Awesome Ways To Help You De-Stress
It's time to take back control when life feels uncertain…
Dealing with the world can feel pretty darn hard sometimes, don’t you think? And if regular life isn’t enough to contend with, the last few years of ‘you-know-what’ has helped not one bit. Hands up if you’re still working in a makeshift office in your already cramped apartment? Or if you continue to shiver at the thought of all those months of figuring out home schooling? It’s true, the world really threw us a curve ball in 2020. And we don’t mind admitting, it’s been a lot to deal with ever since.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), mental health statistics have continued to worsen since 2020 with things like health issues, money problems and global uncertainty being major sources of people’s daily worries. And when life feels too much, your mental wellbeing is often the first thing to take the strain.
Stress can manifest itself in many ways. From skin breakouts and digestive issues to chronic headaches and restless nights of (no) sleep, it’s clear your mental health plays a major part in your physical health. But minimizing the stresses of daily life isn’t something that can be solved with the click of your fingers. It takes time, thought, and, if it becomes serious and/or long-term, often requires professional help.
There are also some important ways to help deal with minor stress that you can do at home. Of course, if you feel like things have gotten out of control and you’re finding it hard to cope, you should always seek help from a qualified mental health expert. But if your stress is manageable and you think a few tweaks to your lifestyle could really help, we’ve got your back with these simple, yet effective de-stressing tips...
4 Of Our Favorite Ways To De-Stress
1. Write Stuff Down
One of the most common, and simplest ways to help you clear your mind of negative thoughts and give yourself some kind of clarity, is to write things down in a journal. Channeling your thoughts onto paper not only helps you release stress, but the process allows you a few moments to yourself to breathe, relax and focus on something other than life.
Dedicate 10 minutes or so every day to write down what’s bothering you. And don’t worry about grammar or spellings, you’re not trying to impress anyone, it’s just a way to vent your feelings and release tension. One of the best times to do this is before bed because it helps you get things off your chest, allowing your mind to switch off and thus help you get a better night’s sleep.
Another great trick, further down the line, is to look back on your journal and read about the things that get under your collar. This helps you understand your stress triggers which, in turn, can go a long way to avoiding or at least controlling them.
2. Prioritize Some Me-Time
Juggling work, family, friends and home life makes it way too easy to put yourself last. Bad idea. Your health is extremely important and if you’re not functioning well, everything else will suffer in the long run. It’s a bit of a vicious circle when you think about it.
Research shows that people who take care of themselves have much lower levels of stress and burnout. This is why me-time is so important. Time to spend with yourself, with nobody bothering you for anything. And a great way to achieve this without fleeing the country for a week? With an at-home pampering session in the comfort of your very own bathroom.
Choose an evening each week to lock yourself away with a relaxing playlist and a couple of scented candles. Run a bath, take a soak and read a book. Maybe do some deep breathing while your skin enjoys the powers of a deep cleansing face mask. Whatever makes you feel special and calm works for us.
When you’re done, treat your skin with your favorite serum – we’re all over our new Peptide Facial Serum right now – apply Peptide Eye Gel, then finish with Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream to set up your skin perfectly for a great night’s sleep. Stress can really takes its toll on your skin so it’s vital to look after it!
3. Try A New Hobby
There’s countless proof that hobbies are an awesome way to reduce symptoms of depression and stress. From learning a new musical instrument to knitting or stand-up paddle boarding, focusing your attention away from the difficulties in life, puts yourself in a whole other headspace without really thinking about it. What’s more, learning a new skill or partaking in a new activity can be extremely fulfilling and joyful. It might even lead to something bigger like a new profession or entire new group of friends. And we say a huge ‘yes’ to that.
4. Look After Number One
Hobbies and me-time are all well and good, but looking after yourself 24/7 should be your first priority. Your diet, for a start, should be balanced, well-rounded and packed with energizing, nutritious foods like antioxidant-rich fruit and veggies, nuts, seeds, lean protein and oily fish. Studies also show that processed foods, sugar, caffeine and alcohol are the devils when it comes to stress as they promote the release of the ‘stress hormone’ cortisol. It’s therefore prudent to limit these as much as possible. Don't completely starve yourself of the odd treat every now and again. Just don't make them a daily habit.
Looking after yourself, however, isn’t just about eating well. Exercise is also super important. The big caveat, of course, is that you have to find something you actually enjoy doing, rather than forcing yourself into something you hate. Yoga and pilates are awesome for de-stressing your mind while improving your strength and releasing happy hormones into your body. But you might not enjoy those kind of physical activities which means you a) won’t stick to them and b) won’t get the best from them. And that’s totally fine. Think about what you do like and work your activities around that. Basically, anything that gets your blood flowing will reduce your stress levels and improve your mood both in the short- and long-term. Exercise will also improve your sleep and boost your energy. Major kudos for that.
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![What Happens To Your Skin During Menopause?]()
Menopausal skin can be anything from slightly tricky to downright terrible. But wayward hormones needn’t get the better off you. You just need to know what to expect and get ahead of the game.
How times have changed. Rewind ten, maybe just five years ago and the ‘m’ word was never spoken about. This important life-changing period of time that happens to every single woman alive, literally brushed under the carpet as if it were some dirty secret. Total madness.
