Feeling stressed? Is the to do list piling up? Are you working long hours at work? Are you feeling emotionally triggered by life? Are you not getting enough rest and sleep?
Let’s take control and implement these rituals to prepare for a busy week!
1) Light a candle or use a mister with a relaxing scent
Scent is incredibly powerful in creating a mood, evoking a memory and is integral to calming and balancing our nervous system. I enjoy lavender, eucalyptus and sandalwood scents as these scents in particular are associated with stress balancing properties.
(2) Gua Sha with a Facial Oil
Carve out 5-10 minutes of your day to nourish the skin by using a luxurious facial oil, together with gua sha strokes/ massage to alleviate signs of stress on the skin. Each gua sha stroke releases tension in the face and neck and can actually relieve any gut or digestive issue associated with signs of stress
(3) Move your body + go for a walk
Feeling stressed? Move your body, get outside and if the weather is cold or rainy – try a pilates workout at home! Just move. Stretching the body, elongating the spine and concentrating on breathing is a simple way to engage your muscles in light exercise. Pilates is an exercise which releases endorphins, which are chemicals (hormones) released in the body to reduce pain and stress. Practicing pilates at least two to three times a week has improved my posture and calms my mood and improved my overall sense of wellbeing.
(4) Sit with a cup of tea/coffee/hot beverage and be present
Make a cup of tea/coffee/hot beverage. Try to concentrate and enjoy the process of making your hot beverage. Sit with your hot beverage in a place without your phone, TV, distractions and try to find a quiet space. Just be present. Sounds simple right? Savour the taste of the hot beverage. Inhale the aroma. Listen to your breathing as you are drinking your hot beverage.
When you simply stop and focus on the one task of simply enjoying your hot beverage, you are practicing mindfulness, you are being present in the moment.
Whatever stress, worry or concern you may be experiencing cannot be a bother to you in this very moment in time because you are simply being and drinking your hot beverage. The anxiety, stress, worry or concern is either a product of your past or something that is set in the future.
(5) Take a shower or run a hot bath
I use a pea sized amount of a salt scrub every single day. The epsom salt allows the muscles to relax and the sensation of water running over the body relaxes my body entirely. When I’m feeling particularly stressed or anxious, I’ll shower twice a day making sure to use the salt scrub. If you’re an empath or energetically sensitive to people’s emotions – you may find that you pick up on other people’s emotions and that’s why it’s so incredibly important to salt scrub to remove any other additional stress which may come from your surroundings and actually not you!