Ways to combat a sleepless night

Do you ever have those days where no matter how much sleep you get you still wake up feeling exhausted? More times than not that is how I have been waking up every morning. Blame it on my on-the-go schedule where I work all day and go straight to rehearsal at night and do it all over again. I love being able to keep busy but it does start to affect things like the brightness of my skin or the bags that grow larger under my eyes. So because of this recent battle with fatigue I have created some ways to combat that tired look and feeling in a way that makes people think I got 8 hours of sleep instead of my usual 5!

Tip #1

This is something I've done since I had the option but it is still the most important to me and that is shower in the morning. I know many people battle over whether it is better to shower at night or in the morning but from experience I can tell you that for someone who doesn't get much sleep that hot shower in the morning does wonders to get me alert and not groggy. Not only does it wake my body up but it also leaves me feeling refreshed and ready for the day! So those of you who are nay-sayers just give it a go for a week and see if it makes a difference in how awake you feel in the morning! 

Tip #2
Another great way to wake up your skin and also your senses is a face wash. You can use any face wash that you like or even opt for the "lazy" way and use a face wipe but by putting that cold cleanser on your face it helps to make you more bright eyed and luminous and makes your skin less splotchy and dim. This also gives you a clean surface to apply your normal daily makeup routine.

Tip #3
If you wake up later than planned (the snooze button does happen to the best of us) then the first defense to looking tired is concealer. This little bottle is a miracle worker on those nasty under eye bags and are also great to use as a highlighter on the top of your cheek bone to give you a luminous look. Pick a concealer than is a little lighter than your skin tone and it will not only cover dark under eye circles but also make you look more awake.

Tip #4
When I wake up in the morning my eyes always feel tired. Recently after my last trip to the eye doctor I was diagnosed with chronic dry eye. When I wake up my eyes feel dry. Like they need a huge glass of water so the way I do this is by using eye drops made for dry eye. Even if you don't have chronic dry eye using eye drops in the morning is a great way to hydrate those tired eyes and make you feel rested.

Tip #5
To wake up those now hydrated and concealed eyes the finishing touch is mascara. I don't know what it is about a little mascara but by using it to enhance, darken, and lengthen your eye lashes it opens up your eyes and makes you look more awake. Thank you to whomever created this wonderful miracle product. My favorite mascara at the moment is Benefit's Roller Lash. It really sticks to my lashes and make them curl without having to use my eye lash curler.

Tip #6
The last tip I have for making you look more awake after a night of little sleep is blush. This may seem a little weird but it honestly is something that will not only brighten your face but also enhance your cheek bones and facial features. By applying a little bit of blush to the apples of your cheeks and sweeping it up to your temples it can brighten even the most tired face.

These tips are just a few of the ways I have been finding successful in making me feel and look more awake on most mornings because we all know none of us gets enough sleep at night.

If you have any tips you use in the mornings to help make yourself look and feel more awake leave them in the comments below!

xoxo Jess

Things you should know if you are friends with an emotional person

I thought I would write a post from the perspective of someone who is an emotional person. This coming from one of the most emotional people (me). If you know someone who is an emotional person and you yourself are not one then it may be difficult for you to understand why we are the way we are. I know from personal experience with people in my life who are not as driven by their emotions that they don't really understand how my emotions pretty much direct my life. So today I thought I would give some insight into the mind of an emotional person.

I wanted to write this because I just finished watching Thumbelina, one of my favorite childhood movies, and I was so emotional that I cried at the end of it for a good solid 5 minutes. I have always been this way as far as I can remember. My emotions are very strong and when I feel something I feel it deeply which brings me to my first point.

Emotional people wear their emotions on their sleeves.
This may seem very obvious but it is a very important thing to remember if you know someone who is an emotional person. Whenever I am sad I can feel it in my bones, and the same goes for happiness, love, worry, fear, etc. When you are someone who has a high emotional state you exude those emotions. Being a naturally emotional person I feel it is why so many people are drawn to me in either a work or school environment or in a social environment. When I am feeling any emotion I feel that those around me can easily pick up on whatever it is and it makes it easier for people to understand or gauge how I will respond to them.

Emotional people are also more emotionally reactive to those around them.
When your friend is telling you about a horrible break up they have had or just pouring their guts out to you you feel those emotions with them. You have sympathy for that friend because you feel those emotions with them. There is also a flip side to this. If something happens and it could have a negative outcome, you feel very emotional about that as well. I, for one, know that when I have been put in bad situations with friends such as fights or disagreements I will go home and cry my eyes out because I am upset about being at odds with a friend. When you are an emotional person things like that rock your boat and can cause you to feel very strongly about the discord in your life.

