Stress isn’t just for National Stress Awareness Day

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While the first Wednesday in November each year is National Stress Awareness Day, the world is a pretty stressful place a lot of the time and it is different for us all.

You might feel irritable and impatient, nervous or depressed. There can be knots in your stomach, a sense of dread and the inability to see the good in life. Panic attacks, sleepless nights, loss of libido and feeling sick, dizzy or fainting are all ways stress can be experienced.

If we are to thrive, we need to find our own ways of coping with whatever our busy lives throw at us, so we have some ideas we hope might help.

Know your triggers
A buzz word, maybe, but it’s really good to try to access your triggers, where possible. Stress can come from many things, be that work, kids, family, friends or other people on social media! If you can identify what causes your stress, this will help you to tackle it and get things under control. Start to keep a diary of when you feel stressed, look at who or what sets it off and if a pattern emerges look at the changes you can make so things settle down.

Look at your lifestyle
Exercise is often on the bottom of our to do list, but it is a great way to manage stress. Increasing your heart rate, eating a nutritious diet, drinking lots of water and getting plenty of sleep are really important if you want to keep stress levels down. Just as you track your stress, look at how good you feel after a run or a swim, and how your skin improves when you swap chocolate and coffee for fruit and veg.

Pick your battles
There can be many things in life that are stressful – from a big bill, unfair boss to an angry customer, but if you react to them all you are going to be ill. Choose which things you are going to actually direct energy at and try to resolve, but the rest can be put behind you because they aren’t worth it.

Let it go
Stamp your feet, shout out loud, cry or jump up and down or do some boxing! No, we aren’t talking about toddler tantrums, but letting out your stress and steam in a more physical way. If you are feeling cross and out of control, it might just help to yell about it and get that stress out of your system.

Switch off
Turning off your phone, not checking your emails and powering down your laptop can all help put a lid on stress. You don’t need to be ‘on it’ 24/7, and no one expects you to work late every night, and if they do, maybe you need to look at how much work is impacting your life and stress levels.

Be mindful
This is talked about a lot, but mindfulness is where you have an awareness of the present moment and you pay attention to thoughts, feelings and sensations in the here and now. Mindfulness is really good for healthy mental wellbeing, so if you feel stressed, take a moment and reflect. If your mind gets busy, mindfulness can help to slow it down.

Kick the bad stuff
Smoking, drinking and binge-eating are ways many people cope with stress, but none of those toxic habits will do you any favours. Giving up cigarettes, cutting down takeaways and going to the gym rather than the pub will help you to feel better in the long run.

If things are getting out of hand, chat to your GP – you won’t be the only one.

Team Pure Beauty

Give your bathroom a summer makeover

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If you are feeling down and out about your bathroom, why not give it a little bit of a makeover this summer and create the haven you have been looking for.

A lick of paint
Your bathroom, just like any other room in the house, can be totally transformed with a fresh coat of pain. Of course, white is clean and fresh and will add an air of calm to your bathroom, but if you like colour then blue can give a nautical feel, yellow is cheery and green is coming back into style. There are many makes out there, but for your bathroom look for a specially formulated on like Dulux Bathroom+ Soft Sheen which is a moisture and steam resistant paint that comes in some fantastic shades that will transform dull into amazing.

Go for the grout
If you can’t retile your entire bathroom, you can still deal with the grouting which often ages and makes the whole room look old and tired. First things first, if there is any mould on the grout, either take this away by washing with a stain remover, or try a grout rake and use this to take away around 2mm of the old material before adding a new layer. You may also want to replace the old sealant which isn’t hard but you will need a steady hand and maybe watch the odd YouTube clip for expert advice.

Windows
It is amazing at how old curtains or a badly fitting blind can make a room look really shabby. Take the old fittings down, give the window and surrounding area a clean and add new paint if needed. To complete the look hang fresh curtains, wooden shutters or just use a frosted film to create a whole new look and feel.

Think about the lights
Long gone are the days when a bare bulb was all a bathroom needed if you needed to spend a penny! Natural daylight is great whenever possible, but do think about your neighbours with this option! You can change the light shades to make a difference or have LED lighting fitted by an electrician. Not only does this add ambience but it also saves money and the environment, but make sure anything that is fitted is certified for bathroom use and complies with health and safety regulations.

Accessories
This is the bit we really love. Just as with an outfit, accessories can really help bring a bathroom together. Whether you go for a theme or base your bathroom on a colour, it is easy to make it look and feel fabulous with a few accessory additions. From towels and pictures on the walls to baskets and mirrors, you can create a whole new look that will make you fall in love with your bathroom all over again.

A touch of green
One last touch that can really bring your bathroom to life, is a plant or two. Nothing says fresh like a little bit of greenery and it is a pretty cost-effective way to bring the outside, in. Ferns, lilies and some palms are perfect as they thrive in a damp environment, so all you need are so pretty pots and you are ready to go.

Team Pure-Beauty