Just because you’re leading a busy, stressful life, it doesn’t mean you can’t relax during your fast-paced days. This is crucial, as finding small ways to unwind throughout the day can help you think more creatively, boost brainpower, and allow a few minutes to just appreciate life. Can’t find time to relax? No worries—your daily beauty routines are the perfect time to add some relaxation.
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Slow Down Your Skin-Care Routine
If you’re like most women, you probably conduct your morning and evening skin-care routines in super speed, not really paying attention to how these few minutes—twice a day—can help soothe your spirit.
Take the time to enjoy applying your skin brightening products and turn the application of your luxurious face creams into a relaxing massage. Applying your products in a gentle, soothing way allows your skin to absorb them better while being in the moment helps you clear your mind of stress and preserve your energy to face the day with confidence.
Avoid Stress-Causing Foods
You’re probably accustomed to grabbing a bite on the go, but this can be bad for your stress levels. Refined grains and saturated fats lead to the production of the stress hormone, cortisol. On the other hand, there are foods that have a calming effect on the body. One example is oatmeal; it’s a complex carbohydrate that boosts the production of serotonin, a chemical that improves positive feelings.
Another problem with eating when you’re on the move is that you might make rash decisions about snacks, resulting in the fastest options that are actually bad for your body and skin. For example, reaching for sugary snacks in your desk drawer; too much sugar actually accelerates the pace at which skin ages. Sugar fights both elastin and collagen production in the skin, which are both responsible for firmness and flexibility. On the other hand, relying on caffeine-packed liquids to get you through the day can dehydrate you. Both sugar and caffeine can make you feel anxious, so plan your meals and snacks ahead of time, so that when you’re busy you can still benefit from nutritious foods.
Yoga for Youthful Skin
We spend many hours every day hunched over desks, staring at computer screens or our cell phones. All of these activities can lead to muscles weakening. If you’re straining muscles in your face, such as regularly frowning while working, easy exercises will help you relax them, as well as your mind, because they enable betterblood circulation. Best of all, you don’t need a yoga class for them!
Try these facial fitness exercises, from Glamour, to reduce the signs of aging and give yourself a few minutes of relaxation.
Get a Dry Brush
Dry brushing your body should be an activity you do twice a day because it’s good for your skin and it can really help to relax you.
Use a brush with natural, soft bristles to gently massage your skin, moving from your feet upwards to your chest, and your hands to your chest too. The important thing to remember is to massage toward your heart in order to boost your blood and lymphatic circulation. It also gets rid of dry skin, resulting in a smoother appearance, and by stimulating the lymphatic system it helps to detox your body. Massaging your skin with a dry brush may also help relieve pain.
This is also a lovely spa-like experiencethat is super-relaxing. It should be done before you step into the shower. After you shower, finish by massaging moisturizer into your body. For an extra spa treat, heat the lotion so that it will feel warm and luxurious.
Turn Your Shower Into a Sanctuary
Speaking of showers, they’re a great way to achieve relaxation. Even if you spend just a few minutes in the shower in the mornings and evenings, this is precious time that can help to clear your mind. Make shower time a sanctuary by infusing it with music that helps you unwind, using deliciously-scented shower gels, or just closing your eyes and feeling the water run over your body. This is especially important at night as the comfort will prepare you for a relaxing, beautifying sleep.
Our daily beauty routines are easy times to stop and nourish the body and mind. An added bonus: Being relaxed and happy will help us look our best.
