Mornings and the ugly stick

We’ve all been there. You wake up, get out of bed, trip over the cat, smack into the door, grumble, and steadily make your way to the bathroom. Then after splashing your face with water, in an ever-pointless attempt to wake up, you spot yourself in the mirror.

Egh. Oh god, is that me? What happened? I swear I looked vaguely normal yesterday.
Your hair seems to be in unrequited love with the walls and the ceiling, and is reaching out longingly towards them, even as you try to flatten it down with your hands. Your skin seems saggy and dry at the same time and you can’t help but feel that your nose is a completely different shape. Bigger, smaller, whatever looks worse, it suddenly looks that way. Let’s not even mention the blemishes.
Oh woe is me, how could the world have made such a hideous creature?
Now just stop! Put down the paper bag you’re about to put down on your head and go to the kitchen. Put on the kettle, sit down and breathe. There are perfectly logical reasons as to why none of us look our best in the morning.

So, what have you been doing for 6-8 hours? Lying on your back or side or face and staying still. So it makes complete sense that your complexion will seem paler and less even, and this can apply to all skin tones. When you exercise, the capillaries in your body dilate and blood flows through them, which gives you that flushed look, so think of this in reverse.
The next thing to know is that our body will contain water, and with the whole lying down doing nothing bit, it can redistribute itself to your face, leaving you with puffy eyes. So yeah, thanks for that body.

Want to hear a really obvious reason? You’re tired. Your eyes aren’t going to be bright and sparkly because let’s face it, you can barely keep them open right now.
Another annoying fact. Hormone levels. Yeah they can be a bit higher in the morning, which can cause some people to feel a little less chipper. The last thing you think when you’re feeling moody is ‘oh wow, I look goood.’ So let’s blame chemicals as well as water for our disappointing appearance.

Run a comb through your hair, have your coffee/tea/natural herbal remedy/smoothie packed with natural sweeteners and added fibre, and dance along to the radio. You’ll get the blood pumping which will help your body wake up, and you’ll start to feel and look more like yourself.
Oh and if you know anyone who always looks great in the morning, they probably sold their soul to a demon or something, and there’s really no need to be jealous of them. With a little more time and effort you can look great without calling upon the powers of darkness.