How My Morning Makeup Routine Helps With My Depression

I have been a tomboy for as long as I can remember. In preschool, my best friends were always boys. I loved going to Home Depot with my dad, and I hated pink. I’m still a tomboy today. I live in an apartment with two of my best guy friends. I play a full contact co-ed sport, and I still hate pink.

This past year though, I’ve started to grow fonder of makeup, something I never felt the need for. I had confidence in my appearance and honestly didn’t care what people thought of me. So why would I need to cake my face in products that would cause more breakouts than my stressful life with depression already does?

The answer is pretty simple: I don’t need to do it for the world. I need to do it for myself.

I have depression, which makes it incredibly hard for me to get out of bed some mornings, but getting up a little earlier and essentially doing an arts and crafts project on my face, while sipping coffee and listening to music, makes the start of my day a little easier. I also have slight anxiety issues, which causes me to bite my nails, hangnails, finger beds and skin around my nail.  When I wear lipstick, though, I don’t do it as often or even at all. If I were to bite my nails, then my lipstick would be ruined and all over my fingers which, in my opinion, is kind of gross.

I don’t wear makeup every day nor do I feel the need to, but my makeup routine is an important part of my self-care. Doing my makeup is a calming process. I’m able to take time out for myself and forget about school, work, friend drama or anything else stressing me out. I’m not saying I am the best at it and I don’t always know what I’m doing but makeup is fun for me. Learning new tricks and improving my skills makes me feel more confident. I still get excited about getting new makeup products, specifically lip products since they comprise half my makeup bag. At the end of the day, after I take all my makeup off, of course, I’m still a tomboy, just a tomboy who has found a new form of therapy.