming to feel good. Start by saying “feel good, look good” instead of “look good, feel good”. The latter is deceptive to our brain and makes it harder to build up our self-esteem. When we try to feel good, we automatically radiate positivity and warmth, thus making our appearance more appealing to everyone (ourselves included). But when we try to “look good”, it doesn’t automatically radiate those good feelings that others want to be associated with, and it even gives others the power to determine how appealing we are. Not cool and not right. To hear about why not only loving yourself but forgiving and appreciating yourself is important, check out my other blog here.

So I urge you to take another look at yourself. Think of 3 things that you love about yourself. Physical traits that you love about your body. It may sound easy, but for some who are like me, it is difficult when you are first starting out on a journey of self-love. I want you to do it right now too before you move on to another task. For me, I love my eyes, my freckles, and my hair. Now you try. Comment below the 3 things you love about yourself right now, no improvement needed! Whatever these traits may be, I want you to remind yourself at least once a day of these. With time, your overall health and even the way you see yourself, in general, will improve! And trust me, others will take notice too. But it all begins with you.

Thanks for tuning in!(: Until next time, remember to have fun and make like as simple as could be!

xoxo -Branndolynne

Photos by Angela Nunnink