Why Doing My Makeup Feels Like Therapy

It’s about how I look when I’m done. It’s the part before that…the quiet before the day starts going crazy. The moment I sit in front of the mirror and start my application, blending, buffing is when I start to fall into this calm.

There’s actually something so soothing about the repetition of makeup. It’s one of the few parts of my day that isn’t asking for a result…it’s just what I know, what I do.

Makeup obviously isn’t therapy in the clinical sense…like I’m not talking to anyone and pouring all my trauma out, but it has held me through things. Burnout, grief, imposter syndrome…just those few moments when I was going through something that kind of shook my world. Most people wouldn’t even think of putting makeup on in these types of situations, yet I’d sit down in my makeup area, start doing the familiar steps, and piece by piece…it kind of felt like I was putting myself back together again.

In a very subtle way, it’s kind of like a gentle, repetitive reminder that you’re still in control. That you know what to do. It’s something that reminds you of structure…even if the day ahead feels impossible.

Even after the makeup is on…even if it’s just concealer, a bit of blush, and lip liner - I always feel just a little more put together. It’s like I’ve given myself that tiny edge I need to face the day. There’s truth to that whole look good, feel good thing…it’s not about vanity, it’s because it kind of makes you look put together (to yourself) so in turn it makes you believe you’re ready to deal with everything on the days when everything feels like chaos. It’s that little bit of structure, intention, that makes all the difference.

So whether it’s makeup, morning walks or sitting in silence with a coffee…if it helps you feel more like you, do it. It doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else. It doesn’t have to look productive or inspiring or even be something you talk about. What matters is that it grounds you, lifts you, or simply gets you through. The world will always have an opinion. This is about how it makes you feel. That’s the only thing that matters.