How I De-Stress

As April is Stress Awareness Month, so I thought I would share a post on how I relax and kick back. According to the NHS, stress is the feeling of being under too much mental or emotional pressure. Pressure turns into stress when you feel unable to cope. Many of life’s demands can cause stress, whether that is work, money and relationships to name the most common causes. As individuals, we all have different ways of reacting to stress, whether that is going for a walk, meditating, using stress relief products such as stress relief gummies, learning the benefits and uses of essential oils, apps such as Mindfulness or Headspace are incredible resources as is  just talking to a friend, someone who will listen without judgement.

We just have to remember that every situation that feels stressful to one person may be motivating to someone else.

Now I have an exceptionally demanding job, I also blog regularly, I am a Wife, Daughter, Sister, Auntie, Cousin, Niece, Friend, In-law all of which make demands on my time of course. I have a flat and three cats to look after.  All of this comes with stresses and strains, some more manageable than others and often being under pressure brings out the best in me BUT... learning how to switch off, wind down, take time for me and just relax is something I find hard to do and to coin a phrase 'I have ants in my pants', I am often fidgety.  So how do I calm down, take a breath and not let it all get on top of me?

Lists.  I am an avid list writer.  On my desk at work I have a weekly planner from Busy B Stationery and a to-do list and this helps keep me motivated, on top of things and focused.  This list never ever gets completed but I do get some satisfaction from crossing out things I have done, things that have been finished or finalised and by adding extra items, no matter how important (like ordering more envelopes) keeps me grounded.  I find writing my lists by hand quite therapeutic and whilst I am adding that list or crossing out, I am focused on what needs to be done.

Reading.  I am a bookworm and read a lot.  I travel too and from work via bus and get around London via Tube, during that time I read. If you follow me on Goodreads, then you will know that every year I set myself a target of how many books I should read.  Again, this is a list system of sorts because it organises my books in order of date read and there is a comprehensive list of books I want to read and a list of books that people recommend to me.  I am by heart a Crime Thriller girl, though am known to read the odd Chick Lit novel if the story grabs me.

Bath time.  At least once a week, I have an hour to an hour and a half in a hot bubble filled bath.  In that bath I will have on a facemask and perhaps even a hair mask and I will lay back on my bath pillow and just forget about anything existing outside that door, other than Hector my kitten who will sing to me in the hope I will let him in the bathroom to practice his balancing act along the bath. Otherwise I am in that bubble filled bath with my book/Kindle and I am forgetting about you all.

Box Set Marathon.  It is rare I sit down to watch the television.  I don't watch the soaps and I don't have the TV for the sake of it.  I am a huge football fan and I do love a good documentary.  So instead I like to find a series and watch it - Grey's Anatomy, Nashville, Devious Maids, Wentworth, Criminal Minds, CSI, Bluebloods, Quantico, Black List and so on.  Those are some of the programmes I am making my way through and in doing so, once again, I forget about anything else.

Colouring.  I love to colour things in. I have about three or four art therapy books in my collection currently and any excuse to buy pretty coloured pens I am there.  Colouring is actually really therapeutic, my mind is totally focused on not going out of the lines (seriously) and I can lose hours just colouring pieces of paper in, in a book.

I now just need to learn to leave my phone and social media apps alone for a few hours!

How do you relax, sit back and forget about the stresses and strains of everyday life?

Himalayan Detox Bath Salts from Therapie

When asked if I would like to try some Himalayan Detox Bath Salts from Therapie**, I immediately said yes. Those of you who know me, will by now know that I absolutely love having a bath to help unwind, de-stress, relax and escape from the real world for an hour or until the water is cold and I can't stand it any longer.

Now, this is a bit of fangirl post because I absolutely love these bath salts and it isn't often that this happens. These salts were created by aromatherapist Michelle Roques Oneil, who with around 25 years experience in the business has been voted as one of the worlds top ten Aromatherapists! These salts contain over 84 minerals and are infused with many essential oils such as Lemongrass, Lavender, Juniper and Geranium to name just a few. The scent is nothing short of being divine, that is the best way I can describe it and no sooner had I opened the packet to take a sniff, the water was running in the bath so I could try them.

These salts are said to help you de-stress, eliminate toxins, Detoxify your Body and they also help with insomnia, balance pH levels as well as counteracting the electro-magnetic energy we absorb from modern day gizmos - woah!! Or to put it another way: 

"A blissful cocktail of therapeutic Himalayan mineral salts, powdered Amethyst & essential oils of Lemongrass, Juniper & Geranium; these pink crystals work to balance pH levels & positive/negative ions, to help the body establish equilibrium. The Amethyst has a high mineral content, to heal & clarify problematic skin whilst counteracting the electro-magnetic energy we absorb from modern day gizmos. Add to this blood purifying & anti-inflammatory properties & discover that heaven is a bath soak".

All from a very small handful that you need to use as shown above and the salts themselves are a mixture of pinks and white grains making them just as pretty as the scent.

As soon as these salts come into contact with the water (they do dissolve) and then the vapour from the steam, the scent really comes alive and once in the bath it does truly become an amazingly relaxing experience and like nothing I have ever experienced from similar products and some people refer to these salts as being the natural Valium due to the long lasting effects. Once out of the bath there is a very slight residue on your skin which Therapie recommend not washing off, so I massaged my skin for a few minutes and then continued as I would normally do and shoved on my PJ's on and the next thing I knew my alarm was screaming at me to get up because it was time to get ready for work.

