Creating Space for Wellness and Vitality
The end of the year is busy for many people, whether you are preparing for holidays or busy with work and family responsibilities. As women, we're often guilty of prioritizing everyone and everything but ourselves. Already taxed from the typical demands of life, we find ourselves burnt out. We short ourselves on sleep, skip workouts, eat too much sugar or processed food then wonder why we feel horrible. Creating space for wellness and vitality means being intentional about making time for the things that are important to keeping us moving forward on our journey to an abundant health life.Here are some strategies that I apply in my personal wellness practice. I hope that they will encourage you to give yourself the space you need to not only survive, but thrive.
Do less
I am a master of trying to juggle too many things at once. Stretching yourself too thin by reacting to the numerous demands on your time and energy can result in burn out. This can also negatively impact the people and things in your life that are important but make less noise. This is when it's important to be able to scale back and refocus on what is truly a priority, not just in the moment, but in the context of your overall goals. The Day Designer planning system helps me do just that. I highly recommend this as a tool to help simplify your life and facilitate more balance and organization.
Breathe More
Many of us hold our breath when tense. If you observe yourself during moments of stress you may also find that you are taking shallow quick breaths rather than deep cleansing breaths. One simple way to reduce tension is to breathe. I've been enjoying the guided meditations that came with my Bellabeat. The more hectic my schedule is the more I need to take 2 or 10 minutes to focus on my breath. The free Bellabeat app has a number of guided meditations that have been beneficial to me. In a pinch, you can always pause in place with eyes open or closed and take 3 deep cleansing breaths (breathe in slowly for 4 counts and breathe out slowly for 4 counts).
Treat Yourself
If you follow me on Instagram, you've seen me use the #treatyoself. Many people think of sweet indulgences, but even better are engaging in therapies or experiences that nourish your body, mind, and spirit. I get regular chiropractic adjustment. I also recently started getting acupuncture treatments on a monthly basis. Therapeutic massage is also highly beneficial, but I don't take advantage of this as often as I should. In order to be consistent with my self-care rituals, I have to put myself on my schedule ahead of time. Otherwise, I get lost in the shuffle of doing things for others. I'm sure many women find this to be true also. Resist the urge to reschedule yourself. You can't heal or take care of others if you are not whole.
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I had my first experience with floatation therapy at Clark Salon and Spa. The Spa area is very relaxing and invites you to slow down and decompress. The floatation therapy room contains a large tank filled with an Epsom salt bath heated to body temperature. The room is silent and dark unless you want music or dim lights. You can fully immerse yourself in sensory deprivation as you float for 60 minutes or more. Epsom salt baths are a great way to detox and release tension in your body. If you can't get to a flotation therapy tank, make use of your bathtub and soak for at least 20 minutes, ideally three times a week.