Overcoming Anxiety is never easy especially when you are starting your own Lash business
I feel like my story is so crazy. I’ve always been good with people but it takes me a while to open up. I like to take my time with things, especially getting to know people. Like I mentioned in my Blog, “Lash Boss Journey”, I only lashed my best friend for almost a year. I lashed a few other people but she was the only one who was consistent in the beginning. I was so nervous. I set up a booking link and I started getting attention from girls on Instagram. Before they would come into my studio I was so nervous. My stomach was bubbly and my hands were shaking so bad. I kept thinking to myself “Can she feel my hands?” and “Am I sweating on her head?”. I always felt so anxious, I wanted so desperately to do a good job. After finishing their lashes I never felt proud of my work. I am certain the girls saw it on my face because I don’t hide my emotions well and some of them didn’t come back. I was pretty sad about it but I had no choice but to keep improving and keep going.
What has helped me along my lash journey is really trying to manage my stress. I’ve always struggled with anxiety but, I didn’t know I was struggling with anxiety. I was aware that my body felt weird but I never had to pay attention to it. I started by meditating. I started being mindful of my breathing. Really taking a moment to center myself. I know that saying “Take a deep breath” sounds so cliche but honestly and truly IT HELPS. After I mastered paying attention to my breathing I started minding my thoughts. I was always in denial about my thought process. I would always dissociate by separating the feelings that I had and the thoughts that were going through my mind. It was like I was observing someone other than myself. I caught myself thinking “I’m not good enough”, “I can’t do this”, “Do I want to do this?”, and “Will I ever be good? This is hard.” None of those thoughts were helping me. So I started to change the way that I spoke to myself. Instead of saying “I am so anxious right now” I started saying “I am so excited, I’m shaking.” Another thing that helped is how I set up my studio. I made sure that the room had dim lights, candles burning with sweet fruity smells, and a good R&B playlist. I also made sure the room was always extremely clean. While lashing I would have these things to make me feel at home. I even hung up some pictures of my neices to remind me of who I want to inspire.
We get so caught up in the challenges of lashing that we forget to be kind to ourselves. All of this is easier said than done. I didn’t just wake up one day and have it all together. I prayed hard and really fought for myself. I knew what I wanted and I committed myself to making it happen no matter what obstacles stood in my way.