Firm. Well-rounded. Tinged with a rosy blush of colour. They looked like the perfect peaches, so I purchased a pound.

WYSinaWYG! (What you see is not always what you get!)

One bite of what I thought was going to be a delectable peach certainly proved that statement to be true. These peaches were far from "just peachy"!

People can sometimes be like that, too. A perfect "outside" can mask the pain and stress swirling around "inside".

In an effort to make themselves feel better, their closets may be over-flowing, the make-up drawers bulging, the charge card bills growing and the bank account dwindling. And, stress increasing.

In an effort to assuage the "inside" hurt, they spend more and more on beauty products, services and clothing. It may help...for a short while. They look great, but the "outside" doesn't really address the deeper hurt. It may be that they don't feel like they are enough. Or perhaps all the shopping and spa'ing serves as a distraction...one that keeps them from looking at what is really going on beneath the beauty?

Self-care is important for health and well-being. It's fun to go to the spa or to get a few new items for the up-coming season. When one looks good, they generally feel more confident, but that feeling may soon be replaced by those other feelings - the ones that were hidden by the make-up and the fine clothes, that bubble up when the lights (of the make-up mirror) are turned off.

A good example of the outside not matching the inside is when people have gastric bypass surgery and go on to develop another addiction after losing all the weight.

Just as in life, there is a balance to beauty.

Did you know that stress ages? It also skews your balance. What might have once been moderate beauty and self-care rituals (spa, clothing, make-up, exercise, etc.) can cross into obsession or addiction.

Stress coaching can help. Learn how to hear and answer the call of your heart. Work from the inside and change the chemical cascade and improve how you feel - emotionally, mentally and physically. Let's chat to see if you're ready to work on your stress.

Then, when you look in the mirror, you'll see the sparkle in your eyes, your glowing skin and you'll know that your inside is as peachy as the outside.