Emer O'Callaghan: Harness the power of positive ageing

They say you should try to become the woman your six-year-old self would be proud of.

Well, I feel that six-year-old Emer would be very happy with the lady I am today.

I hope she would know that I have stayed true to myself and kept my head up and my heart strong.

Like that little girl, I too have faced my rough chapters and hard times in adult life, no-one escapes them. But I have steered my way through my own choppy seas with dignity and a resilience that my six-year-old self had in her too.

She has helped me to become the woman I am today and I thank my inner child for all she has done to help me navigate this thing we call life.

It was my birthday recently, during Positive Ageing week, and the irony of it was not lost on me.

If you know me, you will know I work hard to be positive in all aspects of my life, and as a beauty expert now for over 25 years, every day I literally paint on my smile with my make-up and always do my best to keep the bright side out.

Ageing is a privilege, and I know this only too well, as we lost our own dad suddenly at the young age of 40.

I was my dad’s birthday present; his birthday is the day before mine, and after four boys my older brothers always say how delighted my dad was to finally get a girl.

I was never really into my birthday, I used to be like most people, oh, just another day, another year on the clock, but when I turned 40, I think the stark realisation that this was the age daddy died at hit home.

Since then, I’ve made a conscious decision to mark every birthday and celebrate another year of life, because life is for living, and tomorrow is not promised to any of us.

We must try and find the joy, the fun, the celebration, in every day and birthday.

A lovely nun told me many years ago now how all our loved ones in heaven just want to be remembered and prayed for always, and it stuck with me. My dad will never be forgotten while I’m alive.

I am not a materialistic person, and for my birthday I value time with people I love over anything else.

We are living like hamsters on a wheel, everyone is rushing everywhere, and constantly distracted by their phone, so I took a day off for my birthday and really enjoyed the rest and reset as I start into a shiny new year.

As a beauty doctor and skin expert, I have been at loggerheads for years now with the beauty industry. I believe in promoting positive ageing, not trying to counteract it.

So this week I would like to give some tips on this front. I hope you too mark your next birthday well.

A GRATEFUL HEART

I am a firm believer that having faith in whoever is your god and religion is a very important aspect of life. I have great faith, instilled by my parents and nanna at a young age.

I like to keep that direct line of communication open daily.

I start every day grateful to be alive and focus on gratitude as much as I can. I feel and see the power of having a grateful heart every day.

I am grateful for my life and all the life lessons I have experienced, and when you work with the public as I do every day, one thing that stands out so strongly for me is I see the grateful people and the ungrateful people. Far too many today focus on materialistic aspects to life, and sure, ’tis no secret that none of us can bring any of our worldly goods with us.

I like to stay real, I love Cork and home is where the heart is. I did one of my beauty videos on this recently and you can see it on the Emerald Beauty Clinic Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok pages now.

OWE TO THYSELF

Just think about this for a second now: self respect, self-worth, self-care - three things I am big advocates of. I don’t care if you’re a man, woman or child, the most important relationship we will all have is with ourselves, so having value in yourself has a huge impact on your life.

The beauty industry was designed to help us all feel better by looking better - make-up, tan, nails, hair, fashion, these are all the things we can use to help us feel good every day.

Fake tan is a perfect example of that, ask anyone who wears it about the difference in their mood, everything you wear looks better, and it’s the same with make-up and nails.

By just taking that extra few minutes every morning to put on some make-up, pop a few rollers in the hair, or pull out a nice outfit to wear, these all have huge lifts to us all every day.

MODERN BEAUTY

I will always be an advocate for natural beauty. I will keep doing my facials and skincare plan daily to prove you still can age well safely without ruining your own natural beauty.

My clients look younger because we keep their skin hydrated, while far too many waste money and time buying any old moisturiser.

DIET / EXERCISE / WATER

There is no compromising the fact that a good diet, daily exercise, water and good sleep have a huge impact on ageing.

Lots of vegetables and good carbs, and lean protein also help our ageing body and mind.

Sleep has now been proven to be a huge factor in memory and brain health, we should all be aiming for eight hours a night.

Water is life, and far too many are still not drinking enough daily. Aim for 1.5-2 litres of water a day, every organ of our bodies need it to work to their fullest.

As much as we love our Barry’s tea in Cork, we all still need plain water daily too.

The energy boost alone you can get from having a good diet, a walk every day, and getting to bed early, is huge.

INVEST IN YOUR SKIN

We all only get one beautiful face and your skin is a huge indicator of how well we are all ageing.

If you’re still buying any old skincare products and using a mix of all different products, that’s the equivalent to a dog chasing its tail. Because I can tell you that you are getting nowhere fast and run the risk of prematurely ageing.

I say this all the time on my social media, you do not need a 12-step skincare plan or invasive devices, you need regular facials and a good, consistent basic skincare plan done every morning and night.

That’s how you slow down ageing skin. Not by sleeping with your make-up on or only getting a facial twice a year, or lashing on tan on your face and using wipes and cheap products.

Finally, remember that true beauty comes from within. I see it every day, a beautiful soul with a kind, pure heart cannot be hidden, and we are all souls living in a body.

Beauty is both internal and external, and knowing that every year and every day is a blessing is a great way to approach life.

Thank-you to all my family, friends, neighbours, clients, and work colleagues who love me, I felt all that love again this year.

Emer O’Callaghan is a multi award winning beauty doctor and skin expert and winner of Irish Beauty Therapist of the Year, who works at Emerald Organic Beauty Products Ltd, trading as Emerald Beauty Clinic, 021 4365949. A Guinot Crown Elite Clinic and Dermalogica Centre Of Excellence, 2008-2026, www.emerraldbeautyclinic.ie, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok.

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