5 Ways To Manage Stress

image by Kelly Cappelli

It's been a week since the election - how stressed out are you?

Everywhere I go it seems that people are majorly stressed out. Trump fans are mad that the haters be hating, Trump haters are stressed out that he even got elected let alone that he is going to take office.

The world is stressed out that God only knows what will happen, and today I even heard Trump voters stressing out that he is putting Steve Bannon, the white supremacist in the White House.

I have been super stressed out that this has happened to my adopted country, meanwhile a massive earthquake hit my home country, which has me beyond stressed out.

Add to the mix working the past 44 days straight, AND having a major flood in my home and frankly it has been a stressful few weeks.

The thing about stress though is that it doesn't achieve anything. Well, nothing positive anyway. The trick is to find ways to manage your stress so that it doesn't manage you.

 5 Ways To Manage Stress

1. Do Yoga

Even if you just do a few sun salutations each day, yoga is a fantastic way to manage stress. The focus on your breath, the stretching, the flow from position to position make yoga the ultimate stress buster.

If you can't get to class just roll out your yoga mat and do some sun salutations with a you tube yoga guru.

Don't have a yoga mat? Check out Manduka.com for all kinds of yoga wear and yoga supplies. I'm ordering a new 5mm Eko mat and a new bolster to replace those that got lost in the flood.

2. Take a walk outdoors.

Fresh air and nature are wonderful stress relievers. A long walk with no distractions, just you and Mother Nature, is food for the soul.

3. Sit and reflect by water.

Looking out over the ocean or watching the waves are instant stress busters.

Watch, breathe, repeat.

4. Meditate.

If you can still your mind meditation is an amazing stress-buster. It calms you, helps you focus, helps you sleep better. Most of the super successful people that I work with in my real life (makeup artist) meditate for 10 to 20 minutes per day. I figure I can find 10 minutes somewhere each day so I just downloaded an app called Headspace that offers 10 minute meditations, but there are plenty of meditations available on You Tube.

5. Get off social media

Social media can be fun, but it can also be a huge source of anxiety. Whether that anxiety comes from comparing your life to others and feeling inadequate (remember no-one's life is as good as it seems on Facebook!) or whether its people being contentious and going all attack-dog over issues (hello Trump) the dark side of social media can be very dark.

Give yourself a two or three day total break from all social media, and then when you go back don't look at any social media in the first 30 minutes after you wake up or the last hour before you go to sleep

How To Beat Jet Lag

So you already know my main gig is being a makeup artist. That's been my career for years and years.
My second gig is blogging. I write around my insane makeup schedule. 
What you may not know is that I have a third business, which is taking small groups of women aged 35+ on private tours of Italy. They are called the Glam Italia Tours. Because frankly, they really are quite glam!

In June I have two Glam Italia tours, back to back. I'm so happy because Italy is my favorite place in the world to be.

With the combined total of both these tours I have no one who has ever flown internationally before. 
I'm thinking there are no doubt many of you reading this blogpost who have either never flown internationally, (or maybe never flown on a really long international flight before) or who are embarking on a big trip such as a trip to Europe, this summer.

The devil in long-haul travel is the dreaded jet lag.
Jet lag can steal the first few days of your trip if you're not lucky.
It can leave you in a brain fog, swollen, tired and irritated, and have you waking at 2 am and leave you barely able to put one foot in front of the other by 8pm.

Flying from Australia or New Zealand back to the USA gets me every time. The adjustment is always hard, partly because I get a heavy duty dose of homesick to pair with it, and partly because I break most of my rules to beat jet lag.

For my Glam Tour ladies and for anyone else doing some major travel this year, here is How To Beat Jet Lag

Before You Leave Home

So much of the key to beating jet lag happens prior to leaving home.

1. Get Extra Sleep

For as many nights as you possibly can, go to bed earlier than usual. An extra hour or more of sleep per night for a few nights can make a major difference. One of the worst things you can do is board an international flight sleep deprived.

Even if you do sleep on planes it's not deeply relaxing, restorative sleep. Unless you're up in first class.

For those of you who take a sleeping pill, know that that isn't proper sleep either. (and, oh lord! be careful taking Ambien - hello naked person running amok on the plane!)

Check out the Top Ten reasons why people buy Travel Insurance and see if it is right for you.

2. Get Extra Exercise

I love to do extra yoga in the days leading up to a long flight, and especially that morning if I can. I have friends who like to run (I hate to run) who add in an extra mile or two in the days leading up to their trip. Something you will never, ever catch me doing.

Whatever your exercise of choice is, go for it. Cardio and stretching/yoga/pilates types of workouts are generally the best. Bulky, heavy lifting not so much.

3. Super-Hydrate

For every hour you are up there you are going to lose an additional
8oz of water. You need to drink tons of water during your flight, but also drink extra in the days leading up to it.

