Beauty and Self Care

Sometimes when life gives you lemons you might not always be in the mood to make lemonade. But unfortunately, it’s really hard to be productive when you do find yourself feeling like you’re in a funk. In addition, being down can have a negative impact on those around you and that’s no fun. So what are some things that you can do when you feel like your mood has hit a bit of a slump? Here are 12 ways to feel instantly happier that you can try the next time you need to lift yourself out of some grey clouds. Have A Good Cry Crying has many positive effects on your body and mind. After a good cry, your body can almost feel like the tears have washed away all that built-up tension and frustration that might have been causing you to feel unhappy. You will feel calmer, soothed and your mood can improve after you have shed some tears. Eat Some Happy Food Sometimes when you are feeling down it may be tempting to reach for some comforting junk food. But that is not the way to go. A much better alternative is to eat some dark chocolate or cheese! These foods are not only decadent but also contain natural ingredients that can enhance your mood. Have A Nap Just like babies get tired and irritable, adults can too. If you are feeling down and lethargic the reason may be that you are just plain exhausted and you need to have a nap to recharge yourself. A short nap can do wonders to lift your mood and can also have many benefits for your overall health and well-being. Listen To Your Favourite Music There’s no doubt that music affects mood and has the power to make us feel all the emotions. So why not play some of your favourite songs that evoke happy feelings. Maybe songs from a good period in your life will bring back feel-good happy memories. Spend Time With A Happy Friend When you hang out with happy people then chances are that you will feel happier too. Happiness is contagious and so it’s something that we definitely want to catch. Spend time with that special happy friend who you can confide in, trust, and enjoy spending time with. Dance A great way to get your blood pumping and feel more energised is to bust out some dance moves. Shake off the cranky pants and put on your boogie shoes!! Practice Gratitude Take some time to think about all the things that you are thankful for. Doing this shifts your mind to be more positive. Practicing gratitude is a helpful habit to take on because it means that your mind is reflecting on more positive and helpful thoughts that you can focus on. Get Outside Spending time outside under the blue sky and sunlight does wonders for your state of mind. Breathing in the fresh air will revitalise you and leave you feeling happier. If you can’t go outside then at the very least open the blinds and curtains to let the light shine into your home. Write Down What You Are Feeling If you write down what you are feeling it can be really beneficial in a couple of ways. firstly, it can help you to organise your thoughts onto paper and be able to understand them better. Secondly, it helps to clarify why you are feeling the way you are and help you to recognise any triggers. Put On A Smile Even if you don’t feel like it, go ahead and smile. Research shows that smiling can boost your frame of mind and make you feel more positive. I guess that’s why they say “fake it till you make it”. Light Your Favourite Candle Not only does candlelight make everything feel cosy, but finding the right scent can also do wonders to lift your mood. Burn a candle with your favourite fragrance or try a guaranteed pleasant and uplifting scent like good old vanilla. Focus On The Now “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the  present”- Bill Keane Thinking about the past or looking too much into the future can be a real downer. As challenging as this can be, try and stop your mind from wandering away and instead focus on the now. So next time you are not feeling your usual happy self why not give these tips on ways to feel instantly happier a try. Related Articles How To Be Positive In A Negative World Self Care

I thought it would be really helpful to look at 10 simple things you can do to improve your skin. These 10 simple tips are very easy to follow and they will not only help your skin look better, but they will also be very beneficial for your overall health. 10 Simple Things You Can Do To Improve Your Skin 1. Cleanse Your Skin It’s a good idea to find a cleansing routine that works for your particular skin type. Use a cleanser that won’t strip your face of moisture and your skin’s natural oils. Remember not to wash your face excessively because the last thing you want to do is to dry your skin out. Make sure to use warm water instead of hot water.  The best times to wash your face are first thing in the morning, right before you go to bed, and after you’ve worked up a sweat. 