Do you shove stressful feelings deep inside to deal with another day? Perhaps you bury yourself in work, or you compartmentalise stressful thoughts and lock them away in your mind? Do you behave in a destructive manner towards inanimate objects, or verbally attack others?

Stress can affect your body in many ways. Oftentimes, these include your:

• immune system
• hormonal levels
• cyclic patterns
• pelvic floor
• mental clarity
• emotional state
• hot flushes
• body image and overall image of self
• body shape
• appetite

Physical and Mental Aspects of Stress

Both your physical and mental health are important for overall wellbeing and vitality. If one is out of balance, the other will be too.

It’s important to understand how stress affects our whole bodily system, and how these feelings remain long after the initial cause of the stress has gone.

We need to deal with the residual effects, calm our nervous system down, and move forward in life.

Ever woken up in a foul mood and decided to not go on your morning walk? Or maybe you have had a bout of anxiety and cancelled social catch-ups?

Sometimes, you need to cancel your plans and create space for healing. However, try not to cancel them for too long as this can also have an adverse effect on your health.

Creating space and time to reflect on why you are feeling stressed is important. Writing down your reflections in a non-judgemental form is a great way to express your feelings.

Social Interactions

Social connectedness also has a positive effect on our overall health and wellbeing. Having a good social circle is such an important part of our lives, especially when we need to talk things over with a trusted loved one or friend.

According to Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education:

“People who feel more connected to others have lower levels of anxiety and depression. Studies show they also have higher self-esteem, greater empathy for others, are more trusting and cooperative and, as a result, others are more open to trusting and cooperating with them. Social connectedness generates a positive feedback loop of social, emotional and physical well-being.”

Physical Activity

Exercise is one of the best-known ways to help yourself through the stress cycle. Studies show that exercise has a powerful and positive effect on our mental health and stress cycles.

“Adults who engage in regular physical activity experience fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms, thus supporting the notion that exercise offers a protective effect against the development of mental disorders.”

Other Ways to Handle Stress

There are many other things you can do to lessen the effects of stress. For instance, you can:

1. Be your own best friend in a compassionate and nurturing way.

2. Pat and hug your pet.

3. Immerse yourself in nature, walk in a park, by the beach, etc.

4. Dance and sing to your favourite song or music.

5. Create – stitch, knit, paint, draw, write, bake, meditate.

6. Have a massage.

7. Try deep breathing techniques.

Chose something you relax and lose time in.

Stress and recovery are a balancing system of understanding your needs and then creating a plan around what you know works for your mind and body and prioritising it.

If you would like to discuss all aspects of health and wellbeing for women, join our free Facebook community.

What stresses you the most? Have you caught yourself when stress builds up? What do you do in such moments? Do you have a favourite way to ease stress? Please share it with the community!

Melissa Gorga’s Distressed Denim Shorts on Instagram

Real Housewives of New Jersey Instagram Fashion 2021

In case you missed it, Melissa Gorga recently posted to Instastories about the distressed denim shorts she’s been wearing that you’ve all probably been curious about. And tbh, we can’t think of a more perfect ingredient for having a hot girl summer than these (other than some piña colada mix to use in this machine of course). 

Fashionably,

Faryn

Pistola Shorts Sold Out at Envy

Click Here to Shop Them at Revolve

Photos & Info: @MelissaGorga

Originally posted at: Melissa Gorga’s Distressed Denim Shorts

When I wake up in the morning, I’m beginning to feel hope. I’m making plans, I got my second vaccine, and I see life revving back up again. And I’m thrilled about that…

We may read less now that days are heading towards normal – or the new normal. But whether we’re cooling our heels in the dentist’s lobby, sitting on a train, or relaxing on the patio with a cocktail, a great book is always the perfect companion. 

And, so – may I present – five fiction books I’ve enjoyed this month…

Wickwythe Hall by Judithe Little

Judithe Little rewrote and tweaked this novel for seven long years before a publisher accepted it. “I was a decent writer, but I had to learn to tell a story,” she told me during our interview. Bingo! Mission accomplished. 

After I devoured her recent book, The Chanel Sisters, I wanted to take a peek at her first historical fiction novel. Published in 2017, Wickwythe Hall may be readily available for lending at the library. 

This book combines everything I crave in a story. Lush scenery, captivating relationships, beautiful descriptions, and well-researched history. 

Its focus is Operation Catapult, a little-known piece of World War II history. After powerful French naval ships were captured by German forces, Winston Churchill didn’t want Hitler to use the fleet against the British. England’s prime minister launched an attack on the captured French fleet, killing 1000 French sailors. 

Inspired by real people, places, and events, readers learn what it took to survive the long war. 

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

On a recent walk, I listened to a podcast interview with author Sarah Pearse. She said she’d read a Swiss magazine article featuring abandoned sanatoriums that had been converted into hotels. And, off she ran with a creepy plot idea!

If you like the idea of a thriller based in a remote sanatorium turned into an edgy, luxury hotel in the Swiss Alps, this is your type of page-turner.

Do life events always happen the exact way we remember them? Detective Elin Warner, stranded at the hotel when an avalanche strikes – and murder and mayhem follow – cannot get past the death of her brother.

