6 WAYS TO REDUCE STRESS AND ANXIETY! ft Randomise!

*Includes disclaimer of not being a professional, and these are just some ways that help me feel a little bit calmer or at ease*. Anywho, I'd like to share with you six ways that may help you feel more relaxed, as stress, anxiety and nerves are very common, and thus I'd like to share with you my tips!

I think these are pretty generic and what most people tend to do anyway, although I hope this post is a nice reminder for you, and motivates you to take a break once in a while, have time to yourself, have a pamper, sleep in, have a day off, eat chocolate, take care of yourself!

HAVE A PAMPER!
Go all out. Honestly. Fill yourself a nice warm bath, pop an aesthetically pleasing bath bomb in the water (namely Lush or Bomb Cosmetics) and watch the colours swirl around, allow your mind to relax and become transfixed in the beauty. Have a good long soak, maybe stick a TV show on or read a book, and don't forget a hot drink, that's a must. Lie back, let your mind become empty of thoughts. Don't forget to use a good hair mask, face mask, paint your nails (it's a chore I know), slather your body in a rich thick moisturiser, and maybe treat yourself to some oils (coconut oil is great for your skin and hair, alongside so many other good benefits). Just feel good in your own skin, this makes me so much happier.

ESCAPISM!

Reading a book or watching TV shows and movies are great forms of escapism. They let you forget about reality, you can leave your worries behind and enter a fictional world, where you get lost in the characters lives. If you want to read a book that will help with your worries, I recommend Calm. It's full of 'creative prompts, activities, instructions and inspiration', the pages are full of colour, beautiful quotes and really motivate you to 'achieve calm' as it will 'open your eyes to the pleasure and richness of your everyday life'. I picked this up from Urban Outfitters for £9.99 a while back, I love the general aesthetic of the book itself and the pages, I think it's so cute and such a lovely idea. They also have a free app where you can listen to relaxing sounds and practice meditation and mindfulness. This is something I recommend, as after doing this I felt incredible, I felt so aware of my surroundings, and I've never experienced relaxation like it. Maybe try yoga too, I've heard that helps tons. If you suffer with anxiety and worries, there are Kalm tablets that are stocked in places like Boots and Tesco, they are a 'traditional herbal remedy containing a blend of pure plant ingredient that can bring welcome relief from worry and irritability often caused by the stresses and strains of modern living', and they also 'promote natural sleep'. I take these as I always feel anxious, irritable and worried, I'm not sure if it's a bit of a placebo effect though.






HAVE FUN!I think spending time with loved ones and simply having fun is the best feeling ever. Just forget about your problems for a short while, get your family and friends together and act like your inner 10 year old self! Why not go old school and buy a board game, play cards, or play a game like Randomise. (PS. big thank you to Randomise who sent me this game to try out and review, it's honestly hilarious!). I've been suffering with my mental health lately, and spending time alone is not good. So I decided to get my family together for a game. You have to 'Draw, act or describe your way to victory', which allows you to have a choice in how you want to reveal your identity to your team mate. The aim of the game is simple, get in a team, pick three cards from the different piles, choose whether you're going for the easier or hard option (I kept going for easy, I'm boring), and the opposing team will select three random numbers. The numbers will tell you what you are, some examples are 'a confused octopus eating spaghetti, a disguised giraffe playing air guitar, and a clumsy pirate snorkelling'. If this sounds easy to you, then let me tell you it's a challenge, but this is what makes the game hilarious. I thoroughly enjoyed watching my mum badly attempt to draw an upset starfish playing the trumpet (that seriously is not a trumpet mum), and listen to my sister shout how she's not being on my team next time (sorry that I didn't realise you were a nervous wasp listening to the radio!!) My family and I loved playing this game, it was full of suspense due to the time limits you have, and I love how there is more than 1 million random combinations! As other games can get boring once you become familiar with everything, however I think this game will always be random and unique each time you play. The packaging is super cute too, just look at the animals, and it's super light and compact, meaning you can take this game wherever you go, and play it constantly with your friends and family, and it's only £9.99 which I think is a great and affordable price for something so fun and creative! Honestly, this was very enjoyable and exciting, my sister and I didn't want to stop playing once it ended, we were also pretty annoyed our parents won the game. However, it made me forget about all my worries and I was able to laugh and enjoy myself (even though I should have been doing uni work oops).

COLOURING BOOKS!

Adult colouring books are so popular now, I think everyone and their mum has one tbh. I used to love colouring, I've only actually coloured in one picture since I got it which was a while ago oops, but honestly that one time was very therapeutic. Perhaps give this a try if you're looking for another way to ease your mind, it's great for concentration, and if you get a pretty one like mine, it's going to make colouring in worth it, I mean just look at how nice the pictures are!!





SPEAK UP!
If you're suffering with mental health problems then speak up. Be this a professional, a family member, a friend, a teacher. Talking about your worries will reduce it, you'll feel less alone, and you'll probably hear some great advice, or maybe even tips on how they overcame that situation, or how they think you could. I spoke up this year about my mental health, it has been a resolution for years, and I finally did it. You shouldn't have to go through hard times on your own, the mind can be a scary place, so allow other people to be there for you.

GO OUTSIDE!
Take your dog for a walk, or let your dog take you for a walk (my dog always has to lead the way and pull me along). Fresh air helps me a lot, you can really clear your head outside, take note of your surroundings, appreciate the sights, take deep breaths, what can you smell? Thinking of these things will take your mind of the negative thoughts, and what's wrong with some exercise? This will help dramatically, it's been said exercising helps with mental health problems like depression and anxiety, I know it helped me a lot, but my problem is I let my lazy side out too much, I can't stop eating food and binge watching TV shows all day, be more productive and motivated than me, it'll make you feel better. Although, watching a good show always makes me feel 10x better tbh. Just improving your health over all will make you feel better about yourself, try eat more healthy and drink more water.

I know there's a lot more advice and tips that can be shared, but this is a pretty photo and word heavy post, so if you'd like more of these types of blog posts then let me know! I hope you have ways to reduce your worries, it's important to take time for yourself and not over work yourself, you need time to relax and be calm.

If you have any tips or advice for how to reduce stress or anxiety, then please do share them in the comments below, let's help each other out! XOXO B.