5 Ways To Help Relieve Stress

Unfortunately, it is my nature to become stressed quite easily, and over time, I’ve developed ways to help me cope and overcome it.  I have began to get into habits and routines of how I relieve stress that I am going to share in the hope that they can help anyone else who also struggles with stress and anxiety.

1) Listen to music

Particularly when I am feeling anxious, I find the best way for me to calm down is to listen to some music in my earphones. I made a chill playlist on my Spotify (link here) which is full of relaxing, slow songs which always help me to relax and can be a good distraction from whatever is causing my stress.

2) Talk to someone

Sometimes when you have had a bad day or you are worried about something, it helps to tell someone. Expressing your concerns or worries with a friend or someone you are close to can help lift the weight from your shoulders and make you less worried about the situation.

3) Have a bath

After a tough day, a bath can really help you to unwind and relax. I like to use Lush’s ‘Big Blue’ bath bomb (review here) to help me relax as the sea salt and seaweed are specially formulated to help ease tension from your body.

4) Drink Tea (and lots of it)

I’ll be the first to say I really shouldn’t drink as much caffeine as I do as it only makes me more anxious and increasingly nervous. However I do find that herbal teas in particular (my favourites are berry tea and green tea with lemon) help me to calm down and relax, particularly after a bad day.

5) Read a book

I find reading to be one of the best ways for me to switch off and forget my stresses. A good book can be a really helpful stress reliever.

Let me know if you have any other ways that you deal with stress!

Kathryn X

July Favourites

Hi there!

Although I feel like July has wizzed by, I have actually bought and loved a lot of things this month that I thought I’d share, so here goes:

Beauty:

1) Revlon Matte Balm in ‘225 Enchanting’ – £7.99

This is my new holy grail matte lip product. It is moisturising, highly pigmented and best of all; doesn’t feel drying at all which is something I always experience with every matte product, drugstore or high end. For a high street product with such an affordable price tag, I was amazed by this product and I am definitely going to be purchasing this in more shades.

2) MAC Lip Pencils in ‘Boldly Bare’ and ‘Spice’ – £13.00

I actually purchased these back in April when I visited Mac Cosmetics at Covent garden, however I only really used them to line my lips and only recently have I used them as a lip product alone. Although they can feel quite drying, I love the colour and matte effect they give, and they do last a really long time before needing a top up.

3) NYX Proof It! Eyeshadow Primer – £5.50

I have been meaning to buy an eyeshadow primer for the longest time as I have really oily eylids and my eyeshadow always creases. I spotted this on the NYX counter in boots and thought it looked like a pretty similar dupe to NARS’ eyeshadow base (which I am desperate to try!)  It performs exactly as I had hoped; it keeps my eyeshadow in place all day without any smudges, and also makes my eyeshadow look more pigmented.

4) Lush Celestial Moisturiser – £14.95

This moisturiser just continues to impress me every time I use it. The almond-based product hydrates and clears my skin as well as leaving it feeling super soft. Prior to my discovery of this product, other moisturisers made no difference to my skin, and sometimes even made it worse by causing me to break out, and therefore this has become both my ultimate favourite skincare product and favourite lush product. I would recommend this moisturiser to people with sensitive and combination skin like myself as it is gentle on the skin and helps to reduce oil whilst hydrating drier areas, which makes it  suitable for those who experience dry skin too.

Accessories:

6) H&M Sunglasses – £6.99 (In Store Only)

I have been after a pair of sunglasses like these for a while as the other pairs of sunglasses I own are quite boring and so I wanted a pair that were a little fancier. These are perfect and exactly what I was looking for; they are a cat-eye shape, a funky print, yet still look slightly chic. Overall, these were a great find!

7) Topshop Rings (No longer available)

I have been meaning to buy some sterling silver or gold rings for ages now, but in the meantime, these caught my eye in topshop and I couldn’t resist. This set of three gold rings look nice with any nail colour, and for only £8, I think they are a great addition to any outfit.

TV/Books:

8) Orange Is The New Black on Netflix

I have loved this show ever since the release of Season 2, when I decided to jump on the bandwagon and find out what I was missing out on. I became hooked instantly, and with the release of Season 4 in June, I haven’t stopped watching the new episodes at any free moment I have! If you aren’t watching this show already, I strongly suggest you do, its amazing.

9) Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix

I’ll admit that when I first started watching this show, I wasn’t sure I understood it or that I liked it, however after giving it a chance and watching a few episodes, I absolutely loved it and was laughing out loud. This has to be my favourite comedy on Netflix and Titus just makes the entire show, let’s be honest.

10) The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins

I bought this book months ago but I completely forgot about it until I spotted it on my bookshelf at the beginning of July. I was hooked from the first page with this book, its so intriguing and once I start reading, I find it so difficult to put down. I cannot wait to reach the ending however I’m not sure I want to finish it, I love it too much!

What have you been loving this month?

Kathryn x