2. Wear Sunscreen Every day Keep your skin protected from harmful and aging UV rays by wearing sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher. Don’t forget to put sunscreen on every morning regardless of whether it’s sunny outside or not. 3. Moisturise Your Skin If you moisturise your skin every day your skin will feel soft and hydrated. Moisturisers seal in the moisture especially if you apply it when your face is damp. 4. Eat Nourishing Food Eating a healthy diet is so important if you want a healthy clear complexion. Indeed there are many foods rich in nutrients that are very good for your skin. Some of these are Olive Oil Tomatoes Berries Spinach and other green leafy vegetables Fatty fish such as Salmon and Mackeral Nuts Avocados Stay away from Food or drinks high in processed or refined sugars Salty snacks White bread 5. Stay Hydrated Some research says drinking more water is good for your skin others say that it doesn’t have a big impact. The debate goes on however it’s important for our overall health to drink water and stay hydrated. Additionally, drinking too much water isn’t helpful either as you risk flushing out important minerals. So it’s probably safer to say stay hydrated rather than to say drink more water. 6. Reduce Stress Stress will negatively affect your whole body including your skin. Therefore it’s really important to try and keep stress under control. Some of the ways you can do this are by doing deep breathing, yoga, or meditation. 7.  Get a Good Nights Sleep Lack of sleep will make your eyes puffy and make your skin look dull and unhealthy. The skin repairs itself during the night while you sleep. So if you make sure to sleep the recommended 7-8 hours each night you will wake up feeling more refreshed. In addition to this, your skin will also look a whole lot better. 8. Avoid Alcohol When you drink alcohol it causes your body and skin to lose fluid. This can mean that your skin can become dry,  look wrinkled and dull. Therefore, avoiding alcohol will give you an all-around healthier appearance, it’s beneficial for your liver and you will gain that glowing radiant look. 9. Don’t Smoke Smoking is just bad news for your health full stop. Additionally, if you smoke you risk getting dry and saggy skin, baggy eyes, and deep wrinkles. The reason for this is that smoking deprives the skin of important things like oxygen and nutrients. 10. Stay Active The blood flow increases throughout the body when you exercise. This means that oxygen and nutrients get delivered to the skin. This in turn encourages collagen production and new skin cells. Thereby giving you glowing skin. Revving up your heart rate with activities like kung fu training or any form of HIIT isn’t just great for fitness—it’s also a secret weapon for your skin! These dynamic exercises get your blood pumping, delivering oxygen and nutrients to your skin cells giving you that healthy glow. So if you’re aiming to maximize the impact, these activities are the way to go! My Skincare Routine And Things I Need to Work On When it comes to my own skincare routine I like to keep things very basic. I usually just cleanse, wear sunscreen and moisturise. I know I should probably up my skincare game because I’m not getting any younger. There are definitely a few things that I need to re-evaluate, change and adjust. I don’t really like to spend too much money on anti-aging creams as I am conflicted about whether or not they actually work. Some experts say they do nothing, while others say they are backed by scientific evidence. One thing I am pretty certain of is this. I really think that diet, sleep, and exercise definitely play a very important role in how healthy your skin looks. So these are the areas that I really want to work on. My diet is usually pretty good, but since we’ve been in lockdown I know that I have for sure been overindulging in too many sweet and salty treats. Lockdown ends very soon and I am super motivated to get back on track with my eating and sleeping habits effective immediately. Skincare Products I am Currently Using I have just recently started using products from Sukin. I don’t receive any affiliates for this at all, I just thought I’d share with you what’s happening in my own skincare world. Before using Sukin I was quite happy with the Lacura range from Aldi. (Told you I’m not a big spender when it comes to skincare products!) I found the Aldi products to be really good. To cleanse my skin I used the Lacura Naturals Invigorating Exfoliating Facial Scrub.  For the daytime, I used the Lacura Science Renew Day Cream with SPF 15. For night time I used the Lacura Skin Science Renew Night Cream. All these products were great for me, they did the job and didn’t cause any irritations. I was very impressed with all of them. But just