Moon Face
Imagine looking in the mirror and seeing a version of yourself that feels like a stranger. Moon face, caused by Cushing's syndrome, brought along migraines and head aches that I was suffering from for years. Besides that my metabolism slowed down and hormonal chaos was my reality.
"Moon face" is a term often used to describe swelling that makes the face puffy and round, like a full moon. It is often caused by long-term use of a steroid such as prednisone, but it can also be a symptom of a health condition like an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) or like I mentioned in my case: cushing's syndrome.
The doctors suggested removing my thyroid, but something in my gut resisted heavily and that was a path I was not willing to take.
Healing from Within
I became my own detective, digging into the maze of research to find a way to heal my body from the inside. As a Sportstherapist and former Personal trainer I knew already about the healing qualities of food. Five balanced meals a day became my secret weapon, slowly reducing bloating and welcoming back vitality that I thought was lost by fixing my hormones and metabolism. (I create tailored meal plans and teach all about hormone balancing nutrition in THE GLOW CLUB). And then, there was dry brushing which helped my skin a lot in renewing its cells and building new fresh collagen blood. I love to use the dry brush from Ruhi Rituals, as I love how gentle and effective it is on the skin while being super effective at the same time. But let me tell you about gua sha – a centuries-old chinese ritual that became my daily companion in the journey to reclaim my skin and my confidence.
Gua Sha Magic & Daily Affirmations
Gua sha wasn't just about skincare for me, I wanted to create a ritual that supports my inner well-being, make me slow down and be more present in the small moments. Why not combining something you do daily, like creaming your face with new micro habits that support health, well-being and actually shift your mindset into the person you want to become, aaaall while erasing fine lines, puffiness and even the moon face blues? I am all in!
So each day, I started affirming my beauty, health, fitness and success with subconscious mind-friendly formulated scripts, I was telling myself everyday.
I thanked my body over and over again for being the incredible vessel that it is. I complimented myself over and over again of what I love about myself, that I am worthy of everything I want in life - like I said it all... and I mean it! I really cherished myself with serious and deep self-love acts over and over again and I loved it. For my Gua-sha routine I fell in love with this Jade stone one from ARI ANWA. Just make sure it is a real stone when you get yours. The oil I use is an ayuverdic one from Khadi, which I am suing for five years and I like it very much - the cleaner the product, the better for me. Just feel free to find any oil you love using, but make sure it doesn't include chemicals.
After my ritual I either let my face stay oily until I finish my workout and shower (this is how I do it in my morning routine) or I wash my face and do my normal skin routine (in the evening). Here I also stepped up the game and changed from filler cosmetics to active ingredient cosmetics. There is so much toxins in filler cosmetics, that also influence our hormonal landscape that's why I recommend ditching the cheap products, they only do you harm and to really invest in your skin long-term. Find my go to skin care that really brings out the best glow for me here.
I did know how powerful this is going to be and how this will transform my overall attitude and energetic frequency, because I rewrite the narrative of my inner landscape, creating a symphony of self-love, becoming louder with each passing day.
How modeling helped me in this journey
Life led me into the world of modeling, where authenticity isn't an option - it's a bare must. It became a space where flaws were embraced and uniqueness was celebrated. The world of modeling really supported my self-love and self-acceptance journey, because there ain't no faking it. You show up to your clients and agencies blank and bare, babe - so you better feel good in your skin! And I was not feeling my best in my skin and always confident that time. Stripping away the mask, teaching me to show up as I am, flaws and with full authenticity of who you are, was something I had to practice.
Energy Healing
So I wanted to vibrate higher, so I started working on healing my feminine energy. One of the qualities of the feminine energy is authenticity and that really was my guiding force the last couples of month within my growth journey. I let go of anything that was not truly me and/or supporting my future and the person that I want to become. I said "no" to everything that was not that(!), not align with my core values and who I want to be, showing up authentic from the inside out, glowing and loving myself no matter what - was the goal. So I created wellness practices that support my inner growth while supporting my outer appearance as well - like better skin, healthy nails and hair and a body I feel divine in. It's all about lifting your energy to make it match the frequency of your desires, and that's what I did.
So how did it work...
It is all about reprogramming the subconscious mind. Your mind is not able to distinguish if what you tell to it, is truth. It just reacts to the energy and frequencies you feed it with. So if you imagine yourself becoming the boldest version of yourself who is a authentic female who knows her value and radiates from the inside out, but your reality is looking like a people pleasing little lamb, sleeping on your truest potential to fit inside of the box you don't even want to be in, this is what you choose everyday. This is what you subconsciously program yourself to. But you have the choice not to. You have the power and control over yourself every second that you breathe and you can change your narrative and your reality at any time.
Once you get clear about the mismatch in energy and choices of your current reality and the future you are wanting to create you can take back control over your life and make rapid shifts in mind and identity.
I use beauty, health and success affirmations paired with nlp techniques and hypnosis to reprogram the subconscious mind, while having fun with with a brand new skin care ritual, you will become obsessed with. You will find step-by-step guidance of how to use your gua-sha stone in the most effective way and how to best detox your body skin as well.
I also include bio-hacking hacks that increase wellness and hormonal health and help the body cleanse out toxins. On top of that: I tailored pilates sequences, which focuses on synchronising with your natural feminine cycle and correct your metabolism.
The results My face looks radiant and much younger as fine lines completely disappeared. I was able to get rid of the moon face symptoms like puffiness and my masseter muscles slimmed down, so that my headaches got less. And by reprogramming my mind I was even able to lose 8kg. Of course I eat healthy and balanced for over 10 years now, but never was I able to achieve a body image and attitude I now love so much about myself. The results are just insane.
Curious about healing your body and mind from the inside out while maximising your outer beauty?
Then this is something you will love to try sign up for the waitlist of my new program: THE WELLNESS EDIT
If this journey resonated with you or if you know someone who might find inspiration in this approach to more beauty and growth, don't hesitate to share this post.
Our stories have the power to uplift and empower others. Let's spread inner confidence together!
with love,
Mel