Five ways to make room for zen moments in your life
The word ‘busy’ is easily the most overused in the English language. We’re too busy to stop for lunch, too busy to sit in traffic for an hour on our commute home, or too busy to head to the gym after work. While this ‘busyness’ is often unavoidable, its not always the right direction for ourselves, it comes at a cost – our physical, mental and emotional health.
None of us are prone to the media style of relaxation, a bubble bath with classical music are at times what we need (lets be honest movies hype it a bit). But, making these changes in your night-time routine offer the simplest way to your overall wellbeing. From spending some quiet time alone to shutting down your emails, here’s our top five tips to create more zen moments in your busy lifestyle.
1. Make ‘me’ time, tea time
There’s a reason why people who are in shock are offered a cup of tea. The soothing properties of certain blends of tea promise to detoxify, destress, and rebalance the body, all while offering a physical incarnation of that ‘warm fuzzy feeling’. Our favourite post-work blend? Chamomile relaxes the muscles and nervous system, while soothing the mind and emotions. Best enjoyed right before bed.
2. Turn off your tech
Sure, it’s hard to tear yourself away from your screen for more than five minutes without the persistent ‘ding’ of yet another email to respond to, but you’ll find that spending the night sans technology is easier than you may think. Make a dedicated effort to switch off at a certain time each night, and only start it up again when you’ve started your day in a relaxed fashion. Those emails or that Instagram post can wait.
3. Get grounded
Studies have shown that the widespread use of insulating rubber or plastic-soled shoes disconnect us from the earth’s energy – something that’s known to reduce inflammation, pain, fatigue, stress and poor quality of sleep. Spend five minutes barefoot every day to reconnect with nature and ground yourself as you stroll across grass, or sand, ensuring you hit your daily recommended dose of vitamin G.
4. Take up mindful meditation
If, like us, you find switching off a busy mind after a particularly stressful work day, then taking up meditation will help you to stop and reflect on your day. There are plenty of yoga instruction charts for just this. Benefits of Green tea? Sound of the ocean? Put it on! At its core, meditating means to focus on a single thing intensely – if the thought of spending half an hour sitting still sounds like too much of a chore, then try spending just five minutes sitting cross-legged with eyes closed, focusing solely on breathing slowly and deeply.
5. Light a candle
Ritualistic, romantic, holistic, indulgent, soothing, hypnotic. Few things in life offer the same kind of relaxation at the end of a long day than scent of zen, lighting a candle and putting your feet up. Transporting us to a faraway land reminiscent of temple incense and a rich history, Maraca Candles’ new Shanghai Night is our pick when it comes to creating a zen atmosphere at home. Oriental and spicy in nature, this balanced fragrance is equal parts comforting and soothing. Complete with warm woody base notes, lifted by a blend of rose, jasmine and ylang-ylang, the Shanghai Night scented candle leaves a gently invigorating scent perfect for an evening burn.
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