Beauty and the (stress) Beast

Hey Guys,

Three cheers for my awesome mug! 🙂

So today I was thinking about stress and how prominently it exists in our world today. Personally, I get stressed so much, even over the teeniest of things and I know from experience that this stress has some undesirable effects.

Of course stress can cause some dangerous health effects such as heart problems, high blood pressure, panic attacks etc.. but it can also affect your appearance. Stress can cause: spots and blemishes, weight loss/gain, hives, puffy eyes, dark circles and in extreme circumstances even hair loss.

This post is not to tell you to not be stressed.. because frankly, that’s ridiculous. I think we all get a little stressed sometimes and it’s perfectly normal. However, i’d just like to give a few tips to help avoid stress and if thats not possible.. ways to de-stress.

How to avoid stress:

• Be organised. One of the main things that can cause stress is if you aren’t prepared or organised for something such as an exam, interview etc. Write a “to-do” list, noting down even the smallest of tasks, in order of their importance. Tick them off as you complete them.
• Talk to somebody about something that has been bothering you or that you have a problem with. A shared problem is a halved problem after all…
• Learn how to say “no”. Sometimes you can have just too much on your plate. When you add to this plate, this is when stress can occur. If somebody asks you a favour and you genuinely can’t help… just say no. In most cases, people will understand, if you tell them you just simply don’t have the time.
• Manage your time better. If you leave everything until the last minute, this can cause you huge amounts of stress. Complete tasks and face problems as you get them.
• Adjust your standards. I know a lot of us tend to strive, unnecessarily for perfection and anything that does not reach this level of perfection is automatically seen as a failure. Set yourself reasonable standards and learn to be okay with “good enough”.
• Focus on the positive. As cheesy as this sounds, whenever you feel yourself getting stressed about something.. take a little time out to think of all the positive things that you’ve got going on. It WILL automatically make you feel better about the situation.
• Set aside relaxation time.. and do something you enjoy at least once a day. We need to relax and have fun to avoid becoming a huge stressed mess. Don’t push yourself too hard, leaving yourself with no time for fun. Y’know what they say… all work and no play..yadda yadda..
• Get enough sleep. I’ll admit that I can be a complete and utter bitch when I’m sleepy. I need AT LEAST 9 hours in order to be my normal happy self. Get to sleep early, and if needed take a short nap during the day.

Aaaand if all those don’t work and you still end up stressed:

Been there? Done that?

How to de-stress:

• This is quite a personal thing but sometimes it can be as easy as having a cup of tea or some other warm beverage. I find just taking a few minutes to sit down, chill and enjoy a cuppa, really helps. This was really helpful during my exams. I’m a true believer that tea fixes everything. #tealove
• Have a bubble bath. Yes, this is very very cliche. But it does work. Fill the bath with lovely smelling things.. make it all yummy and then just relax and switch off.
• Retail therapy. I think I do a little bit too much of this but it does really work. However, do try to not overspend. Set yourself a budget before you begin and then you can shop happily and guilt free. Online shopping is great for busy folk or if you’re feeling lazy. And if you’re completely broke… window shopping with a friend can often have just the same effect.
• Ring a friend. I know personally that whenever I’m feeling really stressed or upset, chatting to a friend, works wonders.
• Exercise… this is not a myth. exercise doesn’t just make you tired and sweaty… it also releases happy endorphins… baring in mind that chocolate also releases these endorphins too…so take your pick.. 😉
• Watch a feel good movie. This is one of my favourite things to do when I’m stressed. If you’ve read my previous posts, you’ll know that whenever I’m upset or stressed, I love to watch my favourite movie, The Jungle Book. But I also love watching comedies. Some of my favourites are The Hangover, Bridesmaids, Anchor Man and Knocked Up.. just to name a few.

Okay, so obviously, I’m not saying that if you follow all of these tips.. you’ll be stress-free for ever. I still get very stressed but whenever I do get stressed, I think of a few of the tips I’ve mentioned above and I find they do help even if it’s only a small bit.

Oh and if all else fails… a good ol’ fashioned SCREEEEEEAM into your pillow, always does the trick! 🙂

So so true. Cake fixes everything!

I hope you found this post somewhat helpful, let me know if you’d like to see more posts similar to this one.

Thanks for reading guys and until next time, Byeeee! Kx 🙂