Team tips for handling stress and being kind to yourself

It's Stress Awareness Month and we asked Spabreakers from around the world, from team members to customers, spa therapists and health and wellbeing experts what are their top tips for being kind to themselves and handling stress.

• Anna: Have some much needed zzzzzz!
• Vicky: Give your skin a day off and don’t wear any make-up.
• Zerrin: Have one day every now and again, entirely to yourself. Spend it completely alone from breakfast to dinner. Enjoy the peace, and recharge.
• Danielle: Go shopping and buy lots of pretty things!
• Jo: Try boxing – It’s a great way to keep/ get in shape, and it also allows you to vent any frustration from the day!

• Bonnie: Go for a walk at lunch time; it will help to clear your head and focus for the rest of the day.
• Zaraah: After a long day nothing feels better than giving your face a proper scrub!
• Emma: Turn off the phone for a few hours in the evening and don’t answer emails, text messages, or anything else.
• Lynn: Look at what you have rather than what you don't.
• Joanna: Try to eat well and never skip breakfast. I always find if I miss a meal then I end up eating rubbish and it always makes me feel rough.
• Liz: Talk to someone about something that is on your mind and let it all out.
• Nicola: Gather all of your female friends and family together for some well deserved girlie time and a good old catch up.
• Sarah: Set up a dinner or a cup of coffee with a good friend.
• Sumaya: After a hard day at work go home, have a hot bath and then snuggle up in bed with fresh bed sheets and a movie.
• Laura: Body brush your skin before showering.

• Elizabeth: As a special treat for your girls, put together a pamper goodie bag including face masks, moisturisers, hand and foot treats, and of course a chocolate or two!
• Jodie: Treat yourself to a manicure.
• Emma: Go to the seaside!
• Siobhan: Go to a yoga class to relax mind and body
• Stacy: Have a lovely lie in … and maybe breakfast in bed.
• Helen: Share with friends over a glass or two of bubbly (gossip really)!!
• Jas: Stop being your own worst critic by addressing yourself or the things you have done in a negative light. Each day list the things you are most proud of and what has made you happy even if it has been a bad day. Be proud of who you are and of your achievements.
• Helen: Spend time surrounded by nature with a good book and the sun on your face.
• Suzie: Give someone else a compliment, whether it’s a friend or a total stranger. It always makes you feel good when you have made someone else happy.
• Emma: Stop saying I can't! Try saying 'I'm choosing not to' and see how that feels, own your decisions, and make them in an empowered way; you are the author of your own life.

• Amy: Spend 10 minutes in the morning with your favourite song turned up loudly and on repeat, dancing around your room – it’s exercise, and it feel’s good! Go on, nobody’s watching!
• Stephanie: Spend some time doing a little exercise or in the gym!
• Jemima: Have a long soak in the bath, take an indulgently long time getting dressed up and go out with the girls for cocktails. Pampering and good company is always the best medicine.
• Jessica: Dance, it always gives me joy (and pain!).
• Rebecca: Herbal teas have an amazing ability to pick you up! Chamomile tea is great for relaxation and peppermint tea is a pick-me-up that’s caffeine free!
• Amy: When you get home from work, make yourself a cup of Earl Grey tea and just sit for a little while and forget all the things you have to do – even if it’s just for 10 minutes.
• Jessica: Laugh at the absurdity of whatever situation it is that’s bothering you.
• Lauren: Don’t save clothes items that make you look or feel great for ‘special occasions’, wear them every day.
• Lynn: Take a laugh-break. Take 20-30 minutes in the middle of your day or if that is not possible then use your morning or evening. Use your cell phone, portable media player, computer or TV and watch an episode of a sitcom, read a funny book or comic or listen to a podcast you know makes you laugh.
• Lauren: Wear matching underwear!
• Laura: Dress to impress, just because it’s Tuesday, or Wednesday, or any other day of the week.
• Zara: Drink lots of water, eat fresh fruit, and try to fit in something that makes you feel good – for me it’s music.
• Anne: Spend some time gardening, whether it’s a window box or a huge garden. It’s therapeutic to be outside, and to know you are creating something. Sarah: Spend time with your friends; they will make you feel good without even knowing it.
• Emma: Have a proper pedicure with paraffin wax, a foot massage, and all the bells and whistles.

• Emma: You can’t beat watching a good chick flick, early night, and hot water bottle!
• Gina: Trying to get to bed early always helps, and if that fails, find a good concealer and under eye corrector!
• Clare: I like to take my own mini pillow with me so that wherever I am staying I have a chance of getting a good night’s sleep.
• Lydia: Spend an afternoon at the weekend reading a book and not worrying about anything else you think you should be doing.
• Emily: Have lunch, and if the weather is nice, spend some time in the sun!
• Emma: Eat lots of chocolate
• Vicky: Treat yourself to afternoon tea with a loved one.
• Hilary: Put some music on, have a glass one wine, and chill out in the evening!
• Abi: Think about all the fabulous things in life!