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5 things not worth Stressing Over! {Health}

Swathy · December 10, 2014 · 4 Comments

what things are not worth stressing about at perfect skin care for you

PS: And, keeping in mind the extremely stressful bridal season, I have guest posted the top 10 tips for brides at zuri.in. So, do not forget to check that out 🙂

So, the last few days have been quite irritable for me taking into account that I have not been well lately and also because I ended up causing too much damage to our vehicle and regretting over it. And, that one incident itself resulted in almost a one and half day of non-productivity!!

The worse is that when we are in creative jobs instead of the routine ones, a lot of our productivity depends on what kind of mood we are in, at least it does for me. Which is why I can write a lot of posts in one stretch and none in another!! Well, finally, since I got over my non-productive stretch, I am trying to do everything to not to run into that rut again!! And, that is why I have decided to post only thrice a week – Monday, Wednesday and Friday so that I am not stressed about writing posts everyday!!

So, let us check out what are some of the things which are really not worth a dime to stress over! And, probably that will help you as well to deal with some of the everyday things in a positive way!!

Materialistic Things

Recently, I ended up banging my car. I have a history with electronic items, whether it is a mobile or laptop, nothing lasts with me for more than 6 months in perfect and pristine conditions.

I have changed more than 4 laptops in last 3 years!! My present one does not have a battery, the speakers were damaged within a year of buying it, the control key came out within a month and, oh yes, the left hinge is broken!!

Lately, something went wrong with my vaccum cleaner! And, the coolers I buy never seem to last. Somehow, my Sony Xperia is still managing well but it has suffered from some scratches 🙁

So, now, even if I go and buy something, I always let someone else choose the piece which I want to buy!! Absolutely essential for me if I want them to be in better condition. Anyways, jokes apart, if I started getting stressed about all these things, I would never get any work done.

So, I would only say these things are really not worth stressing about. So, relax and enjoy. If your laptop has conked out, take a day off the internet and really enjoy your real world. Go and read a book. You would definitely love the change.

Your Dreams

This is a personal observation. Yes, you should work your ass off for your dreams and aspirations but never lose sleep over it. Dreams and goals are supposed to make you feel good, not stressful. They are a place which makes you blissfully happy and ignites you with the passion of doing more.

But, if they start stressing you, remember that probably you should ease off a bit and enjoy life more so that when your dream really comes true, you will not forget to be happy. Nothing is worth your happiness, not even your dreams. So, take a break.

Learning Something New

Unless you are a student and have to clear an exam, learning should not be a difficult process. It should be fun. And, remember, that life itself is a learning platform so you are learning every single second.

So, if you are really forcing yourself to do something, may be you do not have an aptitude for it or you might just not like it!! Worse still, it can be your choice of career as well.

Just remember that make learning fun instead of stressing over it. You can find newer ways to accomplish the thing you are trying. For example, you really want to learn swimming but whenever it is time for classes, you find yourself making all the excuses, may be its just not worth it or just go with it and may be you will have fun at the end of it 🙂

Regret

Ok, so, this is one thing I would say NEVER to have. In fact, I have followed it up after learning something new (above point) just for a reason. Sometimes, it is difficult for us to learn things but if we leave them in mid way, we might end up regretting that why did I not finish *that thing*!! You really do not want that!! So, do whatever you really want to unless it comes to hurting people. Regret is one of the worse things in life.

Finances

So, this is the most tricky part. The more money we have, the more we covet. So, unless you are really below the poverty line and earning your wages on a daily basis and living a hand to mouth existence which obviously you are not, since you are lucky enough to surf the internet and read, there is really no need to stress about money.

In fact, there is something in what Rhoda Byrnes says. The law of attraction. What we think becomes the reality of our lives! So, yes, if you think you are poor, you will get more poor but if you think you are comfortable enough, you would attract more money 🙂 Positivity is extremely important.