Thankfully, we live in different times and the menopause (there, we said it!) is now a topic we can openly talk about without feeling ashamed or, heaven’s forbid, old. Because it’s an important time and can bring a lot of unsettling uncertainties to any woman going through this perfectly natural stage of life. Hot flashes, weight gain, mood swings, zero energy, they can all go hand in hand with the menopause.
And then there’s your skin which also has its own challenges to contend with.
How The Menopause Affects Your Skin
The menopause can be split into three stages. Perimenopause begins first, usually in a woman’s 40s (although it can start as early as your 30s and as late as your 50s). This period of your life refers to the time in which your body starts to transition out of your reproductive years and into the menopause. Your body’s production of hormones (mainly estrogen and progesterone, but also testosterone to a certain degree) starts to decline, your periods become irregular and a few of the classic side effects may come to fruition. Fun times!
Then you obviously get the menopause which is when your body’s hormones cause you to completely stop menstruating (which can take many years) and all those fabulous (said with a side of irony) side-effects get stronger and more frequent. More fun times. Once menopause is over and you’ve stopped ovulating for a year you’re then said to be in the postmenopause and will be forever more.
As you progress through these different stages, your hormones are all over the place which is never great news for the health of your skin. You see, hormone fluctuations can affect your levels of sebum (cue dryness). Not only that but they upset your collagen production which is already declining as part of the natural aging process (cue wrinkles and sagging skin). Estrogen is also important for helping your skin to retain water so when these levels decrease your skin can’t hydrate itself as efficiently (cue dehydration).
Of course, changes in your skin depend on your skin type but, no matter what, you can inevitably look forward to some kind of ‘unpredictability’ during the menopausal years of your life.
5 Ways To Care For Menopausal Skin
If you’ve started to notice that your skin is misbehaving a little more than it used to, chances are you’re in the stage of your life in which your hormones have become, shall we say, less reliable. Read on for a few effective ways to help keep your skin in check as your hormones are very much not!
1. Be Kind
The most important thing to remember? Don’t panic. Freaking out and overcompensating for dry skin, dehydration, breakouts or wrinkles that were never before is a sure-fire way to irritate your skin. Instead, be gentle with your skin, cleansing, toning and treating it with kindness and respect. Most importantly, avoid ingredients like synthetic fragrances and harsh alcohols that will strip your skin and generate further problems you didn’t sign up for.
A great way to do this? Switch out your regular cleanser for Soothing Cleansing Milk which is perfect for menopausal skin, nurturing and calming your barrier function while bringing vital hydration and even a little exfoliation to the table.
2. Moisturize To The Max
Research shows that the most common skin complaint during the menopause is dry, irritated, and often itchy skin. This is all thanks to lowering levels of estrogen (an important skin hydrator) as well as reduced sebum. Without both of these important moisturizing tools, water is able to escape more easily from the surface of your skin which leads to dryness, dehydration and everything that comes with it.
To help get ahead of this, you’re going to want to introduce a hydrating serum as well as a really good moisturizer into your daily regime. Try the kick-ass combo of our Multi-Vitamin Facial Serum and Renewing Longevity Moisturizing Cream every morning, and Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream before bed.
3. Use Smart Skincare Ingredients To Control Breakouts
Cell turnover becomes super sluggish during this time in your life which gives dead skin cells a free ticket to hang around at the surface of your skin and make your complexion look kind of dull. When it’s combined with wayward hormones it’s also asking for acne breakouts to do a real number on your skin. For most people these are mild and easily managed with healing, anti-inflammatory skincare ingredients like salicylic acid, niacinamide and tea tree oil – well, hello there Tea Tree Face Wash and Tea Tree Super Serum+.
If you feel like yours are more serious and out of control, however, seek help from a dermatologist.
4. Look After Your Collagen
It’s thought that skin loses a massive 30 percent of its natural collagen levels during the first five years of the menopause. Sound like a lot, right? Yeah, that’s because it is. And collagen is extremely important for the strength, firmness and elasticity of your skin so you’ve got to do everything you can to keep it healthy and plentiful.
How to do this? With a healthy diet, good sleep, marginal stress (preferably none at all, but it’s OK, we’re all human) and some smart skincare choices. Namely retinol at night (is there anything retinol isn’t good for?!), alongside our fabulous Collagen range which includes Smoothing Collagen Serum, Firming Collagen Day Lotion and our Collagen Boosting Skin Supplement which contains vegetarian collagen (none of that animal stuff for us, thanks) alongside skin-strengthening vitamins, biotin and acai.
5. Apply SPF Like Your Skin Depends On It
Because, heads up, it actually does. Dark spots are likely to get darker, bigger and more prevalent during your menopausal years as decades of sun exposure combine with wild hormones, causing your melanin to lose control of itself. Your fine lines and wrinkles are equally likely to suffer thanks to a lack of collagen helping to reinforce the strength and plumpness of your skin. Sigh.
Our advice? Don’t leave the house without applying SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen with Vitamin C to your face and neck. It’s packed with sun-protective zinc oxide as well as aloe vera to hydrate and nourish your skin and a TruSkin favorite, brightening vitamin C. It’s basically a skincare must. Every. Day. Of. The Year.
What Happens To Your Skin During Menopause?
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