Stop Stressin' -- 7 Tips & Tricks to Managing Stress and Looking Fabulous

April is National Stress Awareness month, and whether you’re preparing your tax return or taking midterms or final exams, we all have plenty of stress in our lives. It’s important that we take time for ourselves, which in itself can be a relaxing time, learn how to manage our stress, as well as look for products that will help save us time. P&G Beauty asked me to share how I deal with stress, so here are seveno f my tips to managing your stress levels and staying beautiful and lovely every step of the way.

1. Lists! I like to make big picture lists, but I also like to make more manageable lists, whether it’s broken out into daily tasks or weekly tasks. When I put what I need to do on paper (or digital paper–I’ve been using Wunderlist a lot lately), it makes everything seem more doable. It is also such a fantastic feeling whenever you get to cross or check off an item on your list! You feel accomplished and you can really see the progress you’re making through the list, which in turn makes the things you need to get done seem more and more possible!

2. Make your makeup last! When we’re busy, we don’t have time to touch-up throughout the day, and more importantly, we just don’t need to be worrying about whether our foundation is melting, our blush is fading, or our lip color is MIA. I might let myself be lazy about using primers and creating the best, most long-lasting base when I know I’m hanging out at home or only going out for a few hours, but when I need my makeup to last all day, it’s worth a few extra minutes to layer your products so they’ll last all day long or invest in products that are long-wearing. For example, when I’m at a conference, I make sure to apply primer, then foundation and concealer, and then everything gets set with powder. I even set my pencil eyeliner with powder eyeshadow!

• P&G Beauty Recommends: COVERGIRL Outlast 3-in-1 Foundation ($9.99), comes in 14 shades, and it includes a primer, foundation, and concealer in a single formula, plus it includes broad spectrum SPF 20.

3. Prevent scheduling conflicts! Try to schedule your longer appointments before or after big events, tests, etc. If you normally go to get your hair colored every two months, try to schedule appointments away from when you know you’re going to be so busy that the last thing you’ll want to deal with is a two-hour hair appointment! If your appointment falls right in the middle of exams, try at-home coloring to keep your hair color going between visits.

• P&G Beauty Recommends: Clairol Nice n’ Easy Root Touch-Up ($6.99), which comes in 20 shades, sold more than 25 million boxes, and is supposed to get rid of roots in just 10 minutes.

4. Stay positive! When I was high school and for the first year of college, I was totally Negative Nancy. At some point, I just got tired of being negative, sounding negative, and feeling negative all the time and decided to approach life with a “can-do” spirit. It’s absolutely true what they say about being positive: it helps you achieve your goals and keeps you feeling happier. Sure, we can’t always be positive, but we can try, and we can try to see the brighter sides of obstacles ahead of us and find ways to overcome them, rather than drown in thoughts of “I can’t.”

5. Exercise! Take time out of your busy schedule to run? Walk? Jog? Swim? Yoga? Yeah, I’m the Queen of this excuse, “But I don’t have time!” But it really does reset your stress levels. The physical activity is just good all-around, even on a mental-level. I personally find yoga to be my favorite, because I can push myself as hard (or as little) as I want that session, and it helps to stretch out all my tense muscles, which I inevitably get from being at the computer all day.

• P&G Beauty Recommends: Secret Clinical Strength Stress Response ($7.99 to $9.99), which is designed to fight all three sources of sweat (heat, exercise, and stress), contains the maximum level of anti-perspirant active offered without a prescription, and is proven to be “4x more effective at preventing stress-induced underarm wetness than a regular APDO.”

6. Make your products multi-task! Multi-tasking products are a great way to save money, because you don’t have to buy all of them individually, but they can save on space in your makeup bag. They can also be time-savers in a pinch! For instance, if you take your favorite lipstick and dab it on your cheeks, you’re got yourself a DIY cream blush! Or, take your favorite red lipstick and lightly pat it on and then apply balm and you have a lip stain.

• P&G Beauty Recommends: Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Eye & Lash Duo ($24.99), which combines an eye cream with a lash serum designed to hydrate and firm the eye area while providing moisture to lashes.

7. Keep family and friends in the know! You need your support system to know what you’re going through. When it’s a crazy day here at the HQ, I let my friends and family know. They know it’s a red alert and not to bother me unless the sky is falling–but it helps cut down on noise and filters out things like, “Do you know where I put XYZ?” It can also help others know how to help you, whether that’s taking over a chore or two while you study for a big exam or make sure you haven’t forgotten to eat a meal.