Being nonchalant about an emotional persons feelings is something to avoid.
I know that as someone who may not be an extremely emotional person it may be annoying at times or you may feel that the emotional person is overreacting but what you have to remember is that the reaction they are giving is due to the fact that they feel so deeply (see the first point). I have had friends who are not very outwardly emotional like myself and they would roll their eyes at me getting my feelings hurt over something or wouldn't understand why I was crying about something but I can tell you as someone who is an emotional person that is not the way to handle it. I understand that people can't ever see eye to eye on everything but advice from someone who is an emotional person is to be understanding. Even if you don't get why I'm upset or you think it is something trivial, by making that opinion known it is making it worse for my emotional state. The best thing to do is to acknowledge the emotional break down and to then help them to move on to thinking about something else.

The final point I have is that not all emotional people are easy to see.
Because of the fact that showing emotions is looked down on in a lot of social and professional situations you may be friends with someone who is an emotional person and not know it because they are good at hiding their emotions. This point is really valid for anyone you have in your life but it is this: empathy. Whenever you meet someone you never know what may be going on with them in their personal life that they may not share with you (even if you are very best friends). I know that when I am having a very sad day I don't always want to share that with my friends because of the fear of either being judged or not being understood. Just remember to always try and be empathetic to those around you. Think of a time you were having a bad day and try and remember that someone else could be having that bad day too.

It is important to understand highly emotional people and to know that we may cry at any remotely sad or happy part of a book, movie, life event, etc. That is how we are built. Emotional people can feel emotions highly which also means they can love deeper and have a bigger emotional attachment to the people in their lives, including you.

Do you think you are an emotional person? What is something else that you think people should know about an emotional person? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo Jess

The importance of thoughtfulness

One compliment I like to receive is when someone tells me I'm thoughtful. Why you may ask? Well, because this one little word is jam packed with meaning.The idea of being thoughtful is by being able to be perceptive with the people you are close to and act on it. For example, it is thoughtful of someone to perceive that you are having a bad day and giving you a little pick me up such as a nice card or your favorite candy bar to make you feel better.

So how can you become more thoughtful to the people who are in your life?

First pay attention when people are talking to you. Actively listen to the conversations you are having because it is the best way to learn small things about people such as their favorite things or types of activities as well as things that they may hate. It is easy to remember if your best friend hates seafood if the first time you throw out a seafood restaurant as a meal option they say they hate it. Log that into important things to remember for the future so that if you are out with other people who suggest it you can politely let them know your best friend hates seafood so another restaurant will need to be chosen.

Paying attention is more than just about food preference too. If you pay attention to how people talk about certain other people or places just by the way they inflect their words and their facial expressions you can start to see how they feel about those things. This is important because you can gauge a situation and mood of this person in the future to be able to know if they may need a pick me up or if they are uncomfortable in a given situation.

Now that you have logged in a few important facts it is also a good idea to write it down somewhere. I am a fan of journals so I have one specifically for this to make sure that I don't forget the little things which can make someones day if you show them you remember. I have things such as important dates and some of their favorite and least favorite things. Having a lot of friends this can be challenging stuff to remember that is why I find this helpful. For important dates I also have them saved in my phone with reminders so that when the date is coming up I remember and can plan accordingly.

So after you know these things what can you do with the information? Well, it depends on how well you know them and also the type of relationship you have with them and the type of person you are. For me, I know that things such as little 'pick me up' gifts or cards with a sweet message will always be the things to cheer me up or make my day however one of my friends may like being given a cupcake in their favorite flavor or being brought their favorite Starbucks drink when they are at work or just a text letting them know you care. It is important to know what things work for what people.

Just a small gesture goes a long way to most people and being thoughtful is something that I feel more people need to understand. It doesn't take a big gesture to show someone you care or that you are thinking of them. It really is as easy as getting a card and writing a note or remembering their favorite chocolate is mint chocolate and picking them up a little bar to give to them. Being thoughtful is just that, taking the time to think about how you could make someone else's day by putting them first. I always feel the best about myself when I do something for someone else and it is an easy way to pay it forward to your friends and show them that you not only pay attention to them and their lives but you also care about them and your relationship with them.

I challenge you to try and think of a thoughtful gesture for someone you know who may be having a tough week or day.

What is a small gesture that would make you smile if you were having a bad day? Let me know in the comments!

xoxo Jess