Tag: stress

Categories
Lifestyle Wellness

What Is Epsom Salt And What Does It Do?

Epsom salt has recently come back in terms of trends. Epsom salt started with athletes using it as muscle relief however now epsom salt is used by everyone to celebrities and influencers to people at home. But people aren’t just using epsom salt for no reason, it actually has tons of benefits. 

Epsom salt, also known as magnesium sulfate is a mineral compound made of magnesium and sulfate. This means that epsom salt is not actually a salt but instead a mineral compound despite the name and the salt-like look. Despite not being a salt the name isn’t completely random. Epsom salt gets its name from Epsom,Surrey where it was discovered in the 17th century. However epsom salt has been shown to have more benefits than just treating muscle aches (which it is quite good at). The more benefits epsom salt has been shown to have the more popular it has gotten especially recently. 

Magnesium is a super important biochemical for our bodies. It reduces muscle pains, supports immune system health, produces sustainable energy, promotes healthy bones and keeps a steady heartbeat. Magnesium sulfate (epsom salt) has the same benefits. When epsom salt is used the magnesium directly soaks through the skin. The most popular and best way to get the benefits of epsom salt is through a bath. Warm bath water allows the magnesium so soak into the skin better. This is because the warm bath water allows the skin vessels to expand making an easy path for the epsom salt to enter the skin cells. 

So what exactly are the benefits of epsom salt? 

  •  Relaxation/stress reduction

Baths themselves have been known to have a stress reducing effect but to get even more benefits from your calming bath adding epsom salt is a great idea. Magnesium is a major stress reducing mineral and to promote a calm and relaxed mental state by lowering the stress hormone called cortisol. 

  • Alleviates joint pain

Many people have reported epsom salt reducing effects of arthritis and fibromyalgia. This is most likely because of the magnesium that epsom salt contains. Considering people with arthritis and fibromyalgia are typically lacking in magnesium. 

  • Heals acne and eczema 

While epsom salts benefits on acne have not been scientifically proven many people have seen benefits from it. Epsom salt may reduce the pain and swelling that comes with acne as well as serve as an exfoliant and loosen up clogged pores that cause blackheads. 

  • Releases toxins 

The best known way to release toxins is through the skin and luckily that exactly what epsom salt does. Due to the sulfate that epsom salt contains epsom salt is a great ingredient to flush out and release toxins from the body. 

  • Reduces inflammation

As stated above one of the many benefits epsom salt is drawing out toxins, this includes the toxins responsible for inflammation. Aswell as this epsom salt reduces swelling stiffness and general pain. 

  • Soothes skin

Epsom salt bethes can exfoliate dead skin cells, smooth rough skin, and even ease dry skin. 

  • Promotes foot health 

If you’re a dancer or athlete you’ve probably heard of or even used epsom salt before. While epsom salt is great for easing muscles and things alike another popular use for athletes is foot health. All of the benefits mentioned before also apply to the feet, but along with this epsom salt has been reported to prevent foot fungus. 

Luckily using epsom salt is quite easy. The main thing to keep in mind is when making an epsom salt bath it’s important to pour in a generous amount of salt. It is also important to make sure the water is fairly warm/on the hotter side. The recommended amount of epsom salt for a standard bathtub size is around 2 cups. Then all you have to do is soak in the bath for around 20 minutes. 

So epsom salt seems like a pretty great deal. Unfortunately everything comes with a few down sides, but luckily epsom salt doesn’t have many. The biggest issue with epsom salt is that it can be slightly drying, which is something to look out for if you have dry or sensitive skin. To make sure you’re good before fully submerging yourself in an epsom salt bath, spot test on a patch of skin. 

In conclusion epsom salt is an almost perfect ingredient that has many benefits and is super easy to use.

Categories
Beauty Wellness

How To Tell If Your Acne Is from Stress.

Stress is a common thing everyone goes through, unfortunately so are breakouts. Almost everyone has experienced acne at some point or another and they probably will experience more in their lives. Unfortunately there are a lot of different things that can cause breakouts whether it be hormones, clogged pores, unhealthy diet or even stress. That’s right, stress not only takes a toll on your mental health but also your skin, which can make stressful times even more stressful than they already are. The worst part about stress breakouts is it can be difficult to figure out whether stress is what’s causing your acne. But luckily it’s not impossible. 

