There’s an old saying - look after your body and it will look after you. In order to take care of others you really do need to take care of yourself. It isn’t selfish - it’s self-care.
At Slow Ageing Essentials we believe the link between mind, body and spirit is key for health and wellbeing. Self-care is the ultimate act of taking responsibility for your own health and there are so many small changes you can make to nurture your wellbeing. Try to dedicate at least 15 minutes daily to empowering and loving yourself – here’s how.
Affirmations
Positive affirmations are a great way of cutting through the mind’s negative chatter. You can counteract limiting self-beliefs with a simple line repeated as a mantra. Find a sentence that makes you feel better and repeat it throughout the day to stop the mind looping. Every time you have a negative thought, try counteracting it with an affirmation. The results of this practice can be incredibly powerful.
Practise gratitude
Feeling grateful helps us to appreciate what we have, not what we lack. This form of living in the moment really can fill the soul. Try simply counting your blessings, it helps you feel more optimistic while reflecting on things you are grateful for can also help you sleep better.
Cultivate empathy
Compassion is proven to improve mental health and life satisfaction. When you’re stuck in judgement in your outer world, often there’s judgement going on in your inner world too. When we connect to finding appreciation and love for other people in our lives – whether that’s our family, community or a friend – we are then more able to create it for ourselves.
Wake up your meridians
Our meridians are natural energy pathways throughout the body. When these channels become blocked it can negatively affect our wellbeing, but simple acupressure massage can offer a release and allow our internal energy to flow. As well as waking up your meridians, our Skin’ergy massage stimulates blood flow, bringing oxygen and nutrients to your cells, leaving you glowing with health. To learn our bespoke Skin’ergy meridian massage, see our home facial guide or watch videos for each Slow Ageing Essentials product on our Slow Motion channel.
Slow ageing booster: We recommend our Essential Facial Essence and Essential Firming Body Essence as the perfect massage partners for face and body
Breath awareness
Our breath is one of the most powerful self-care tools we possess yet we tend to take it for granted. Connecting to your breath can help calm nerves and alleviate stress and it needn’t mean taking hours out of your day. Qi Gong breathing techniques move energy and unblock pathways in your body. Or, try yoga breathing, slowly inhaling and exhaling through the nose to encourage diaphragmatic breath. Research shows as little as three to five minutes of conscious breath can reset your system. Try this morning and night for a week and see how you feel.
Spend time in nature
If you live in a city, cortisol levels and fight or flight reactions tend to be on overdrive. Our bodies secrete excess cortisol and behave like we are under attack. This creates disproportionate levels of stress, leaving us feeling tired and anxious. The antidote is to get outside into nature; any nature. If you live near a park, make the effort to take a stroll. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you feel calm and grounded.
Sun Salutations
Sun Salutations are the perfect way to begin every day. Based on an order of yoga poses (or Asanas) performed in a continuous flowing sequence, they help improve strength and muscle flexibility. The focused breathing you enjoy as a part of these linked movements can help with meditation as well. Start with two to four rounds and build up slowly.
Prioritise sleep
The Dalai Lama says sleep is meditation, and we all know how much better we feel when we are properly rested. As well as aiming for seven to eight hours a night and a bedtime of around 10pm, consider incorporating a power nap into your day if you can. Just 10-15 minutes of restorative sleep can be so beneficial for your mind and body. If that isn’t possible simply close your eyes for a few minutes during the day, breathe deeply and take a moment to go inwards. You will feel instantly grounded and refreshed.
Try a home spa
Soothe your skin and calm nervous system with an aromatherapy healing experience. Take time out, run a w arm bath and go to bed early. Our Slow Ageing Essentials Bath Essence contains the perfect blend of essential oils to create a dreamlike experience whilst rejuvenating your body. Our top tip; massage a little of the oil directly onto your skin before slipping into the bath for double the skin and olfactory sense-boosting benefits.
Self care Sundays
If life is hectic during the week, spend an hour on Sunday evening to recharge and renew. Start with dry body brushing then enjoy whole body exfoliation with our Face & Body Exfoliating Polish. Run a warm bath laced with Bath Essence before giving yourself a Skin’ergy Massage all over. Your skin will be especially receptive to any products you apply overnight, so why not try a home facial? Before bed you could take a few moments to perform a relaxing ‘Legs Up The Wall’ yoga pose. It calms the nervous system before sleep and will help you enter the new week fully restored.
