HOW TO REDUCE STRESS : THE LONDONER

Five tips for peace of mind, body and soul - tried and tested by yours truly.

1) Wear Less Make Up : Instead invest in a great skincare routine that you've tailored to you! You get more time in bed in the morning and don't have the tedious routine of removing heavy makeup in the evening. Applying skincare can be so therapeutic. Give your skin what it needs and you'll find that after a couple of weeks you won't need so much makeup anyway. For the past 4 months i haven't been wearing mascara and oh boy life is different. If you need to rub your eyes, you can, and if you're still working at 10pm you don't need to worry that half of your mascara has worn off and you're left with stubs making you look even more tired. Treat yourself to a mani pedi instead - so much more worth it!

2) Say No to Unhealthy Snacks : Stomach pains can be bad enough from just stress alone so don't punish yourself for hours of the bloat and a tighter waistband just because you indulged in 2 minutes of pleasure. Instead have a herbal tea, fruit or even plain old water. The first few days may be tough but it's called will power people. You're Londoners, you're strong - i believe in you!

3) ORGANISATION : It sounds obvious but at the end of EVERY day write a list for what you need to carry over to the next. That way when you're not at work you don't need to be worrying about forgetting anything. A great tip is to also organise the contents of your bag. I have a lot that i need to take to work with me so if you divide it up you're less likely to forget anything and can easily switch bags. I have all my make up, toiletries and any medication inside a clear make up bag, then i have a pouch clutch bag with my keys, card holder, phone charger etc. Loose in my bag is an umbrella, a book and my laptop. If i'm working at the studio and need to pop to a store then i can easily just grab the pouch out of my tote and i'm good to go!

4) Read a Book : It can be so hard to switch your mind off from everything and just relax. I'm working on meditation but in the meantime just reading a book on the train journey home can really reduce stress by letting me think about something other than work.

5) Ditch the Coffee : This is tried and tested by me, a true coffee addict. I've been off coffee since November and i still think about it from time to time but i do know life is better on this side. One cup always leads to two, then three, sometimes four. I went cold turkey and it was hard as it really does become a part of your routine. Switch it for a herbal tea instead so you're keeping the habit of having a hot drink but not actually flooding your body with caffeine. The more you drink the more your body relies on it and i don't believe it's healthy to have a headache if you don't have enough of it and the shakes if you have too much. Cut it out people!