Trick the mind by looking good
January 16, 2007 | 12:00am
When you are feeling sad, tired, troubled, depressed or sick, you can quickly feel good by simply looking good. This is one of life’s little-known secrets that most of us neglect and forget to use to our advantage.
One time, I had a friend visiting from Europe. I was so harassed and exhausted cleaning my pad, turning a small room full of dust and junk collected through the years into a decent guestroom. I had very little sleep so I knew I would be a complete mess when I’d meet him at the airport early dawn. I took a brisk warm shower, brushed my teeth, gargled mint-flavored mouthwash, pinched my cheeks, slapped on my favorite cologne, and tried to look good.
When my friend saw me, he greeted me, saying, "Hey, you look great! You’ve lost some weight, huh? You look younger, too!"
There was magic in those words. And because he said them so sincerely, I believed what he said even though I felt dead tired and was about to fall apart. I straightened my posture, felt better, and had the stamina to drive him around town all afternoon, got him settled in his room, and even had spare energy to join our other friends for a late welcome dinner that stretched till early morning.
My mother had a rather unusual habit. Every time she felt sick, she would take a warm towel bath, dust on some baby powder all over her body, fix her hair, and put on her sensuous red lipstick. We kids were always amazed at how her cheeks would suddenly seemingly turn rosy after putting on a few strokes of red on her lips.
My mom was not a vain woman, but she believed that how she looked (especially to herself) had so much effect on how she felt. She once told me, "Just because you are sick doesn’t mean you have to look sick."
Now that I am much older, I understand what she wanted to tell me. It is necessary for us to have a good, healthy self-image because how we perceive ourselves determines how we feel. You have to look like a million dollars to feel like a million dollars.
The mind is an amazing thing; it was programmed to believe what the eyes see.
When you are feeling down or sick, and you look in the mirror and see this wonderful, healthy image of yourself, your mind will compensate for the incongruity by making you feel better. And when you feel better, it would be easier for your body to revitalize itself and get healthier. Simply a "mind over matter" thing.
When you fix yourself up to look healthy and well, you are actually giving yourself an autosuggestion that you are well, especially every time you look in the mirror. Your self-image would be that of wellness and your body would respond by granting that wellness. On the other hand, if you allow yourself to look desperate and sick, that will be the image imbedded in your mind’s eye, and your subconscious mind would affirm that belief by making you truly sick.
Ihad an aunt who immigrated to the United States and whom I had not seen in many years. I saw her again at a family reunion in our province a few years ago. Tita Andrea was exactly as I remembered her – spirited, fun, noisy, and exuberant. She was wonderful to be with, and had a million and one stories to tell. She was the life of the party and had everybody entertained with her exhilarating lightheartedness.
I learned later from another aunt that she had a terminal illness. My jaw dropped. How could someone be so sick and yet be so very, very alive?
Tita Andring, as we lovingly called her, didn’t allow her disease to depress her, and the last thing she wanted was to depress others and elicit their pity. Armed with an unstoppable enthusiasm for life, her infectious sense of humor, and highly positive mental attitude, she braved her remaining days with amazing joie de vivre and profound gratitude for all the blessings that came her way. When she finally went, her loved ones and everyone she met were left with an indelible image of a remarkable woman – alive with so much joy and passion for life.
Don’t underestimate the power of a little bit of powder, a stroke or two of lipstick and rouge to put on a healthy glow (for men, a few minutes under the morning sun will give that ruddy look), and the uplifting vigor brought about by an unquenchable thirst for life. When you look good, you will feel good; when you feel good, you’ll be healthier. Look your best at all times; look awesome, not awful. Then you will feel your best, be healthy, and live a more beautiful life.
For your feedback, e-mail deroseminar@yahoo.com. Thanks for all your comments and suggestions! Special thanks go to my wonderful aunts, Tita Flor and Tita Sitay (sisters of Tita Andring), whose zest for life influenced me so much.
One time, I had a friend visiting from Europe. I was so harassed and exhausted cleaning my pad, turning a small room full of dust and junk collected through the years into a decent guestroom. I had very little sleep so I knew I would be a complete mess when I’d meet him at the airport early dawn. I took a brisk warm shower, brushed my teeth, gargled mint-flavored mouthwash, pinched my cheeks, slapped on my favorite cologne, and tried to look good.
When my friend saw me, he greeted me, saying, "Hey, you look great! You’ve lost some weight, huh? You look younger, too!"
There was magic in those words. And because he said them so sincerely, I believed what he said even though I felt dead tired and was about to fall apart. I straightened my posture, felt better, and had the stamina to drive him around town all afternoon, got him settled in his room, and even had spare energy to join our other friends for a late welcome dinner that stretched till early morning.
My mom was not a vain woman, but she believed that how she looked (especially to herself) had so much effect on how she felt. She once told me, "Just because you are sick doesn’t mean you have to look sick."
Now that I am much older, I understand what she wanted to tell me. It is necessary for us to have a good, healthy self-image because how we perceive ourselves determines how we feel. You have to look like a million dollars to feel like a million dollars.
When you are feeling down or sick, and you look in the mirror and see this wonderful, healthy image of yourself, your mind will compensate for the incongruity by making you feel better. And when you feel better, it would be easier for your body to revitalize itself and get healthier. Simply a "mind over matter" thing.
When you fix yourself up to look healthy and well, you are actually giving yourself an autosuggestion that you are well, especially every time you look in the mirror. Your self-image would be that of wellness and your body would respond by granting that wellness. On the other hand, if you allow yourself to look desperate and sick, that will be the image imbedded in your mind’s eye, and your subconscious mind would affirm that belief by making you truly sick.
I learned later from another aunt that she had a terminal illness. My jaw dropped. How could someone be so sick and yet be so very, very alive?
Tita Andring, as we lovingly called her, didn’t allow her disease to depress her, and the last thing she wanted was to depress others and elicit their pity. Armed with an unstoppable enthusiasm for life, her infectious sense of humor, and highly positive mental attitude, she braved her remaining days with amazing joie de vivre and profound gratitude for all the blessings that came her way. When she finally went, her loved ones and everyone she met were left with an indelible image of a remarkable woman – alive with so much joy and passion for life.
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