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You are So Worth It! musings by Candace Liccione
If you haven’t already done so, it’s time to
begin thinking about those resolutions for the coming year. Why not
take time this new year to make some resolutions you can actually
keep? Resolution and goal setting is a very personal thing. We
all go about it in different ways. The first step is to set a goal.
But setting a goal without formulating a plan is merely wishful
thinking. Also, with the economic challenges affecting so many, this
year’s resolutions will probably be quite different from past years.
"This is going to be a very different year for many people," said
Greg Helmstetter,
We believe that the
first and foremost step in starting to formulate those resolutions
and goals is to come from a space of being centered. How do
you get there? Well, the first resolution is to promise yourself
that you will start taking care of pampering yourself – body, mind
and spirit. If you are not already doing so, you must learn to
pamper yourself as you need to be calm and centered in your life to
be able to handle what life brings or sometimes throws at you. If
you are cranky and stressed, then you pass your negative mood along
to all of those around you. But, if you are calm and refreshed, you
can more easily deal with whatever comes along. Pampering is not
selfish but really a matter of taking care of you so you are able to
do all you need to do in your life with an attitude of relaxation
and joy. This is all about you—and that’s not a bad thing!
Pampering doesn’t have
to mean taking a weekend trip to a spa. This is costly and since
most busy women are juggling mom and work duties (and on a tight
budget), a weekend spa is out of the question. Well, the good
news is that you can ‘spa’ at home.
Pamper yourself from
head to toe with relaxing baths, soothing lotions, herbal facials.
(Don’t forget to pamper your hair and nails too). You don’t have to
purchase expensive lotions as you can whip up some amazing skin
lotions and aromatic herbal baths right in your own kitchen. And,
the bonus is, these are even better for you than store-bought as
they have no additives or preservatives.
Healing baths filled
with herbs and essential oils are excellent for skin and can be
de-stressing or re-vitalizing depending of which essential oils you
choose. Many months out of the year, you can select fresh herbs such
as lavender, thyme, chamomile or calendula from your garden. These
are wonderful herbs for bath and skin mixtures.
Don’t have an herb garden? Why
not! It’s easy to grow herbs outside your back door in pots or plant
them in your garden. (If you don’t currently have an herb garden,
remember that you can always visit The Herbery at Wye River Designs
Studio and choose from over 200 dried herbs.)
Lavender flowers are
wonderful for your skin along with being really relaxing. You can
add lavender to your bath by making a lavender infusion. Bring a cup
of water to a boil, turn off heat and add several sprigs of fresh
lavender or 1 tablespoon of dried lavender. Steep for 5 – 10
minutes. Strain and pour the lavender infusion into your bath water.
If you want a stronger lavender scent, add more lavender flowers to
your infusion. You can also put lavender flowers into a muslin bag
or a tea strainer (infuser ball) and simply drop into your bath. The
infuser will keep the lavender from floating around in your bath
water!
You can also add a few
drops of essential lavender oil to your bath. Essential oils may
well be the ultimate gift from nature. Made from the pure, aromatic
essences of plants, they have a remarkable ability to affect a
person’s well-being. Essential oils are the highly concentrated,
volatile, aromatic essences of plants. Essential oils contain
hundreds of organic constituents, including hormones, vitamins and
other natural elements that work on many levels. They are 75 to 100
times more concentrated than the oils in dried herbs.
Chamomile is also
a wonderful herb for relaxing and you can add a chamomile infusion
to your bath made the same way as the lavender infusion. You can
also make up a dried herbal bath combination using dried lavender
flowers, dried chamomile flowers, dried rose petals and dried
calendula petals. Add a couple of drops of essential oils of
lavender and rose to your dried herbs. Place the herbs into a
closable muslin or cheesecloth bag and toss into warm bath water.
Lie back and relax and pamper your entire body. A few lit candles
and some soothing music is also helpful!
If you don’t have herbs
in your garden, pampering is as close as your kitchen cupboards.
Here is a recipe for bath salts that has ingredients most of us have
in our kitchens. Mix together ½ cup salt, ½ cup Epsom salts and ½
cup baking soda. Place into a glass jar with lid. Next, add a few
drops of essential oils of lavender or geranium and stir to blend.
Add 1 tablespoon of this aromatic mix to warm bath water and enjoy
this relaxing and soothing blend.
There are many great
aromatherapy bath recipes that are easy to make and take no time to
prepare. Here’s a good aromatherapy recipe for a calming bath. Mix 5
drops geranium essential oil, 5 drops of sandalwood essential oil, 5
drops of lemon essential oil and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Add
to warm bath and lay back and relax.
Or if you need to be
refreshed to face whatever is going on in your life, then use 5
drops of lavender essential oil, 5 drops of peppermint essential
oil, 2 drops of grapefruit essential oil and 1 teaspoon of olive
oil. Pour into warm bath water. This is an excellent revitalizing
mixture.
So, whether you are ready to tackle next year’s goals and resolutions or simply want some quiet, relaxing, rejuvenating and healing time alone, an aromatic bath will help you to re-center and re-balance body, mind and spirit. ~
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