With lent just on the horizon and many of us vowing to give up some unhealthy (albeit delicious) eating habits, pancakes are the traditional dish for Shrove Tuesday. Whether you prefer american pancakes or classic crepes, we have the perfect recipe for both! 

FLUFFY AMERICAN PANCAKES

Everyone gets stressed at one point or another. The best way to deal with stress is to pin point the area that is getting you most stress rather than turning to unhealthy stress reliving habits. 

Here are the top 10 best ways to reduce Stress:

1. Be Active

Exercise is a great way to relive stress. Even though it won't make your stress disappear, it does reduces the emotional intensity of stressful situations. It gives you a chance to clear your thoughts and deal with the issue in a calm manner.

2. Take Control

"If you remain passive, thinking, 'I can't do anything about my problem', your stress will get worse," says Professor Cooper. "That feeling of loss of control is one of the main causes of stress and lack of well being."

Taking control of a situation is empowering and helps you to find a solution to your problem. 

3. Connect with People

Colleagues, friends, and family are great to have in your life, not only will they support you with your issues but they can help you see your issue from a different perceptive. 

Friends also give you a chance to relax and have a laugh, which is a great stress reliever. 

4. Have some "Me Time"

Everyone needs time to themselves, whether it's to socialise with others, relaxing, or exercising. It is recommended to set aside a couple of nights every week for some quality "me time". 

5. Challenge Yourself

Setting yourself challenges outside of your work, helps you to build confidence which will help with stress. So try setting yourself a challenge like learning a new language or learning a new skill! 

6. Avoid Unhealthy Habits

Don't rely on unhealthy habits to cure your stress, such as smoking or drinking alcohol. Long term, these crutches will not solve your issue and will just cause more problems down the road. 

7. Help Other People

Volunteering and community work  help to build up your resilience.

"Helping people who are often in situations worse than yours will help you put your problems into perspective," says Professor Cooper. "The more you give, the more resilient and happy you feel."

8. Work Smarter, Not Harder

Working smarter is where you can prioritise important work that will make a difference rather than concentrating on unimportant tasks. You need to accept that you will always have things to do.

9. Try to be Positive

Look for the positives in life and be grateful. Looking at your issues with a "glass half full" perspective can help reduce the stress you feel. 

10. Accept the Things you can't Change

There will be times when you cannot change a situation. Instead of focusing on these issues, try to focus on what you can change. 

Hope these tips helped! And remember... Don't Stress, Do your Best, Forget the Rest! 

If you need to self storage, check out Room2Spare.com. We have self storage rooms and, for a limited time, a sale on indoor container storage starting as low as £10/week. 

The joy of October is not only the changing of leaves, but the chance to get creative and carve pumpkins into any design you want! Here are our top 10 tips to create the perfect carved pumpkins! 

1. Cut from the Bottom, Not the Top!

Michael Natiello, pumpkin carving pro, says cutting the "lid" from the bottom of the pumpkin helps prevent the sides from caving in later. 

2. If you do carve from the top, cut out the lid on an angle.

This way it won't drop inside the pumpkin when you replace it, like it would with a straight up-and-down cut. 

3. Scoop out all the pulp — and then some.

Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out all the pumpkin goop! Thin the inner wall of the "face" area to 1¼-inch thick, so it will be easier to pierce the shell.

4. Sketch out your design on paper first.

If you draw your jack-o'-lantern face to size, Natiello says you can use it as a pattern: Just tape it to the front of your pumpkin and use a fork or pencil to poke holes along the lines you want to carve. 

5. Use Cookie Cutters for easy Shapes! 

Use a cookie cutter to create quick and sharp looking shapes! Simply use a hammer to get the cookie cutter to go through the pumpkin skin. 

6. Start by making simple rough cuts. 

If you get the big pieces of pumpkin out of the way first, you can go back and clean up the edges of your design later.

7. Don't cut all the way through the skin!

Don't cut all the way through the skin, this lets the pumpkin glow all the way through rather than just near the bottom! 

8. Keep your pumpkin fresh.

Spread petroleum jelly on the cut edges to seal in moisture. If your pumpkin still shrivels a few days later, you can revive it with a face down soak in cold water for up to eight hours.

9. Create a chimney.

First, leave the lid on for a few minutes while the candle burns. Then make a small hole where the lid has blackened. Or, save yourself the stress and go with battery-operated votives instead.

10. Sprinkle a little cinnamon inside the lid.

That way, when you light the candle, your jack-o'-lantern will smell like a pumpkin pie. Yum!

Hope you enjoyed all of these carved pumpkin tips! And if you need storage over Autumn, visit Room2Spare. We provide rooms and containers at Weston-Super-Mare for you to put in all your belongings. 

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