Stress is a very probable reason you’re experiencing breakouts this is because when you’re stressed your stress hormones rise signaling your body to produce more oil in your oil glands. This however is different from hormonal acne caused by your period. Hormonal acne has the same effect on the oil glands. The best way to tell the difference is to track your acne. For example if you’re noticing you get breakouts during a certain time of your cycle every month it’s probably not a stress hormone (unless something stresses you out the same time every month). You can also track if you’re breaking out after using a certain product. It is likely related to that product rather than stress.

There is also another way to spot stress acne. Stress acne typically appears in the cartian spots on the face. If you often experience acne in your T-zone (above your eyebrows on the forehead, and down to nose and chin in a T shape) it is quite possibly related to stress. If pimples in that area are accompanied by blackheads, whiteheads, larger pores, shiny/oily skin, redness or itchiness it’s most likely because of stress as regular acne won’t appear with these symptoms. 

Now that you know what stress acne is it would be useful to know how to prevent it. But before we learn to prevent it we need to understand exactly how stress acne works. As it may seem quite simple, stress acne goes deeper than just stress. As you may know acne is typically linked to hormones the same goes with stress acne. Stress triggers the release of a hormone called cortisol also known as “the stress hormone”. Cortisol in high enough amounts disrupts the hormone levels that control the sebum balance in your skin, which in turn can result in clogged pores which can result in acne. Stress can also cause hormonal changes that simply worsen your acne. 

So finally how can we prevent stress acne? Firstly taking care of your skin and regular acne treatments are a great way to deal with stress acne. Some options to use for acne treatment are topical over the counter treatments such as salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. It’s important to figure out what works for your skin, if your stress acne isn’t going away it’s important to switch up your routine and figure out what’s going to help. If nothing seems to work, it’s important to talk to a dermatologist to see what you can do.

Categories
Lifestyle Wellness

10 Simple Ways To Ease Your Mental Health

The state of our mental health plays a huge part in our day to day life. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to keep a good mental state especially with outside forces affecting our lives. This is why it’s super important to find things you can do to help your mental state. Luckily psychologists have found multiple easy things you can do to keep mentally stable even in some of the toughest times. 

Here are some of the best easy ways to put your mental state at ease. 

  1. Get enough sleep. 

Getting sleep is super important for your body’s overall health but it can especially help your mental state. A bad night of sleep can cause unnecessary stress and your capability to deal with stress, increase anger and can also increase your probability of developing a mental illness such as depression. On the contrary a good night of sleep can increase mental resilience and daily mood this is because while you’re asleep your brain works on repairing not only injuries but also repairs our brains and mental state and consolidates our memories. It’s super important to get a good night’s sleep everyday but especially so, if you’re feeling anxious or depressed. 

  1. Do something you enjoy/something your good at.

This is pretty self explanatory but doing something you enjoy is a great and fun way to boost your mental health. Doing something enjoyable releases good endorphins that help beat stress hormones. As well as this doing something you know you’re good at when you’re feeling down helps boost self esteem and cause you to move your minds of what’s bothering you. 

  1. Learn what helps you cope with stress.

When it comes to dealing with stress everyone does something different, it all depends on what personally works for you. Luckily there are lots of different ways to deal with stress check out our article 15 Things You Can Do To Decrease Stress for ideas on how you cope with stress and anxiety. 

  1. Spend time with people you love.

Human connection is super important for everyone, because humans have always been social animals. Especially if your feeling down a possible cause could be isolation or lack of human connection. Social connection can lower your risk for mental illness, improve self esteem and even boost your immune system. It is important to talk to friends or family that make you feel good. 

  1. Meditate. 

Meditation has been known to be a great way to put your mind in a relaxed and tranquil state. Meditation may seem difficult but it’s quite simple to follow a guided meditation. Studies have shown that only five minutes of meditation a day can be a simple treatment for stress and anxiety. Anxiety can also help with other mental illnesses such as depression, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), schizophrenia and ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). Meditation has also been shown to help with pain and other illnesses such as cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, headaches, sleep disorders and asthma. Next time you’re feeling stressed take a five minute meditation break before resuming with your day. 

  1. Take a break from stressful activities.

As obvious as it may seem sometimes we avoid doing the things we need the most, and in this case the thing you need the most could be to simply take a break. Whether it be work, school, friendships or other outside sources, it’s important to take your mental health into account when dealing with these things. 

