Ironically, I'm writing this post whilst feeling very, very ropey. The seasonal lurgy has got me, and I'm in full nose-streaming, watery-eyes and gravel-voice mode.
Like many, I've found it hard to slow down and rest when feeling unwell. It's common to believe we don't have time to be sick, but taking time for self-care can actually speed up recovery and prevent future illnesses.
So, with that in mind, I wanted to highlight some products and strategies for self care and wellness.
Taking Time for Reflection
We are really pleased to now stock the fantastic wellness aids from The Positive Planner. Whether you are a newbie in the journalling stakes or well-versed in reflecting on your day and setting intentions, they have a number of products to help you take your wellbeing in hand.
If you're just starting out, the OG Positive Planner is the one for you. If you're looking to increase your practice more, then the Wellbeing Journal will be a great help. For Students, there is one tailored to your studies, then for the really creative souls who might also have other wellbeing aids like journal prompts or gratitude cards, the Bullet Journal is filled with blank dotted pages for you to customise as you need.
Cocooning Yourself
Creating the right environment is essential for finding a sense of calm. For me, some of that is a bit of ritual - usually the lighting of a candle or putting on my ambient electric room diffuser. Scent can create a really powerful response from us, changing our mood. Lots of my friends swear by cleansing the air with smudge sticks - we have a range with a variety of ingredients to create different responses.
Another route to try is aromatherapy - we can change our state of being with the aid of essential oils. We've got a range of natural aromatherapy candles, reed diffusers and room sprays to aid with a range of mood-boosting.
Box Breathing
If you've attended a yoga class, chances are you've tried this one - the Navy SEALs are trained to use this technique, and they aren't messing around when it comes to being exposed to high stress situations. Box breathing, so named because you can imagine the four stages as thought you're breathing around the edges of a box, regulates the autonomic nervous system. It is made up of two parts, namely, the sympathetic system, which stimulates bodily activity (fight or flight), and the parasympathetic system, which relaxes your body (rest and digest).
When you hold your breath, CO2 levels in your blood increase, which increases the cardioinhibitory response (lowering your heart rate).
This activates the parasympathetic nervous system, resulting in a calming and relaxing effect, or, to put it another way, breathe slowly and relieve stress.
How to box breathe:
- Breathe in for a count of four or five, filling your lungs
- Hold that breath for a count of four or five
- Exhale evenly for a count of four or five
- Hold your breath again for a count of four or five
- Repeat
You can increase the relaxation element of this by performing it in a laying down position, complete with a lavender-filled eye pillow - Lavender essential oil contains potent chemical components such as linalool, linalyl acetate and camphor that act as anxiety relievers and sedatives. These components interact with the brain and nervous system to reduce agitation, restlessness, and aggression
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