True Beauty is Wholeness

 I have thought about beauty my entire life as a female growing up in Los Angeles, with regular trips to Seoul—both cities being beauty capitals. When I was younger, it was more about appearance and how things looked on the outside. Yet as I become more mature, beauty is no longer superficial for me. I’ve realized that beauty is a whole way of being that includes mindset, behaviors, and taking care of ourselves with confidence and self-acceptance.

Beauty is about appreciating the uniqueness of people, including yourself. If comparison is “the thief of joy,” I believe that comparison is also the thief of beauty. Comparison often leads to criticism and low selfesteem which are unattractive qualities in any person. There is nothing more beautiful than people who are confident, kind, and accepting of themselves and others.

Ways to cultivate more beauty Ways to cultivate more beauty

It starts with taking care of ourselves well. Beauty is not only about the skincare products we use or treatments we get—it’s about our daily habits such as what we eat, our thoughts, sleep quality, and our physical health. Everything is interconnected.

What we eat can impact our skin, health, and even mood. Many skin issues are inflammation issues caused by what we eat or our lifestyle. This is why food and nutrition are an important part of beauty. An easy way to add more beautifying foods to your life is to “eat the rainbow”—whole foods that are naturally colorful. Different colors represent different vitamins and minerals, so having a colorful diet ensures that you get a variety of nutrients. Dark green foods (e.g., spirulina, green vegetables) are often antiinflammatory while purple foods (e.g., berries) are antioxidant-rich and anti-aging.

Did you know that our thoughts release chemicals in our bodies? When you have a cycle of negative thoughts, what are you releasing in your body? Learn to stop negative thought patterns. For me, I invested in therapy to break negative thought patterns and gain life-changing skills. I learned ways to challenge negative thoughts and replace them with healthier thoughts. It is worth learning to break habits that no longer serve you. Most of our thoughts today are the same as yesterday’s. When you learn to think better, it will transform your life.

Prioritize your sleep quality and take it seriously. Our brain cleanses itself when we sleep. Many bad decisions in life are made, not because people are bad but, because people are tired. Poor sleep quality can also lead to poor food choices throughout the day. You can see the pattern of how everything is interconnected.

Taking care of our physical health is clearly important. It’s about finding activities that you enjoy so that you do it on a regular basis. It doesn’t matter what it is—walking, jogging, hiking, running, taking classes—as long as it gets you moving. Sweating is good for our skin and a natural way to detox!

Exercise also boosts your mood and relieves stress.

Did you know that our thoughts release chemicals in our bodies? When you have a cycle of negative thoughts, what are you releasing in your body? Learn to stop negative thought patterns. For me, I invested in therapy to break negative thought patterns and gain life-changing skills. I learned ways to challenge negative thoughts and replace them with healthier thoughts. It is worth learning to break habits that no longer serve you. Most of our thoughts today are the same as yesterday’s. When you learn to think better, it will transform your life.

Prioritize your sleep quality and take it seriously. Our brain cleanses itself when we sleep. Many bad decisions in life are made, not because people are bad but, because people are tired. Poor sleep quality can also lead to poor food choices throughout the day. You can see the pattern of how everything is interconnected.

Taking care of our physical health is clearly important. It’s about finding activities that you enjoy so that you do it on a regular basis. It doesn’t matter what it is—walking, jogging, hiking, running, taking classes—as long as it gets you moving. Sweating is good for our skin and a natural way to detox!

Exercise also boosts your mood and relieves stress.

Beauty is a way of being

What do the above all have in common? It’s about feeling good on a regular basis, which leads to greater confidence and a healthier way of being; this is the foundation of beauty. It’s about showing up as your best self by feeling good from within, being more confident, and having more self-acceptance.

When you start valuing how you feel about yourself over the opinions or approval of others, it is a powerful way of being. Don’t give your power away by allowing the opinions of others to bring you down.

True beauty is about feeling whole as yourself, and when you value yourself more, you will naturally see the beauty and value of others more.

About the author

Hanna Kim is Founder & CEO of Anais (anaislife.com), a beauty and wellness company focused on inner beauty products. She is a certified holistic health coach and is also certified in Plant-based Nutrition. She has a BA from the University of Southern California. She has lived and worked in LA and Singapore, and loves to travel, visit farmers markets, and discover the latest wellness products.