Hey, love, can we be real for a second? When you hear glow up, do you picture a brutal 5 AM routine, a restrictive diet, and a mountain of things you should be doing? What if I told you that the most powerful, lasting glow up doesn’t come from a place of should, but from a place of joy?
Think about the last time you lost yourself in a hobby you truly loved—painting, gardening, dancing in your kitchen. Remember that feeling? The world faded away, and you were just… you. Happy, creative, and radiant. That is the secret sauce.
Welcome to the Femme Hobbies approach to glowing up. This isn’t about punishing your old self. It’s about uncovering the most confident, vibrant, and joyful version of you that’s already there. Let’s throw out the rulebook of toxic productivity and build a life that feels as beautiful as it looks.
Redefining Your Glow Up
A Femme Hobbies glow up is a creative, joyful curation of your life, not a punishing overhaul. It’s about adding sparkle through activities that light you up from within. This is your official permission to define your best self on your own terms. Maybe your best self is well-rested, not a CEO. Maybe your best self has messy hair and paint on her hands from a fulfilling project.
The Core Memory Exercise
Instead of just listing goals, let’s identify the feelings behind them. Close your eyes and think of a time you felt truly, deeply happy and alive. What were you doing? Who were you with? What did it feel like in your body? That feeling is your compass. Your glow up is about designing a life that creates more of those core memory moments.
The Mental Glow Up: Build Your Inner Sanctuary
A true transformation begins on the inside. Before making any changes, focus on creating a resilient and joyful inner world.
Cultivate a Curious, Not Critical, Mindset
Go beyond standard affirmations. Instead of forcing yourself to believe I am confident, get curious. Ask yourself, I wonder what would happen if I acted as if I were confident today? This frames it as a fun, low-pressure experiment rather than a pass/fail test.
The Femme Hobbies Twist: Use a creative hobby as a mindfulness practice. When you are knitting, you’re focused on counting stitches. When you’re watercoloring, you’re absorbed in watching colors blend on the page. This is active meditation that naturally quietens your inner critic and grounds you in the present moment.
Make Journaling Your Unfiltered Best Friend
Move beyond simple gratitude lists with a technique called Brain Dump & Beauty Finding.
- Brain Dump (5 minutes): Spend five minutes writing down all your anxieties, fears, and frustrations. Don’t edit or judge; just get them onto the page.
- Beauty Finding (2 minutes): After you have released the heavy stuff, spend two minutes writing down one beautiful thing you noticed today. It could be the way the morning light filtered through your window, the rich taste of your coffee, or a kind word from a stranger.
This method, inspired by therapeutic practices like those discussed by Dr. Julie Smith, honors your difficult feelings while training your brain to spot moments of joy. It’s a game-changer for healthily processing emotions.
Set Boundaries as an Act of Self-Love
It’s time to reframe your thinking. Boundaries aren’t walls you build to keep people out; they’re the garden fence that protects your energy and allows your happiness to grow.
Here are a few practical scripts to help you get started:
- I can’t take that on right now, but I’m so excited to see what you do with it!
- My phone goes on Do Not Disturb after 9 PM so I can unwind with my current book. I’ll get back to you in the morning!
The Physical Glow Up: Let Your Inner Light Shine
This next phase is about connecting your physical habits to feeling good, not just looking a certain way. It’s about celebrating your body for all it allows you to do.
I’ll never forget my client, Sarah. She came to me feeling completely drained. Her ‘glow up’ list was filled with grueling gym sessions she hated. We swapped them for daily walks while listening to audiobooks—a simple hobby she loved. Not only did she get moving, but her mind felt clearer and her creativity skyrocketed. That small, joyful change was the catalyst for her entire transformation.
Find Your Joyful Movement
Don’t force yourself to run marathons if you hate running. Instead, create a Joyful Movement menu. What sounds fun to you?
- A solo dance party in your living room to your favorite playlist.
- A walk-and-talk phone call with a friend.
- A gentle yoga flow to stretch your body.
- Gardening or re-potting your plants.
I used to dread the gym. Now, I put on a great playlist and have a solo dance party while I cook dinner. I’m moving my body, I am happy, and my food tastes better for it!
Nourish Your Body Like a Creative Partner
Instead of restricting foods, try the Add-In nutrition strategy. Focus on adding one more nourishing thing to your day. Have one more glass of water. Add a colorful vegetable. Choose another whole food.This approach builds healthy habits without the pressure of deprivation.
Connect to Hobbies: Cooking can be a wonderful, sensual hobby. Try a new recipe from a cuisine you love. Focus on the colors, the smells, and the textures. You’re not just making food; you’re creating an experience.
Cultivate Radiant Skin from Within
Yes, drink water and get enough sleep. But the real secret to radiant skin is managing stress. Chronic stress shows on your skin, and no expensive serum can fix that.
The Femme Hobbies Twist: Create a relaxing evening ritual that signals to your body and mind that the day is done. After you wash your face, spend 20 minutes with a calming hobby, reading a novel, sketching in a notebook, or organizing your craft supplies. This practice of active rest is the secret to a real, lasting glow.
Your First Step: The 7-Day Sparkle Session
Forget the 30-day grind. Let’s start with something small and joyful. For the next seven days, choose just ONE tiny action from the list below. The goal is to prove to yourself that small moments of joy are the true building blocks of a radiant life.
Mental Sparkle:
- Listen to a podcast that makes you laugh.
- Call a friend who always lifts your spirits.
- Write down one win from your day, no matter how small.
Physical Sparkle:
- Do 10 minutes of gentle stretching.
- Make yourself a colorful, delicious smoothie.
- Get to bed 15 minutes earlier than usual.
Hobby Sparkle:
- Spend 5 minutes doodling without a goal.
- Tend to a houseplant.
- Hum your favorite song while making tea.
A Beautiful, Meandering Path
Your glow-up journey isn’t a race to a finish line. It’s a meandering, beautiful path you get to design yourself. It’s filled with the hobbies that make your soul feel lit up, the food that makes you feel vibrant, and the rest that makes you feel whole.
At Femme Hobbies, we believe the most magnetic glow comes from a woman who is truly, deeply happy. So, what tiny spark of joy will you add to your life today?
You’ve got this, beautiful.
With love and support,
The Team at Femme Hobbies
Hey, I’m Shahzaib!
I started FemmeHobbies to create a welcoming space where women can discover fulfilling hobbies. While building this platform, I collaborate with talented writers and hobby experts to ensure every article feels authentic, useful, and empowering.
My main focus is handling the technical side, so our community can focus on passion, creativity, and connection.