Cleanse your body. Rejuvenate your mind. Renew your spirit.

by | Mar 29, 2020 | COVID-19, Overall Wellness

Cleanse your body. Rejuvenate your mind. Renew your spirit.

 

Life is about finding a delicate balance between your needs and your world around you. Non-stop demands, hectic schedules and endless goals to be achieved force us to cut corners and take shortcuts that damage our physical, mental and spiritual health.

That is why it is important to carve time from our busy schedules to rest, renew, & recharge our energies and align our body, mind, and spirit on a regular basis. With the stress of Covid-19 now is a good time to bring rest, relaxation and renewal into your world which will help lower anxiety, stress and blood pressure. 

Life gets busy and we are often on automatic, we don’t take time to rest and recharge, to check in with our bodies and assess how we are doing and feeling. Perhaps you feel guilty taking time for yourself. Or you feel as though you are too busy or being greedy or selfish.  If you don’t take time for you, you cannot take care of the ones you love. 

Your energy and passion are among your most valuable assets. When those are depleted, you’ve got nothing left to help you enjoy your favorite things, and people that make you happy.

 

When you love and care for your body, mind and spirit they will love you back. Here are a few self-care ideas to help:

 

Relieve Tension

  • Feet
    • For tense feet, place the arch of your foot on a tennis ball or golf ball, leaning one hand against a wall for support.  Gradually put more weight on the foot as the ball presses into your arch.
    • Slowly move your foot around to target your heel, forefoot and toes.
  • Tight hips
    • Sit on the tennis ball, then wiggle your backside around and hold it still on areas that feel especially good.
  • Shoulder blades
    • Reach the space between your shoulder blades or in your lower back. Lie on the floor with the ball under spots that are hard to reach with your hands or lean up against the wall putting the tennis ball at the area that needs the most relief and move the ball around by moving your body and pressing up against the wall.
  • Back pain
    • Use 2 tennis balls and tuck them tightly into the toe of a sock and lie down on them so that the balls are pressing on the muscles on either side of the spine and the spine itself is nestled between the balls. Then relax into the balls and take a few deep breaths. Move the balls up a little bit and repeat. Do this along the thoracic spine.

 

Give Your Body Some Relief

  • Relax Your Neck.
    • Clasp your hands together behind your neck and apply pressure to each side of your spinal cord with the bottom of your palms. Rub up and down slowly. Then press into the trapezius muscle along the left side of your neck just under the base of your skull using the fingers on your right hand. Tilt your head to the left, then rub in downward motions, working your way to your shoulder. Repeat 3 times, then switch to the other side.

 

Cleanse Your Body.

  • Sip clean water throughout the day even if you think you are not thirsty.
  • Eat minimal processed foods…go organic whenever possible
  • Eat only when you are hungry, and eat slow to savor your food
  • Go with your internal cycle instead of a clock ….work when you are alert, nap or switch to something light when your body feels tired.
  • Engage in at least 1 physical activity per day.
    • Riding bike
    • Walking
    • Gardening

 

Rejuvenate Your Mind.

  • Pick a book and read it from cover to cover
  • Practice mindfulness
  • Play music and dance around
  • Meditate once per day in a quiet space

 

Renew Your Spirit.

  • Do something nice for someone you love
  • Focus on positive affirmations
  • Get enough sleep
  • Remind yourself of success
  • Start a journal

 

The Importance of Self-Care:

 

Self massage is a great way to relieve tension, reduce stress, rejuvenate your mind and body and promote better sleep:

  • Massage yourself regularly every day
    • Keep in mind you only need to massage for a few moments for mild cases
    • Massage the area at least twice per day
    • Apply pressure that is strong, but tolerable
    • Gently stretch out the area after self massage treatment
  • Here are a few techniques to use for self massage
    • Headaches
      • Place your thumbs high on your cheek bones
      • Gently apply pressure in a circular motion with your fingertips to your temples
      • Continue making circles as you move along your hairline, until your fingertips meet in the middle of your forehead
    • Neck
      • Place 2 or 3 fingertips on the back of your neck where your neck meets your shoulders
      • Apply firm pressure and hold
      • Release when the muscles feel relaxed
      • Roll your shoulders forward and backwards
      • Repeat
    • Shoulders
      • Use your fingertips from your right hand over your right shoulder
      • Squeeze your upper traps 3 times and roll fingers over the muscle from the outside and moving towards the base of your neck
      • Repeat

 

Elizabeth Brunner

Massage and Cupping Therapist

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