For a while I used to treat myself to a spa visit for my birthday every year as part of my celebration. I absolutely love the spa! For me it’s a place of calm, peace and rejuvenation. But over the years, I’ve found ways to create a place of calm, peace and rejuvenation in my day-to-day life. We can create that experience for ourselves that’s soothing and nourishing to the body, mind and spirit. Yes the spa provides services that you’re likely not able to exactly replicate at home, but it’s the de-stress and prevention of stress that you can achieve at home without spending a dime!
I don’t know about you but being frazzled, and living in chaos, isn’t appealing to me. So if you’re ever going down that rabbit hole of stress or you simply want to take preventative steps to create a lifestyle of peace, here are some ways to create your own spa-like lifestyle to get back to center and stay centered.
TIP #1 – Wake Up Early for Self-Care
Your self-care routine is in your hands. You can design it however works best for you. What we’re focusing on here is when you perform your self-care routine. One of the best times to do this is early in the morning. One, you’re creating more time to actually work on yourself. And two, this is the time of day when you have the most control over what’s happening around you. Just think, when the world starts to wake up, you’re on demand! The kids start to call your name, emails start to rolling in, social media alerts start pinging, the countdown for how much time you have left to get to ready for work begins. However, early in the morning, when everyone’s asleep and it’s still dark outside, the world gives you uninterrupted alone time just for you. Take advantage of it because it’s prime time for peace, reflection, recharging and healing.
TIP #2 – Listen to Something Soothing
Music is such a beautiful gift from God. It can help create an experience for you—motivating, reflective, funny, joyful, melancholy even, but also peaceful. As I write in this very moment, I’m listening to soothing music. Why? It brings me to a place of calm and focus. I used to work at a record label where there was music playing all of the time. I would be running sales reports and trying to concentrate on the numbers, meanwhile, “Pump It Up” by Joe Budden or Kanye’s “Through the Wire” would be playing in the background, throwing me off. Eventually I got used to it and adjusted to it, but the point is, music can be distracting, but it can also be soothing depending on what you choose to listen to. My recommendation is what I’m listening to right now which is DappyTKeys Piano on YouTube. I highly recommend it for music to create an atmosphere of calm.
TIP #3 – Talk & Read
A couple of practices that are priceless for me are praying and reading the Bible. It’s a conversation with God that helps not only builds my faith but brings me true peace of mind. Praying is speaking to God, and reading his Words is listening to God speak. It’s a priceless experience that I’ve learned creates the peace that may be missing. This can happen any time of day but for me, I do it mostly in the morning, and before I interact with anyone else. It helps me prepare and protect my mind before letting the world’s priorities into my space which can cause stress if I’m not spiritually armed—so that’s how I prepare.
TIP #4 – Sit and Eat Something Nourishing, Mindfully
There’s this thing called Mindful Eating. It’s when you sit and eat your meal with intention, taking small bites, taking the time to chew thoroughly and swallow with ease, versus scarfing the food down as sometimes we can do when we’re in a hurry. It also means enjoying a nourishing meal with no outside distractions like TV or disruptive music. And if eating with someone, actually engaging in good positive and sometimes deep conversation, absent of mobile devices. This way of eating creates a peaceful environment for the body to digest the food in a healthy orderly manner. You’ll begin to see the positive difference in how your body receives and processes the food, and how good your body feels throughout the day.
TIP #5 – Minimize TV Intake
Depending on what we watch, the television can create unnecessary anxiety, distraction and thoughts that aren’t conducive to a centered mind. If you could minimize television watching, especially the news, this practice will serve you greatly. It will not only give you a break from the chaos of the world, it will also give you back valuable hours and minutes of your life. These are the hours and minutes you can use towards things that deserve your time, like what you’re passionate about and the people you love.
TIP #6 – Take a Walk
Sometimes you just need to take a moment to clear your head. One way to do that is to get your body in motion and go out into the fresh air. Take a refreshing walk. Clear the mind of the clutter while you walk. It’s therapy and exercise at the same time! Sometimes I like to combine Tip #3 with walking, and I call it a Prayer Walk. Talk about a priceless (free) therapy session!
TIP #7 – Journal Your Thoughts
I was never into journaling until I began to journal, and wondered why haven’t I been doing it all along! Sometimes the best way to get centered and enter a place of peace is by putting what’s on your mind on paper. When there’s too much going on, a lot of your mind, and stress is a present state of being, write down what you’re thinking and feeling. This is an opportunity for you to dig deep and peel the layers. When you peel those layers, you’ll have the space to leave those layers unpeeled, exposing your underlying issues and concerns so you can start the process of rejuvenation and healing.
These are some of my tips to get centered and staying centered, especially when your week is quite busy and can feel like too much. I want you to have a stress-free and blessed workweek–I know you can do it. Enjoy your time of peace, and enjoy your food. Below is a recipe that’s all yours. Make it this week and let me know how you like it!
To powerful workweeks and good eats!
Love,
Yardley
ROASTED RADISH FRITTATA
Ingredients
8 Eggs
10 Radishes, roasted
1 ½ tsp. Paprika
1 ½ tsp. Garlic Powder
1 ½ tsp. Parsley, dried
1 ½ tsp. Basil, dried
2 Tbsp. Goat Cheese
1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 ½ tsp. Salt + 1 ½ tsp. Pepper, or to taste
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375
In a mixing bowl, crack and beat your eggs
Add all other ingredients, except for Olive Oil
Coat your baking dish with the olive oil
Pour mixture into baking dish
Place baking dish into oven for 20-25 minutes
When top is browned and inside is cooked, remove from oven
Let sit for 5 minutes—note that it will initially look puffed up then will deflate just a bit which is normal
Cut your frittata, serve and enjoy
To roast your radishes, toss in a bowl with 2 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil, 1 ½ tsp. paprika, salt and pepper to taste
Lay them on a foil lined baking sheet and place in oven at 400 for approximately 20 minutes or until toasted on the outside and tender on the inside