  1. Eat healthy food.

Eating nutritious and healthy food does not only affect our physical health but also our mental health. This is because stress negatively affects blood pressure and blood flow. Healthy foods also affect blood pressure and blood flow but in the opposite way as stress. Some foods that reduce stress include: 

-Avocado

-Banana

-Tea

-Carrots

-Nuts

-Dark chocolate

-Swiss chard

-Orange

-and more

  1. Exercise. 

Much like healthy food exercise doesn’t only have physical benefits but also mental. Exercise can not only take your mind off any bad emotions you’re feeling, but it also has been proven to release positive endorphins that fight against stress and depression. The endorphins have been associated with “the runner high” because of their antidepressant-like effects. This is likely because exercising can cause cell growth in the hippocampus, which is the area of the brain that affects memory and emotion. People affected by depression have a smaller hippocampus which is why cell growth in that area is an effective antidepressant. 

  1. Treat yourself with kindness. 

As simple as it may seem being kind to yourself has a huge effect on your mental health. Studies have shown more self-compassionate people tend to cope with difficulties and negative feelings better. Aswell as this it can also lessen feelings of anxiety or depression. Self kindness is so effective in helping mental health that a form of therapy has been made called compassion focused therapy.  

  1. Get help from a professional.

Getting help from a professional is a great resource when your mental health isn’t doing well. Therapy has proven to be an effective treatment for many people dealing with mental health issues or mental illness.

Categories
Lifestyle

8 Things You May Not Realize Are Causing You Stress

Stress is unfortunately very common for most people. Sometimes getting rid of stress feels impossible so before you try to release stress, try changing or removing these 8 things that may be causing you extra stress without you even noticing or realizing it. 

  1. Lack of movement

Working out has more benefits than just getting in shape. It can actually decrease feelings of stress and anxiety by producing endorphins in the brain, which act as natural pain killers. When you’re feeling anxious it may be a sign to get in a workout or even just go for a walk.

  1. Caffeine 

Unfortunately your daily cup of morning coffee may be doing more harm than good. Studies have shown that caffeine increases cortisol, the stress hormone.

  1. Too much time of a computer or phone

It’s not news that social media can cause tons of extra stress and anxiety but this isn’t the only down to online time the blue lights in phones and computers can even add extra stress.

  1. Dehydration

This one is probably not a surprise for most. Water is super important for all kinds of bodily function and too little of it causes the body to produce extra cortisol. 

  1. Lack of sleep

Sleep is extremely important, studies have shown that even the slightest bit of sleep deprivation and bad quality sleep can cause extra stress.  

  1. An unclean work space

A clutter and mess especially in your work space leads to many issues. Clutter makes it hard to relax and focus on what we need to be working on. 

  1. Uneven diet

Food is another key component in a healthy lifestyle. Eating too much junk food or cortisol increasing foods such as sugar and caffeine can increase stress. 

  1. Not enough time outside

Similar to working out getting time outside releases endorphins and can immediately put stress at ease.

Categories
Wellness

What Essential Oils Are Best For Stress Relief?

Stress is inevitable especially in modern day. It’s super important to do as much as you can to reduce stress. There are so many stress relieving activities, but something that can help support stress relief is essential oil. Essential oils have so many benefits. They can change your mood, get rid of headaches, help you relax and so much more. Below are some of the best essential oils for stress relief. 

  1. Lavender

Lavender is a super popular essential oil for reducing stress and anxiety. It has been scientifically proven to slow heart rates and lower blood pressure plus it smells great. Lavender is also great for improving quality of sleep. 

  1. Neroli 

Neroli reduces the feelings of anger, irritability and stress. In ancient Egypt it was used to heal the body, mind and soul. 

  1. Lemon 

Lemon promotes energy and relieves nausea and anxiety. Lemon is a super popular essential oil and along with stress relief it also promotes energy with its trong citrus scent. 

  1. Ylang Ylang

Ylang Ylang boosts feelings of joy and comfort and it reduces negative emotions such as stress and anxiety. 

  1. Frankincense

Frankincense is a super popular essential oil. It boosts mood and reduces feelings of anxiety and stress. It can also improve focus and decrease pain, mentally  and physically

  1. Chamomile

Chamomile has an amazing soothing smell and much like chamomile tea promotes relaxation, and calmness. 

  1. Jasmine

Jasmine has been used in Asia as a natural remedy for anxiety, stress, insomnia and depression. 

  1. Rose

Rose is amazing for relaxation; its scent soothes emotions, headaches, breathing rates  and balancing hormones. 

  1. Bergamot

Bergamot promotes energy, fights bacterial infections and stimulates joy and freshness.  

Using essential oils for stress relief

Now that you know what oils to use you need to know how to use them. There are a few different ways you can use essential oils; here is a list of some of my favorite ways to use essential oils.

