Weekly Wellness Tips and Inspiration

Guest blog by Alex Hurt – a friend of Camellia’s Tea House and wellness feature blogger

Our friend and Feature blogger Alex Hurt brings us her wellness know-how to your home over the coming month. With 20 years within the spa industry, Alex drills down to the simplicities of well- being that makes a difference to your everyday lockdown life and beyond.

So.. curl up with your favourite wellness tea, light a candle and read Alex’s musings to put a smile on your face and some goodness into your day.

A cup of love

There’s just something about a cup of tea that brings us love and comfort.  Nursing a warm cuppa brings upon the ‘aaahhh time’ to relax and take a moment for us all. This is the first of many blogs, something for you to browse whilst cradling your wellness tea. I write to you from a sleepy village in Suffolk at my kitchen table, a pot of Bobby Marley Blend to my right is the ‘chill pill’ we all need to calm and soothe a racing mind.

Let’s face it, the world is on pause and with all of the uncertainty we all need some stress relief to keep us on track. Not only do we have to line up to go shopping, we are restricted to what we can buy… but there’s the cue for creativity. Alternatives, a different way of thinking, living and being (as well as eating). A few months ago, I am sure you didn’t expect to be home schooling, or using old socks as a mask for that matter, ordering hand sanitizer in bulk or dressing up for a visit to your local supermarket.  Almost overnight the world is adjusting to a new ‘norm’ and it’s time for some ‘alternative thinking’.

Whilst some of us bound head first under the duvet, others donned on some marigolds and found therapy in the art of cleaning everything in sight! Once you have deep cleaned every crevice possible, you may have started on the garden, or alphabetised your spices or indeed thrown them out (they probably expired years ago). Alas, once the initial settling in process is done, what are you left with?

Time

Time for over thinking and time for worrying. Right here, right now you are allowed to just be. We don’t know the answers, we can’t predict the future of something that has never happened before so allow yourself the time and space to connect with you once again.  I want to share with you a few little rituals that may seem incredibly obvious, yet you haven’t quite got around to them… this may just be the gentle nudge in the right direction to get your relaxation on.

In your stress management tool kit should be a little structure to your day. That could be showering in your favourite foamy bubbles, giving your skin a scrub-a-dub-dub and applying lashings of your favourite moisturiser. Turn on some tunes, create your space.

Find a quiet spot and surf the podcast selections at your fingertips. This is my new love, and I like nothing more than plugging in to a feel good or hilarious podcast on my daily yomp over the fields. I tend to get a few looks as I howl with laughter at some of them – this really is the best medicine whilst drinking in nature. You can easily download a podcast app on both iPhone and android devices.

Sprinkle your week with calls to friends. Set aside time, some wellness tea and a comfy chair, for an hour or so of unrushed self indulgent talk time with a friend. There is nothing like it to make you feel like you again. I make these calls ‘main events’ to my days and something to look forward to.

Finally just breathe, breathe when you walk, breathe when you listen, breathe when you read and breathe before bed. Breathe in through the nose hold for 5 seconds and breathe out of the mouth for 3 seconds. Try to practice this at least 3 times, this will balance and restore calm.

There really is nothing better than curling up with your favourite, loose leaf tea. My cup of love today was a herbaceous blend, with some chilled out chamomile and subtle minty vibes. It was a cup of chilled out golden goodness that tasted great.

Until next time stay safe, stay well and be kind to yourselves. Take the time out to spend on you… I promise you’ll feel better.

Continue your Wellness Journey with Alex’s second blog “Mental Health Awareness 2020”.