The pleasures of a bath

A warm bath is a daily oasis for many people. Relaxing in a hot bath will ease the effects of tension and put you in a better state of mind to deal with your troubles.

Remember, the bath should be warm, not hot.

Some well-chosen herbs in your bathwater could make you soak even more effective. Different herbs provide subtly distinct sensations when added to bathwater. Place one type of herb or a mixture in a cloth or net bag, and then toss the bag into the bath or hang it on the tap as the bath fills. Use the guide below to help you choose:

·         Stimulating, for a refreshing early-morning bath:lovage, mint, rosemary, sage, orange, pine, thyme

·         Tranquillizing, for an end-of-the-day bath: camomile, sandalwood, lavender, marjoram, marigold, mint

·         Relief for sore muscles or joints: arnica, wintergreen, lavender

·         Relief for itchy skin: parsley, sage, rosemary, basil

·         Antidote to fatigue or stress: pine, sage, fir (plus a cup of cider vinegar)

Every few days, stay in the bath long enough to soften skin on your feet, elbows and elsewhere. Then rub those areas with a wet pumice stone or abrasive puff. After removing rough skin, rinse off and apply body lotion.

How to alleviate joint pains

Chill out!

Bogged down by deadlines, family commitments and a demanding social life? Take a deep breath...

You don't always need acupuncture, aromatherapy, hot-stone therapy or an Indian head massage to relax. There are many things you can easily do in the comfort of your own home to get rid of some stress.

Wash away the stress

Water has been used as a stress reliever for centuries. Go for a swim, sit in a sauna or relax in a Jacuzzi. Twice a month, soak your body in a hot bath to which you've added a cup of sea salt and a cup of bicarbonate of soda. It will relax your muscles and make you drowsy, helping you have a good night's rest and ensuring you wake up feeling refreshed and energised.

Shake it off

Exercise releases endorphins (feel-good hormones) and also burns off excess energy, which would otherwise make you feel grumpy or irritable. Try Tai Chi, an exercise regime from the East, which has been described as movement meditation or an alternative form of yoga. It aids flexibility and relaxation. Here are a few exercises for you to try:

- If your body is feeling tired and stiff, lie on your back on a firm, flat surface with your feet slightly apart and your hands at your sides. Relax your arms and turn your palms upwards, with your fingers slightly bent. Lie in this position for 10 to 20 minutes while concentrating on your breathing. Before getting up, turn onto your left side and place your left arm underneath your head. Lie like this for at least two minutes before pushing yourself up with your right hand.

- Lie on your stomach with your legs slightly apart. Put your hands on top of each other, with the palms facing down and turn your head to the side so that your cheek is resting on top of your hands. Close your eyes and breathe rhythmically through your nose. This exercise is especially effective for calming you down after you've had a fight with someone.

- Sit with your feet shoulder-width apart. Rest your palms on your thighs. Close your eyes. Spend five minutes passively listening to sounds in the distance, until you feel relaxed. You can do this behind your desk or in a parked car. Try it after struggling through traffic on your way to an important meeting or after a disagreement with a colleague.

Sweet dreams

Lie on your back in bed. Close your eyes and place your hands in a comfortable position behind your head. Press your thumbs into your ears to shut out the external noise. You will hear a sound rushing through your head – that's completely normal. Listen to it for 10 to 15 minutes, then bring your arms down to your sides, relax and go to sleep.

Vitamin C

Researchers at the University of Trier in Germany have found that vitamin C helps us to relax and lessens our stress levels. Research subjects exhibited a marked lowering in levels of the harmful stress hormone cortisol, as well as lower blood pressure after taking 1 000mg vitamin C three times a day.

You can bolster your levels of vitamin C naturally by eating lots of citrus, strawberries, broccoli, guavas, spanspek, green pepper and tomatoes.

Laugh it off

When you laugh, feel-good hormones are released that inhibit levels of the harmful stress hormone cortisol, and bolster your immunity.

The joy of music

Some types of music, especially baroque music, calm you down by slowing your brain waves. Try listening to music composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi (especially The Four Seasons) or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart when you're feeling stressed.

Acknowledgement:  Ideas.co.za

Woman to Woman

My Beautiful World

37 creative ways to de-stress

Your life is boring. The two most exciting things that happened to you this week was an afternoon of sunshine when you had washing on the line and the phone call on Sunday night was not from your mother-in-law.

  

Your social calendar for the immediate future contains two birthday parties for three-year-olds and a PTA meeting. You feel the only time you see other people is when you go to the supermarket or the Laundromat. When you start watching infomercials on morning TV, you should know it's time to do something new.

There are things every one of us should do at least once a year – if only to remind ourselves that we are alive. Remember who you used to be, get a good babysitter – if you need one that is, and let the games begin.

• Go for a long walk in the rain – who cares if your underwear gets soaked?
• Go away for a weekend, but don’t decide on a destination beforehand. Just get in the car and see where it takes you.
• Read all your old love letters.
• Go and watch two movies in one day and have a pizza and some wine in between the two.
• Get up early and watch the sun rise.
• Go to an outdoor symphony concert.
• Phone an old friend you have not spoken to for ages.
• Wear something outrageous and different to what you would usually wear.
• Buy a lottery ticket.
• Reread your three favourite poems and books – preferably in bed or in front of a fire.
• Go for a long walk next to the ocean.
• Swim when it’s raining.
• Buy something you don’t need at all, but would like to have anyway.
• Phone an old boyfriend on his birthday.
• Let the dog sleep under the duvet on a really cold night.
• Talk through the night to someone you really care about and only go to sleep when the birds start chirping.
• Invite the nice new person at work for dinner – don’t just promise to do it.
• Eat oranges and broccoli and chocolate fudge and pizza for supper – just because that’s what you feel like.
• Go and see a play or a live concert.
• Spend an hour on the phone to your best friend gossiping about someone you know, preferably your boss or your mother-in-law.
• Have a picnic.
• Go to a restaurant you have never been to before.
• Go for a massage or aromatherapy.
• Watch the sunset.
• Ask your hairdresser what he/she would like to do with your hair.
• Use some of your hard-earned savings and suddenly decide to go and see your friend in Milan or Dubai, or wherever.
• Learn to let the dishes stand for a day.
• Sign up for singing lessons, dancing lessons, or judo classes, or paper marbling, or live drawing, or writing classes, or Tai Chi.
• Put in a day’s leave and go camping in the wilds or in a nature reserve for a long weekend (no toddlers in nappies allowed on this trip – that’s what grandparents are for).
• Go to a nursery and buy some plants, even if they’re for the balcony of your flat.
• Go to the local tourist information bureau and pretend for one weekend that you are a tourist in your hometown. Visit the museum, climb the mountain, visit a gold mine, or crocodile ranch, or take a township tour.
• Invite ten very dissimilar people to a dinner party. Drink a tranquiliser beforehand.
• Commit one hour a week of your time towards helping others in some way – whether volunteering at a community organisation or visiting your mother’s aunt in an old age home.
• Buy flowers for yourself.
• Go out for the evening and say “Expect me when you see me” as you leave.
• Walk barefoot in wet grass.
• Go out for breakfast.
• Leave the TV off for an hour, day or a week or until it hurts.

Acknowledgement: Susan Erasmus, Health24.com

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