I find as I get older I’m better at downing tools or just saying ‘No’! Stiff fingers and menopausal achy joints help me quit or not embark on some things, but I’m not glorifying busyness anymore! It’s a trick!
Now, this is easy for me to say in January while it’s my business’ quiet time after a good Christmas time and I do usually change things up and switch into creative mode at this time of year – something that I’m going to talk about some more in my next post when I introduce smething new I’ve been working on!
So, a change is as good as a rest, apparently, my mother always said so, anyway! I disagree however, a good rest is what you, and I, probably need! If you change from one stressed, busy state to another stressed and busy state, you’re going to burn out! Our phones are a major source of stress, sending unfiltered sounds and images and ideas into our minds as we sit endlessly scrolling or reading articles or bouncing texts back and forth… we all know that it’s time to put the phone down, and I’m as guilty of reaching for it for a check and a scroll as the next person, but I’m getting better! I’ve taken a step away from it, muted my WhatsApps and I’m endeavoring to only check and respond to work emails on weekdays, along with a few more changes.
Most of our senses that we are using these days are for sight and sound. It’s exhausting! So personally, I’m starting to focus more on conciously awakening my other senses, such as touch, smell and taste. I do daily yoga, that’s a great way to tune in to touch and breath and to the sense of how you are feeling inside.
My favourite self-care escape is an aromatic bath in a dark but candlelit room. A bath stimulates the touch sense with the warm water on our skin and any exfoliating or washing we do. I always add fragrance to these restorative practices in the form of bath oils (I use a few, 5 to 10, drops of our essential oil aroma diffuser blends mixed with a tablespoon of almond oil or any other vegetable carrier oil I may have to hand), our moisture-rich soap and of course, our natural candles, both the soap and candles will bring a naturally delicate fragrance to the room.
Aromas have an incredible effect on the mind, soothing or energising us and even transporting us to places and people from our past or helping us to journey to places and experiences that we maybe haven’t actually done yet, in real life. I’ve never been to India but sandalwood and patchouli oils help me go there in my mind. I have been to Greece and jasmine oil always takes me back! I had a woman smell our Emma’s So Naturals Neroli Fusion candle recently and she said it immediatly transported her back to Italy! I think that’s a beautiful thing! Real-life magic! A sort of ancient Virtual Reality!
So why don’t you resolve to take a little time out just for you, too?
I have created some wonderful self-care ceremonies sets to help you stimulate the senses while you escape inwards, tuning in to your own senses. These self-care sets are made up with natural products that I’ve sourced and others that I’ve made, such as a cotton sleep mask, to close the eyes and allow you to rest easy, our moisture-rich soap bars, a scrubby soap pouch that stimulates touch and a soap dish to rest the soap on. A scented bath bomb will fizz away in the bath or shower. Our pure essential oil scented candles will stimulate the aroma senses, as well as creating a wonderful natural glow for your eyes. A lovely herbal tea will excite the tastebuds and help you to wind-down further.