So, these are somethings for which being concerned or sad is actually very useless in life. Instead, direct that energy to being more positive and do something good instead. And, do not forget What You Think Will Happen So Always Think Good and Well.

So, what do you think are the other useless things in life to worry about?

Are you making the same mistakes as I do while exfoliating your face? {Skin Care}

Swathy · December 8, 2014 · 3 Comments

exfoliation tips at perfect skin care for you

photo credit: FoundryParkInn via photopin cc

So, now that winters are almost in full swing, hopefully you are doing what I am doing these winters! And, then, now my skin is absolutely perfect. But, then, I suddenly noticed my entire face is not so soft! In fact, one of my readers also sent out the same query. Check out!

I use fair n lovely face wash I also apply the same cream after my wash….n when I touch my skin honestly I do not feel anything like cracking and all…I sense it smooth…but at the same time when I touch the corner part of my nose I feel it rough n its like skin coming out! What should I do?

So, now you would have already understood what I mean to say in this post. So, let us see if we really exfoliate our face properly!! And, discuss what are the proper exfoliation methods. Lets start.

What is the best time to Exfoliate?

So, this is the first thing I would like to clear. Now, my favorite time is the night time. Because, a proper exfoliation in the night helps the moisturizer to soak in better. Also, exfoliating in the night avoids the fresh skin to get exposed to the morning sun!

Where as, the morning time is a better time. Because, the skin rejuvenates in the night and in the morning, your face has a layer of dead skin which is ready for removal. But, then, the fresh skin is exposed to the harsher sun light and might tan unless one is diligent in applying sunscreen. Btw, exfoliating in the morning also helps the makeup go on better.

So, you can decide which is the best time for you!

What to use for Exfoliation?

So, what is your favorite ingredient for exfoliating your skin? For me, it is sugar and salt!! Well, is it really correct for my skin type? Ok, so sugar is an all-rounder when it comes to exfoliation and gives a smooth and perfect skin. For dry skin, it is quite hydrating and nourishing.

But, for oily skin, salt is an absolute must. Salt absorbs the oil and provides the minerals which sugar can not. It also detoxifies the skin which is why even people with dry skin should use salt once in a while for exfoliation. Do check out my homemade DIY body polishing scrub!

Never Exfoliate on Dry or even Damp Skin!!

Have you ever done this, anywhere on your body? Like scrubbing the dead skin on your heels or even nails? If yes, DO NOT ever repeat it. It is extremely harmful for your skin and you can end up injuring yourself. Exfoliate only completely clean and dripping wet, preferably soaked with warm water so that the pores are open, skin.

Don’t forget these areas during exfoliation!

And, then, we take the scrub and apply it to the face. Start from the forehead and proceed to the cheeks in light circular motions. Be gentle and have a light hand. And, DO NOT forget these areas –

crevices around the nose where it generally gets dry and skin peels off – extend your nose as if you are removing blackheads and scrub the crevices thoroughly!
corners of the lips – extend your mouth like you are applying the lipstick and scrub off the corners.
inner curve below the lower lip and above the chin – extend the lower lip over the lower jaw to make the curve flat and scrub it
on and behind the ears
lips – press your lips tightly to avoid tasting the scrub :P, and, finally
neck lines – extend your neck like a giraffe and giving it a thorough scrub. Moisturise in the same way!!

photo credit: FoundryParkInn via photopin cc

Leave the scrub on for sometime to help it soak into the Skin

So, now that you have scrubbed your face, leave it on for sometime while you finish washing or scrubbing yourself. That will make the skin even more softer and helps the active ingredients of the scrub to soak into the skin.

And, finally, wash off with luke warm water and last rinse should be cold water. Do NOT forget to Moisturize. Just because your skin is feeling awesome does not mean you forgo the skin care routine. So, do not forget to tone and moisturize your skin with your favorite oil or serum.

And, now, we have one more thing!