I raced through this New York Times bestseller, with its short chapters and quick pace. I only hope the novel’s gruesome details stem from Pearse’s research and not her imagination! 

The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser

Insecurities may drive us to behave in ways we admonish.

This rom-com story, with a good amount of bookish charm, arrives in the world on May 4. If you need a “light” read – and adore a bookstore backdrop – put a copy on hold at the library now. 

When Thea looks back on her younger self, she thinks that “everything I did was new. Now, nothing I do is new.” But life is about to change…

Thea is starting over, at an age when that’s not so simple to do, in a coastal Scottish town. She escapes a dissolving marriage and enters a new world, complete with an ancestral home, a job in a quaint bookstore, and a crotchety boss who’s tough to please.

A good reminder it’s never too late to try something new!

Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland 

What do we do for our children? Or the people we love? 

Based on some true events – heartbreaking for any family to endure – this thought-provoking novel transports readers to 1934 Atlantic City. Like any parents, Esther and Joseph Adler want the best for their daughters.

Labeled one of last “summer’s best reads” on several lists, this novel generated lots of buzz and great reviews. And I’m glad I read it. 

I feel like that sometimes with books. I don’t shout their praises from the rooftops, and they may not have been an absolute favorite. But when I finish the last page and close the cover, I’m happy I read the story.

The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth

Yes, it’s true, bitter people can do bad things.

After I read The Good Sister, I looked into what else this beloved Australian author has written. I now clearly understand why Hepworth has legions of fans across the globe. 

Lucy’s complicated relationship with her mother-in-law, Diana, involves misunderstandings, mistrust, and murder. Told in dual timelines and narratives, readers see – with all the unwritten rules – how it is easy for a mother-in-law to get it wrong.

Optioned to actress Amy Poehler for television, this twisty novel prompted me to think of all the reasons I adore my daughter-in-law! 

What are you reading right now? Me – The Survivors by Jane Harper. Do you have a favorite book of 2020? Once your world opens up, will you continue to read at your “pandemic pace”? Please join the conversation!

What you choose to do with your body hair is entirely your choice. Just ask Lourdes Leon. The 24-year-old has hit up red carpet events showing off her armpit hair like it’s NBD (because it’s not) and it’s refreshing as hell. You just have to check out Leon’s mom Madonna’s Instagram and you’ll see her body hair. The photo is a bit of a throwback but the duo looks stunning together. “Like Pieces of your Heart Walking around outside of you,” Madonna wrote to her daughter.

Leon also gives glimpses of her body hair choice on her Instagram stories, which fan pages grab and post to Instagram left and right. But if body hair is NBD and everyone has it, why are we even talking about it? Well, it’s notable when a celebrity, especially a young woman, decides to say eff the patriarchal beauty standards that say you’re supposed to be somehow hairless at all times. It’s extremely dated but still affects many of us on the daily.

Source: Instagram

Of course, this isn’t new for Madonna’s daughter. At the 15th Annual CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Event in 2018, Leon wore a very Madonna-esque white sheer gown on the red carpet and posed with her armpit hair on full display.

Singer Lourdes Leon attends the 15th annual CFDA / Vogue Fashion Fund event at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on Monday, Nov. 5, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

And if you still think in 2021 women showing their body hair isn’t something to talk about—and applaud—just check out Madonna’s Instagram comments on her post. “She doesen’t[sic] have to shave and I don’t have to like it,” wrote one woman. There are also a ton of vomiting emojis posted. Sigh. Body hair is natural and has zero to do with being clean. (In fact, body hair can help keep you cleaner!) Something tells me, Leon isn’t concerned by the comments, though. And why would she be?

Nothing bugs me more than a beauty brand coming out with a “genderless” makeup or skincare line. That’s because there is no gender attached to products as it is. Take for instance me and Jacob Elordi wearing the same blush, according to a recent photo. Hair and makeup artist Shannon J J Williams shared a BTS of the Kissing Booth and Euphoria star during his shoot for Man About Town Magazine. If you haven’t seen these photos, well, you’re in for a treat.

Photographer Isabella Elordi (his sister!) shot the editorial. Jacob thanks her “for bringing art to my world through hers.” The photos are gorgeous, with Jacob mixing traditional masculine and feminine together in the most high-fashion way. When his very buff arms are exposed on the cover, he’s also wearing dangly earrings and a crop top. In a close-up shot (and the BTS picture), he has flushed cheeks, which according to the brand, is thanks to Ciaté London’s Dewy Blush.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

Source: Instagram

“For a subtle rosy glow, the gel-balm formula is great for adding a pop of color and brightness in one step,” Williams told Ciaté London. He used the shade Papaya on Jacob, a pretty peachy pink.

Ciaté London.

The cheek tints come in two shades in addition to Papaya: Coconut (a bronze/nude) and Pomegranate (a berry).  It’s lightweight and blendable, formulated with yuzu and dragon fruit for brightening. They’re similar to other dew blushes but a little more sheer, which makes them easier to build on all skin types—and genders, for that matter. Not everyone wants ultra-bright blush. You only need a little bit of this formula to see a subtle glow, but you can add more for a TikTok-ready heavy blush look. However you use Dewy Blush is up to you but one thing is for certain, makeup is for everyone.