It has been a long long time since a product has given me the ability to sleep so soundly and I do believe it is this product because having now used them three times, once on a Saturday afternoon, where I was out for the count for a good few hours and when I did wake up I felt totally refreshed, the sluggish feeling had gone, instead I was alert and raring to go.

A pouch this size which has 100g inside will last a good few months and they cost just £10 which you can see HERE and I cannot recommend them highly enough.  

My Trapezius is throbbing!

For the last few weeks I have had the worlds stiffest shoulders and a bit of backache in my lower back, they've ached whenever I have had to lift and move a box at work and even standing to sort the washing out and do some ironing at home has been fairly painful. So after having a nice hot bath, which didn't help with the pain, I decided to look online, then having typed in the problem in the hope of finding a solution, I found the muscles that ached are known as the Trapezius muscles and there are lots of demonstrations as to how to can massage your own shoulders, or I can just enlist the help of the hubby and his hands to massage my shoulder muscles. 

This diagram is used to show where the Trapezius Muscle is

Shockingly I had no Lush massage bars to hand, so I had to go looking through my wardrobe where I store a lot of my products and I came across Elemis Spa de-stress massage oil which states the following: 

"The pure touch of this deeply relaxing synergy soothes the mind, melts tension and harmonises the body" 

Well I know work is pretty stressful right now and we have a lot of projects on the go and I am useless at delegating to someone else to oversee something because I panic if I am not on top of things and know what is going on right down to the smallest piece detail and the long hours are clearly going to be taking their toll. We have also had a mass clear out in the office which has meant spending a few hours moving boxes around, carrying boxes up flights of stairs and back down again, so it is little wonder my shoulders and back hurt. 

I am a fan of Elemis Spa products, their quiet time room mist worked a treat when I needed to use that and I am hoping that this will do just the job. How I acquired it I have no idea but it is a 100ml bottle which online would cost you between £25 and £35. The bottle is a lovely deep blue colour; almost a two tone blue in the light and on the front there is silver lettering to let you know what the product is, who makes it and what it is going to do for you. The lid is silver in colour and really stands out due to its pointed shape. 

Once it comes to using the product, ensure the person going to massage you has warm hands, there is nothing worse than someone with cold hands attempting to massage you and also ensure they rub the massage oil between their palms, as though using soap, to release any essential oils that are included, allowing them to work as soon as they hit the skin. So as soon as the lid has been removed, pour a few drops into the palm of your hand (or the person massaging you) it looks similar to Extra Virgin Olive Oil and has a similar texture to it. As the process of massaging begins, which according to Elemis you should "massage using long sweeping movements" you can feel the oil on your skin and as it is worked into your shoulders, the aroma comes alive. This massage oil is packed full of essential oils and smells wonderful, as the oil is massaged into your skin you do feel relaxed and it's a really lovely feeling too. The oil absorbs itself into your skin with relative ease and once your massage comes to an end, there is no greasy feel to the skin, no need to panic that sheets or clothing will become stained, though it is always advisable to have a towel close by just incase there is any excess left on hands. 

One of the most important features of this massage oil is the ability to relax and de-stress you, hence the name it was given. However to do that it also needs to include some key ingredients. So starting with one of my favourites:

• Lavender Oil, which is really soothing for and on the skin and it is also soothing and calming on the nerves, helps to relieve stress and tension, helps with depression and irritability and in general it is effective for headaches, migraines and for those people who suffer from insomnia. 
• Chamomile which in this product helps to relieve back pain and muscle pain in general. 
• Sweet Almond Oil which is another of my favourite ingredients and on the skin it is nourishing, calming and soothing but similarly to the first two ingredients it helps to relieve muscular aches.
• Rosewood Oil helps to de-stress your mind and alleviate nervous tension. Melissa comes next and not something I am familiar with, but I have found it is commonly known as Lemon Balm Oil and it is used because it helps bring about a sense of calmness to the mind, some people have said it has an almost sedatory effect on them when used in a massage oil because it is that soothing and calming. 
• The final ingredient I am going to mention is Marjoram, which again not an ingredient I have come across a lot but it is particularly useful in a product like this because it is known to be a good muscle relaxant but also has what is referred to as pain killing properties making it useful for problems such as rheumatic pains, muscle spasms, swollen joints and painful muscles. 

There are quite a few other ingredients listed and mentioned for this product on the back of the bottle and on the packaging. 

I usually rely on a hot bath to try and cure aches and pains like this, but when even that doesn't work; I know I need to try something else. After the massage and even during the massage process I was surprised at how relaxed I became and how noticeable the difference was in my shoulders where the pain had originally started. Not only could I move my shoulders without wincing with a slight discomfort, I could also shrug them without it hurting and they were no longer sore to the touch, unlike with the first few massage movements, it was very painful, but that soon eased and I was almost ready to fall asleep. A few hours after the massage my shoulders were still pain free and I could still move without wincing. 

So I am pretty impressed with this massage de-stressing oil because it does what it tells you it will do, it smells really lovely, it relaxes you, it de-stresses, it relieves muscle aches and pains and it leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth after using along with a nice lingering floral scent.

You can find out more on Elemis and all their products HERE