Building Better Mental Health: 3 Strategies to Boost Your Mood and Build Resilience

Hello, beautiful readers!

Your mental health influences how you think, feel, and act daily. It also influences your ability to cope with stressors, handle your emotions, and manage your feelings. Anyone can struggle with their mental health but there are ways to elevate your mood and enjoy the little things in life. Here are 3 strategies to help you accomplish this:

1. Prioritize socialization 

Face-to-face interaction with friends and loved ones is stress-busting and mood-boosting. Find someone in your life who is a good listener to share your thoughts and feelings. A good listener will validate your feelings and won’t judge, criticize, or interrupt you.

Tips for connecting with others:

• Call a friend or loved one and arrange to meet up
• Spend some time disconnected – step away from your computer/phone screen for a little while to nurture your real-life relationships
• Don’t be afraid to make new connections

2. Learn how to manage your stress 

Stress takes a heavy toll on your mental and emotional health. (As I type this, I’m glancing anxiously at my never-ending calendar of due dates.) It is important to keep stress under control to stay healthy.

Stress-management tips:

• Make leisure time a priority
• Take up a relaxing hobby (For example: Journaling, jogging, meditation)
• Talk to a friendly face

3. Don’t skimp on sleep 

Getting enough sleep each night is critical for your health. Skimping on even a few hours per night can take a toll on your energy, emotions, and ability to handle stress. Adults should aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night.

Tips for getting better sleep:

• Calm the mind and prepare the body for sleep by taking a bath, listening to soft music, or lighting your favourite scented candle
• Stick to a regular sleep-wake cycle to help set your body’s internal clock
• Make sure your bedroom is dark, cool, and quiet

What strategies do you use to boost your mental health and wellness? 

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How to Transition Your Beauty Routine into the Fall Season

Hello, beautiful readers!

I adapt my beauty routine at the beginning of each season. Fall means cooler weather, drier skin and a loss of moisture. I change the type of products I use and my routine to combat these effects.

Products to Switch

1. Your Foundation

Your skintone often adapts to the weather. It may transition to a lighter shade once a summer tan fades. I often switch to a foundation with full coverage to conceal the effects of fall weather. If you still wish to use a lighter coverage foundation, try mixing a tinted moisturizer into your favourite shade for richer colour. 

2. Your Overall Colour Palette

A good rule of thumb for any season: Focus colour in one area. I favour a darker colour palette in the fall. I incorporate the palette into my makeup routine by punching up my lipstick with deep burgundy, red and dark pink colours. 

Areas to Increase Hydration

Cooler temperatures are drying for hair, skin, and lips. These areas may require a little extra hydration in the fall. 

1. Your Lips

The lips are one of the first areas of the body to show dehydration. Exfoliate the lips 1-2 times per week to maintain their natural moisture. Exfoliation allows lip balm to penetrate deeper into the lip surface.

2. Your Hair

If you’re like me, the use of your heated styling tools increases in the fall. Applying heat to hair strips it of natural oils. To keep strands hydrated, add shampoos and conditioners that boost hydration into your daily routine. 

Do you have any beauty tips you use for the fall season? 

How to Maintain a Daily Skincare Routine

Hello, beautiful readers!

Finding a skincare routine that works for you can seem challenging. Underlying most daily routines are 5 basic steps. I use each step in my daily routine, and adapt it based on my sensitive, acne-prone skin.

Step 1 – Cleanse 

Cleansing the skin removes excess dirt and oil. These components contribute to breakouts. Cleansing the skin both morning and night keeps your pores clear. I cleanse in the morning with a gentle exfoliator. I remove makeup and cleanse at night with a makeup-remover from Clinique. 

Step 2 – Toner

Toner removes any leftover residue after cleansing. Using toner gives the skin an extra cleansing effect. This minimizes the appearance of pores and preps your skin to absorb moisture. Toner is most effective when applied to damp skin. 

Step 3 – Exfoliate 

Exfoliating removes excess skin cells that build up on the skin’s surface. This step is crucial if you are experiencing acne or blackheads. You should exfoliate 1-3 times per week, depending on the specific needs of your skin. 

Step 4 – Moisturize

This is a crucial step to keep the skin soft and supple. Moisturizing adds an extra layer of protection to skin. Choose a product best-suited for your skin type, then massage it into the skin using an upward motion. You should let the moisturizer sit to allow it to absorb into skin.

Step 5 – Apply sunscreen

The sun is damaging to the skin. Using a product containing SPF protects your skin from UV rays. You should apply a sunscreen with SPF 15 (or higher) to the skin to protect it.