Boost your wellbeing in an hour

This time of year is always chaotic, but add in lockdown, school closures and whatever else gets thrown at us, and we are in for a hectic season. We know all to well that self-care is one of the first things to slip when other priorities are piling up, but we’re here for you! All you need is one hour to help boost you along the road to that goal, whether it’s relaxation or the energy boost you need to tackle that never-ending list of tasks. When all other self-care goes out the window, schedule that one hour for YOU.

Positive mindset

If that list of festive to-dos has you feeling overwhelmed and slipping into a pattern of running around trying to do all things, try scheduling your daily hour for YOU earlier in the day rather than later. Light a Happiness Candle with white neroli, mimosa and lemon – both of which have been used since the 17th century to lift spirits, and then get moving. Give a short pilates session a go (this 15 minute one is brilliant) or slip out for a quick walk, and come home to that happy scent. You’ll feel fresher, more alert, and ready to breeze through that list with YOU intact at the end of it.

Energy boost

Sometimes coffee doesn’t cut it, and unfortunately, the 3pm slump is just as real at Christmas as any other time of year. Realer in fact, if you’re like us and just want to curl up as soon as the sun goes down at *checks watch* 4 pm. There are plenty of little habits you can adopt to boost your energy overall, but for making maximum use of an hour of self-care time, the biggest natural energy booster is EXERCISE. Get the blood pumping in the middle of the day, eat a nutritious lunch (not an energy bar) and finish your hour with a slick of Energising Hand Balm, cupping hands over your nose and mouth (in for 7, out for 11). Grapefruit, lemon and rosemary will give you a sharp, clarifying hit to the system, and the 3pm slump will be in your rear-view mirror before you know it.

Find calm

Stress can feel paralysing, and when you’re juggling work, family, Christmas planning AND lockdown, the best thing you can do is just switch OFF for an hour. Our houses have become the place for work, rest and leisure, so change the oil in your Wellbeing Pod to a calming blend like Moment of Calm to create that switch-up in your space, and give your mind some help in going from work-mode to you-mode. The rose and neroli are two of the most effective oils for finding calm and comfort. Then, give yourself a full hour of whatever brings you back to life – read a book, call a family member who you miss, do some stretches or just the opposite of whatever your workday has had you doing.

Resilience

Building resilience is a long term project, but if this is something you’re working towards, you can totally give your efforts a boost with an hour of your day. And even if it’s not front of mind for you, who DOESN’T want to be more resilient? You can’t pour from an empty cup, so take this time to get yourself set up for success and you’ll be batting away whatever the season throws at you like a pro. Try using your hour of self-care time to spread the love and reach out to people who might be feeling less than 100, you’ll be surprised how quickly your mind reorganises and makes those massive problems seem small. Plus, helping feels GOOD. You can also try journaling; let it all out on paper and make a particular effort to include the positive things in your day.

Better sleep

At NEOM we are religious about the transformative effect of good sleep on mental and physical health, and dedicating an hour of your day could end up reaping you benefits in the form of emotional balance, eased depression and anxiety, higher energy levels etc. There are so many things you can try and it’s all about finding what works for YOU, but if you’re just at the start of your quest for better sleep, we recommend trying one or two of these things: have a 30-minute bath with oils like lavender that promote great sleep, ban the phone for a digital detox hour, spritz on a Pillow Mist, work out those kinks with a few yoga poses that really help you to relax and try having a herbal tea like chamomile. Finding out what works for you should be an enjoyable process, so don’t put pressure on yourself (because we all know how that ends up working out) and just try a few things for YOU. Sweet dreams!

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