WHY I WISH I HAD THIS JOURNAL WHEN I WAS TRYING TO CLEAR MY ACNE

Having used our early journal prototype for the past few months, writing my entries in the evenings before bed, there is always one though that pounds my mind before the lights go off – I wish I had this when I was trying to get rid of my adult acne for 2 years in my mid 20s.

Adult acne can be perceived by a lot of people as a frivolous and a superficial thing to affect your life. Even whilst I was working in Finance and enjoying my job and social life, I’m comfortable enough to now admit that it was something that dominated my thoughts and decisions.

Every time I would go on a night out with my friends and order a drink, I would think about how the alcohol was probably going to give me a new cyst on my cheek tomorrow morning.

Every time I wanted to order the pasta dish in a restaurant, I would think of the fact that dairy, eggs and gluten are bad for acne and try to estimate how many days I had before a reaction would come up.

Every skincare product I used was scrutinized to the extreme, with the slightest sign of improvement giving me so much hope that it was over, the acne was finally leaving and wouldn’t show up again, my face was healing, and the let down when it came back was heartbreaking. These thoughts dominated and determined my confidence, feelings and actions.

Even shopping went hand in hand with thoughts like ‘when I have clear skin this dress will look incredible on me’.

There is sometimes a shame and control that comes with adult acne or any other bodily insecurity that doesn’t deserve to be there. I have found when speaking to my friends with similar experiences, being sent before and after pictures by customers, watching youtube videos from people who have any insecurity, that the perception we have of ourselves is so hyper focused on specific flaws that we lose sight of the bigger picture and what actually makes us great and unique as individuals. 

The issues we have with ourselves don’t define us, most people in our lives don't even notice them, so why do we give them so much energy and value?

The Journal is a passion project created to help you track your AM and PM skincare routine, your daily thoughts, help you go through an elimination diet or to identify any allergies or irritants that may be causing breakouts, help you stay motivated to move, track your period to figure out what your hormones are doing, what your sleep is like, if you’re particularly stressed, or not.

But most importantly the start of the Journal is dominated by questions that will keep you marching forward on days you don’t feel like you want to, or lose sight of what it’s all about for you.

Who you are as a person, what hopes and dreams you have, what your achievements and goals are now and in the long run. Because these are the important things you should be giving your time, energy and thoughts too.

I still occasionally get a breakout here and there – because that is normal. I get periods, I get stressed, I lose sleep over minor inconveniences and I love ice-cream. 

The difference is that I don’t feel bad about it anymore and I have learnt to focus on the bigger picture and look towards the good, which is a lot harder to do than look at the bad. 

We are all naturally inclined to look at the bad and uphold ourselves to impossible standards of beauty, success and popularity, but it’s just not worth it because chances are you won’t even remember these details in a few years (or even days) time.

Our skin, bodies and even minds heal and change and adapt. Nothing is permanent, the good the bad or the ugly. We are in a constant state of flux.

The only person who has the power to determine what life will look like is you. 

So use this Journal as a tracking device for all the things mentioned about. 

Let it help you identify small changes that you can make in your life that will create a big difference by the time you’re finished. 

Use it to form consistent healthy and long lasting habits.

And when it all gets a bit overwhelming, or too much, or you just can't be bothered anymore,spend some time reading the answers you gave on the first few pages to remind yourself of why you’re doing what you're doing. 

I hope our Journal helps you become the best version of who you want to be.