💭 Combat stress with this one easy tip

Tuesday 9/24: Sponsored by Ritual - biting nails dangerous; foods harm teeth; tools reduce stress

Tuesday

"Life has beauty in every day."

Welcome to Tuesday! Today, we're taking a look at:

  • The potential dangers of biting your nails

  • Tools to reduce stress and improve your well-being

  • Our top tip to combat stress

  • Foods that may harm your teeth

Did You Know?

Up to ___% of people may bite their nails.

Scroll for the answer!

The Potential Health Impacts of Biting Your Nails

Biting your nails may seem like a fairly harmless habit. However, it can have some serious health impacts.

Whether it’s something you do mindlessly or when nervous, it’s important to understand how biting your nails may affect your health:

  • Can cause soreness on the skin surrounding your nails

  • May cause dental and mouth problems, like chipped teeth or jaw pain

  • Over time, may cause damage to the tissue surrounding your nail beds and impact nail growth

  • Can cause fungal or other infections on your hands or make you sick as viruses and bacteria get passed from your nails/hands to your mouth

To kick this habit, The American Academy of Dermatology Association recommends keeping your nails short, trying a bitter-tasting polish, and finding another outlet to replace the behavior.

Tools for Reducing Stress and Improving Well-Being

Whether you’re feeling burned out, had a long day at work, or are simply feeling exhausted from the day-to-day events of life, we all experience stress.

The ways we care for ourselves and manage that stress can have a profound impact on our well-being, and are key to getting through those difficult situations!

Having a toolset full of stress-reducing techniques can be transformative for improving our well-being.

Here are a few of our favorite tools:

Supplements: Incorporating stress-reducing supplements into your routine can be an effective way to manage daily stressors. Read on to discover our top pick.

Meditation: Even a few minutes of meditation can reduce blood pressure, ease stress levels, and put us in a better state of mind!

Deep breathing: This practice can help calm our nervous system and bring a moment to center ourselves.

Step into Nature: Adding some plants to our homes or stepping outside into nature can boost our mood and help us feel calm.

Calming music: Listening to music around 60 beats per minute can cause our brains to create calming alpha brainwaves, which are linked with relaxation.

These are just a few of the many ideas you can add to your custom stress-reducing tool set!

Feeling Overwhelmed by Stress? You're Not Alone

According to a 2022 study by the American Psychological Association, 34% of people feel completely overwhelmed by stress most days. When stress hits, it can send your body into overdrive, throwing your balance off and impacting your well-being. But you don’t have to face it alone.

That’s why we’ve been loving Ritual’s Stress Relief, a daily supplement designed to support your body’s natural stress response and help you feel more centered. Here’s why you’ll love it too:

  • Helps reduce stress and promote a positive mood*

  • Supports your body’s normal cortisol response*

  • Features BioSeries™ technology for 8-hour release, offering all-day support

  • Non-GMO, major allergen-free, and third-party tested

Feel like yourself again with Ritual's Stress Relief supplement. Note To Self readers can save 25% on your first month with code NOTETOSELF25. Claim your exclusive 25% off here.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease

Thank you to Ritual for sponsoring Note To Self.

Top Foods That May Crack or Damage Your Teeth

Crunchy, crispy, and hard foods can be oh-so-satisfying — but unfortunately, these may also come with less than satisfying results: cracked or chipped teeth.

These cracks and chips can cause other injuries inside our mouth due to the rough edges and over time, cause infections in our roots.

While we should all enjoy a wide variety of foods, it’s good to be mindful of foods that may cause issues if we give them some intense crunching.

  • Popcorn kernels

  • Hard pretzels, biscotti, or similar foods that require hard biting and may crack in your mouth

  • Ice cubes

  • Hard candy

Other foods can cause damage in different ways — super sticky foods like taffy and caramels, for example, may pull out fillings. Carbonated soft drinks may also contain phosphoric and citric acids, which can wear away tooth enamel over time. Alcohol can also dry out your mouth, which puts you more at risk of developing cavities.

This doesn’t mean you have to avoid these foods completely — just be mindful not to crunch anything too hard and practice good dental hygiene!

A Note From Us

Feel like yourself again with Ritual's Stress Relief supplement. Note To Self readers can save 25% on your first month with code NOTETOSELF25. Claim your exclusive 25% off here.

Parting Thoughts

  • ✅ Did You Know: Up to 30% of people may bite their nails! While it may be a nervous habit, it can have impacts on your health.

  • 🙋🏼‍♀️ Snapshot Of The Day: We'd love to see moments from our readers lives that they are proud of! If you recently accomplished an achievement, experienced a joyful moment, or are proud of a picture you have taken, be sure to capture it on camera and send it to us for a chance to be featured next week! 

  • 💭 Final Self-Care Thoughts for Today: As an act of self-care today, find one way to reduce stress in your life — whether it feels big or small!

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Know of a great self-care tip or article you'd love to share with the community? Want to send us pictures of you completing one of your self-care rituals? Email us at [email protected]!