The stamp on the forehead of a serious girl
I was always that serious girl — serious about my studies, serious about finding a serious job, building a serious career, and, with clenched teeth and furrowed brows, solving serious problems.
My life had many good things, but also moments that, if I ever dare to share them, could shock most people. And yet, I would only frown harder, grit my teeth, and keep moving forward.
By forty, I didn’t look the way I wanted to. What bothered me most was the frown line — years of “serious thoughts about serious things” had worn my brows down. They grew tired of moving toward each other and back again. The muscles decided it was time to make a bold statement on my forehead: this woman is serious — in the form of two deep vertical creases between my eyebrows.
Some might say: “So what? A cosmetologist can fix that in one quick Botox session!” I know. But serious girls don’t look for easy fixes.
Serious girls look for root causes and work on eliminating them, instead of resorting to cosmetic shortcuts. Serious girls avoid any kind of dependency, including on cosmetologists. And serious girls worry about their health, which is why they’re not eager to inject their faces with a neurotoxic poison.
That frown line was the start of my serious search for natural ways to preserve youth. And it wasn’t in vain. I learned a lot about the biomechanics of aging — for example, that by clenching my teeth while solving “serious” problems, I was overstraining my chewing muscles. This led to a severe spasm that changed my face, stealing the attractiveness it once had. And that was only part of the story.
Over time, I managed to correct many things. But the frown line turned out to be trickier. With all my trademark seriousness, I tortured it with vacuum cups, tried different kinesio taping techniques, gave it painful trigger-point massages, practiced ischemic compression and post-isometric relaxation, and applied warm cups and heat masks.
And yet, my forehead still insists on telling the world I’m serious. The font is lighter now, though — and I myself have become calmer and kinder. As it turns out, massaging the forehead also does wonders for the nervous system.
Most importantly, I’ve come to understand a lot about myself and my body. The frown line may still be there, but I know that sooner or later, I’ll look in the mirror and finally be fully at peace with my reflection.
The original Russian version of this article was published on November 26, 2018.
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