4. Avoid Alcohol

Don't party-hearty before you leave. The effects of alcohol stay with you for a few days, so having a bunch of drinks in the days immediately prior to flying can add to the dehydration - feeling like hell syndrome that goes with jet lag.

5. Watch What You Eat.

Whether it's in the terminal before your flight or whether its at home, avoid high sodium, salty foods, processed foods and cruciferous vegetables  ( like broccoli). They will bloat you and make you gassy. 

image via Fresh Tart

During The Flight

1. Set Your Watch

Set your watch to your new time zone when your plane takes off.
You have to do your best to trick your brain into believing it's 2am not 4pm. If it's sleep time in the place you will be landing, try to sleep. If it's waking up time there, stay awake. Do whatever it takes to make your mind believe it's already on the new time.

2. Avoid Alcohol

Alcohol will super-dehydrate you and make you feel like hell when you land.
In saying that, I always have a glass of wine with my meal and a glass of champagne prior to take off when I'm flying first class. 
If you are going to have a drink with dinner, keep it to one drink and have an extra glass of water after, to try and offset it.

3. Wear Compression Socks

Absolutely the un-sexiest things ever, compression socks keep the blood flow moving and stop your feet and ankles from swelling. They also help reduce the chances of you getting DVT. I wouldn't fly without them.
Compression Socks At Nordstrom

If your seat doesn't have an ottoman or a foot rest put a bag under the seat in front of you and elevate your feet even just a few inches.

Read more about preventing Deep Vein Thrombosis on long flights

4. Sleep

If you can, sleep during the flight. 
Ear plugs, an eye mask, neck pillows can all help.
If you can't sleep on planes try using noise cancelling headphones to eliminate the buzz, and listen to yoga nidra. They say an hour of yoga nidra is equal to 4 hours of high quality sleep. I download yoga nidra programs onto my iPad, and if the airline doesn't have it on offer on their entertainment system I just plug into my own.
The one I use has some Aussie bloke chatting away on it. It's brilliant.

Bose noise cancelling headphones

Read About Why You Have Trouble Sleeping On A Plane

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When You Land

1. Get On Local Time
No matter how tired you are, get onto local time.
If it's lunch time, go eat lunch. If it's evening, go for a stroll and then go to bed. If it's early morning, have breakfast - even if you're not hungry.

2. Walk. And Walk, And Walk.

One of the best things you can do after you've checked in to your hotel or wherever you are staying, is go for a long walk. 
It gets your circulation moving again, helps your body after its been cooped up in a small chair for hours on end, and it clears your mind.
I swear by it.

3. Don't Nap.

No matter how tired you are, keep moving and don't nap. You have to get on to local time, and that nap is going to mess you up and put you back to your previous time zone.

4. Hydrate

Drink as much water as you can to help offset what you just lost in-flight. You will be amazed at how much better you will feel!

5. Stretch

A few sun salutations go a long way after a long flight. If you're not a yogi, still take the time to do some stretches. Your body needs it and you will feel so much better for it!

Beauty Tip Of The Week #11 ~ 5 Reasons I Love Yoga

Breathe in faith, breathe out fear.

image via chicagonow.com

I'm obsessed with yoga.
When I can go to class 5 days per week, I feel amazing.
Problem is I'm often working 60-80 hours per week, and just can't get to class. And I barely get time to practice at home.

But I am convinced that the regular practice of yoga is one of the greatest beauty tips ever.

5 Reasons I Love Yoga

image via higherperspective.com

                      1. The Zen Factor.
In a hectic, fast paced life, that hour or so of controlled movement and breathing is heaven. A peaceful,  zenned out, stress-free face is a thing of beauty.



2. Breathe it on in, love it on out.
An hour focused on breath is a wonderful thing. (90 minutes is even better). Total focus on the breath helps get oxygen to every cell in your body. Every cell in your body benefits from oxygen, and with yoga breathing your skin glows and you feel wonderful.





3. Shapely Shoulders

Consistent and faithful practice of yoga gives you lovely, shapely arms, shoulders and upper back, and everything looks great with nice shoulders! Dresses, blouses, tanks and tee's all drape beautifully from and look gorgeous with nicely shaped shoulders. Even if you are packing a little extra junk in the trunk, you can offset it and draw all the attention away from it with a lovely upper body.

image via www.3x30yoga.com

4. Posture Perfect.
Constant practice of yoga naturally gives you lovely posture.
Your shoulders square, your strengthened core holds you upright, your tight hips and pelvis loosen, your new sense of balance changes the way you move.
Great posture speaks to inner confidence and calm, both of which are incredibly alluring. 
You never see a truly stunning woman with bad posture. Virtually every major celebrity, model, and fashionista carry themselves with regal bearing.

5. Anyplace, Anytime
You don't have to go to the gym or to a yoga studio to practice yoga. At any time in any place you can drop and stretch, center yourself, calm yourself, give yourself balance, and get relaxed. 

Tell me what you love about yoga in the comments section below!

Namaste