Do Not Disturb!

Finding sanity and enjoying your life is sometimes more than just a matter of choice; it’s a necessity. When the world bombards you, unplug the phone, retreat to the bathroom and lock the door! Light candles. Put on some relaxing music, and fill the tub with water. Nothing can heal a stressed mind like time out.

Did you know that the ancient Greek word “to bathe” translates to ”to drive sadness from the mind”? So, don’t just clean. Cleanse. Water is perhaps the most powerful solvent for cleansing not just our physical bodies, but our mental/emotional/psychic ones as well.

8 things to do in the tub

1. Scan your body for signs of tension. Start with your feet and work up. If you feel tension anywhere, stop and take a full breath. Imagine the tightness dripping into the water as you exhale. Do some gentle reflexology on your own hands while relaxing. Focus on the reflexes corresponding to the body parts in which you feel tension.

2. Add salts to the water. Mineral salts, dead sea salts and Epsom salts will help pull out toxins – physical and psychic – while you just lay there doing nothing. Make sure to have a cool glass of water or cup of herbal tea to sip so as to avoid dehydration. (Resist the urge to pour yourself a glass of wine. Alcohol and hydrotherapy don’t mix well.)

3. Give yourself a face-lift. Pull your hair off your face with a headband or shower cap and clean your face with a gentle exfoliator. Apply a facemask, sink in and relax.

4. Practice breathing. Breathing is the key to relaxation.

5. Give your eyes a treat. Remove the tea bags from that cup of tea you’re sipping, squeeze the excess liquid out and let cool a few minutes. Then lay back with the tea bags resting on your closed eyelids and let them do their magic.

6. Watch your thoughts like clouds rolling by. Don’t hang onto any one of them. Just watch.

7. Take an invigorating shower to rev up for the day or get a second wind before a big night out. Use tepid water, not hot. If you’re able to adjust the showerhead use the strongest pressure. Pour your favourite body wash or scrub onto a loofah, wash mitt or ayate cloth and massage vigorously over the skin to energize and slough off dead skin cells. Your skin will glow and you’ll actually feel your blood circulating.

8. Don’t dry off completely. Pat yourself dry and apply your favourite body balm or lotion. If you can, rest for awhile after leaving the warmth of the tub and bathroom.