Type of Skin and Frequency

Now, this has been said time and again that oily skin should not be exfoliated as often as dry skin. For one, oily skin if exfoliated regularly produces more oil causing more oiliness. And, dry skin accumulates more dead skin which needs to be removed regularly for a fresh and glowing look. So, twice a week is enough for oily skin and for dry skin, thrice a week of exfoliation is enough.

So, what all steps do you follow? Do you have any exfoliation tips!!

Essential Oils 101 Vol. 1 – What are Essential Oils?

Swathy · December 5, 2014 · 2 Comments

photo credit: dierken via flickr cc

Since my love for Essential Oils is growing day by day, I thought I would do a series of posts on the topic starting from the very basics. Some of the things have already been covered in the previous essential oil posts. So, would you like to check out some of them?

Read:

Essential Oils and Plant Oils

How do Essential Oils affect our Health?

With their growing popularity, essential oils have become common household items now a days. And, with the entire world going natural, many are resorting to essential oils as the most preferred alternative medicine. Essential Oils usage is versatile. One can get rid of mosquitoes as easily as heal the burn on the skin with them. And, no more than a few drops are needed for it. Yes, pure essential oils are expensive but then they have longer shelf life.

What are Essential Oils?

An essential oil is an aromatic concentrated essence of a particular part of the plant like a bark of the stem or the flowers or the leaves or the root. The chemical composition of different essential oils depend on how and from where the essential oil was extracted. Different parts of the plant yields different compositions and, hence, different fragrances.

According to Dr. Brian Lawrence “for an essential oil to be a true essential oil, it must be isolated by physical means only. The physical methods used are distillation (steam, steam/water and water) or expression (also known as cold pressing, a unique feature for citrus peel oils). There is one other method of oil isolation specific to a very limited number of essential oil plants. This is a maceration/distillation. In the process, the plant material is macerated in warm water to release the enzyme-bound essential oil.”.[1]

Essential Oils 101 series at perfect skin care for you

The essential oils are for plants what blood is for human bodies. They can ward off the pests or the insects for protection, attract pollinators or prevent the growing of weeds or other plants to protect the parent plant [2].

Scientific Research on Essential Oils

Though there is not much scientific evidence on the effectiveness of the essential oils, various essential oils when studied in isolation have given assuring results. For example, Eucalyptus essential oil has been found to be a natural pesticide [3] and has been tested for antibacterial and antiviral activity against the pathogens in the respiratory tract [4].

Similarly, another study asserts that smelling lavender and rosemary helps in destroying free radicals in the body [5]. In another controlled single blind study, lavender has been found to have beneficial effect on insomnia and depression on women college students. Limonene, one of the nature’s most powerful cancer fighting constituents, has a ~97% of concentration in Orange Essential Oil [6].

These are just a few inconclusive studies. The research in essential oils is also limited because of the quality of the product. Each essential oil is different because every time it is produced, a plethora of factors affect the plant which in turn changes the composition of its constituents and, at the end, of the product itself. This is also the reason for lack of regulation and standardization of the quality of essential oil.

Hope you are interested in the series!! Do let me know you thoughts about it 🙂

References:

[1] Lawrence, B. (2000). Essential Oils: From Agriculture to Chemistry. NAHA’s World of Aromatherapy III Conference Proceedings, pp. 8–26.
[2] http://www.naha.org/explore-aromatherapy/about-aromatherapy/what-are-essential-oils/
[3] Batish, Daizy R. (2008). Eucalyptus Essential Oil as a natural pesticide. Forest and Ecology Management , Vol. 256, Issue 12, pp. 2166-2174.
[4] Cermilli, Claudio (2008). Effect of Eucalyptus Essential Oil on Respiratory Bacteria and Viruses. Current Microbiology, Volume 56, Issue 1, pp. 89-92.
[5] Atsumi T, Tonosaki K. Smelling lavender and rosemary increases free radical scavenging activity and decreases cortisol level in saliva. Psychiatry Res. 2007;150(1):89-96.
[6] Introduction to Essential Oil Basics – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h3B7RepW5E&feature=youtube_gdata_player