  1. Diffuser

This is one of my favorite and the easiest ways to use essential oils. All you have to do is place a few drops of your oil of choice with water in your diffuser. 

  1. With a carrier oil

Putting oils on the skin is a great way to get the most benefit of the oil. However It’s super important to dilute oils with a carrier oil when you’re putting them directly on the skin. This is because the essential oils are too potent to be put directly on the skin. My favorite carrier oil is jojoba because it’s super easy to use. Just mix 20 to 25 drops of jojoba with a drop of essential oil. 

  1. In a bath

The best part about this method is that you’re doing two stress relieving things, a bath and essential oils. Just be sure you’re still using carrier oil.

Categories
Lifestyle Wellness

15 Things You Can Do To Decrease Stress

Everyone gets stressed every once and awhile, it’s almost impossible not to. However, it’s best to diffuse stress as soon as possible before it gets worse. While at the moment it might seem impossible to ease your stress however, luckily there are so many things you can do to decrease the feeling of stress. Below are some of my personal favorite things to do when I’m feeling stressed and anxious.

  1. Exercise

Exercise and just moving your body in general is great to just reset your focus on something else. Exercising also releases endorphins that reduce your perception of pain, these endorphins also trigger a positive feeling. Exercising can also be super easy, even a ten minute workout video can help!

  1. Meditate

Meditation has been known to diffuse stress and clear the mind. Meditation is another thing that can be super simple and easy. There are tons of apps and videos for guided meditation which are super great for beginners, meditation can also be super quick but the more time you meditate the better!

  1. Journal

Journaling can reduce stress by getting rid of negative thoughts. Writing your thoughts down on paper is a great way to clear your mind. When using journaling to reduce stress there are many different methods you can use, personally my favorite is to just start writing what I feel on a page. Although you can also do things such using prompts or state things you’re grateful for. 

  1. Deep breathing

While doing breathwork a message is sent to your brain to relax, this happens because you are doing what your body does when it is already in a relaxed state. There are tons of different types of breathwork but you can do something as simply as a few long breaths in and out. 

  1. Get a full night of sleep

Sleep is super important for almost every bodily function. When you’re feeling stressed it’s best to make time to get as much rest as possible. When you’re asleep your brain regulates and lowers negative emotions such as stress and anxiety. 

  1. Read

Reading is another great way to distract your mind from whatever is causing you stress. Reading is also a very calming and stress free activity. My blog about my favorite books will be linked here. 

  1. Take a bath

Taking a warm bath doesn’t just feel great but it also relieves stress in the brain. Being in a bath can reduce levels of pain and inflammation as well as calming your nervous system. Bonus points if you put essential oils in your bath, essential oils also have different stress relieving properties. My blog on my favorite stress relieving oils will be linked here, just be sure to dilute them with a carrier oil.

  1. Practice some self care

Self care can be something such as taking a bath or doing a face mask but it can also go so much further than that. There are tons of ways to do self care you can practice meditation, read or talk to a friend.

  1. Do a creative activity

Being creative is another one of those things that is great for just taking your mind away from whatever is worrying you. There are so many ways to be creative such as painting, dancing, writing and so much more which means everyone can find something creative they like to do. 

  1. Yoga

Yoga can reduce anxiety immediately as it combines exercise and breathwork, as well as this the poses and stances involved in yoga can stimulate power in the brain. If you don’t want to go to a studio to do yoga there are tons of yoga videos on youtube that you can do from home!

  1. Listen to music

Music is so effective to our minds, especially soothing slower music. There are lots of music playlists made specifically for stress reduction and some even include songs that are scientifically proven to have an effect of relaxation on the mind which is super cool!

  1. Laughter

Laughter has been scientifically proven to reduce the feeling of stress. Laughter can relax your muscles, improve your mood, soothe tension and so much more. So when you’re not feeling your best it may be a good idea to throw on a funny video or TV show. 

  1. Eat healthy

Eating foods such as vegetables, fruits and grains increase the release of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a chemical that regulates your mood, happiness and anxiety. So eating healthy foods can basically make you happier. 

  1. Go outside

Personally, whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed or stressed going outside for even just a few minutes completely clears my mind and makes me feel so much better almost instantly. Going outside reduces levels of cortisol in one’s brain (cortisol is the chemical that produces stress). I would recommend going on a walk or simply sitting outside if you are feeling stressed.

  1. Talk to friends or a loved one

Talking through why you feel stress with someone you trust is a great way to relieve feelings of anxiety. Talking to friends boosts your executive function which is what makes us better problem solvers.