I'm a firm believer that every girl is pretty in her own way. I tend to be confident in my body as a general rule. However, regardless of this fact, there are days where I have just felt...not cute. I could be complimented several times that day, but it doesn't change a thing. I could redo my makeup, fix my outfit, brush my hair again and still feel ugly. I know when this happens there's nothing I could do or anything anyone could say which will wipe this feeling of ugliness away. I call this the "Ugly Phenomenon."

In conversations with other girls, I have found that the Ugly Phenomenon exists on a grand scale.

Guess what ladies, if you're suddenly feeling ugly one day, it probably has nothing to do with your appearance. I attribute this phenomenon to focusing too much on the external, and too little on the internal. By the internal, I mean the value that you bring to the world regardless of your looks. You are forgetting that your body is merely a shell that encompasses a beautiful soul. This lack of focus on your positive inner qualities, which are more than meets the eye, makes you feel ugly. Sometimes we can't convince ourselves of our beauty no matter how hard we try. In this case, if you just accept that you feel ugly that day, and you realize that it doesn't matter because you're kind, funny, talented, etc and there are people who love you, the ugly feeling may be lifted.

The second possible culprit for the Ugly Phenomenon is that you're blaming your looks for the ugly feeling when you actually don't feel ugly.

You just feel bad about what's going on inside, regardless of you being aware of it or not. You think you feel ugly because that is the easiest explanation for you to access to explain how bad you feel. Most often when I'm having an ugly day I realize that I've been abandoning my hobbies, self-care regimens, proper rest, social needs, or I'm simply bored. Other times it's indicative of a deeper problem. For example, if I'm in a relationship that no longer serves me, my life is not where I'd like it to be, or I haven't been expressing my feelings to others.

Once you take better care of yourself, it lifts the ugly feeling.

Volunteering or performing an act of service for someone else is another great way to feel good about yourself by focusing your energies outward. Who could feel ugly bringing a smile to someone else's face?

It comes down to this: if you're feeling ugly, it's time to stop fixing your makeup. Instead, consider doing something to make you happy on the inside.