Taking time to hang out with yourself can go a long way in terms of your overall health, and even helps to increase your energy levels.
One thing in my health journey toolkit that helps me to relax is taking a weekly bath.
Some science for you: Taking a hot bath helps me ease into a parasympathetic state, which is the “rest and digest” mode. Compared to the sympathetic state, or the never-ending super-stressful “fight or flight” mode that we all live in now-a-days.
I’d love to take baths more often, but it’s tough with my schedule! So I make sure that I schedule at least one night a week for this activity.
Thursdays seem to work best for me because they’re toward the end of the week. It’s less busy.
And I’m more able to focus on relaxing instead of the “I should be doing _____ and _____ and _____ instead” thoughts that fly around in my head.
I reserve at least 2 hours for this self-care event. And it’s an event. Let me tell you!
Thirty minutes for prep and dry brushing, 60 minutes for soaking, and 30 minutes for shaving, shampooing, and finishing up.
I like to take my time! Because it’s my time.
We’re talking a full-on luxurious spa experience! I go all out:
- Epsom salt – I use 3-4 cups in each bath. I love knowing that my skin is soaking up a ton of magnesium, which is important for a lot of bodily functions. Most people in modern societies are deficient in magnesium, so it’s important to ensure you’re getting enough. I love White Mountain brand.
- Essential oils (in the bathtub) – I like to add a few drops of oils that are good for the skin. I use about 5 drops lavender, 1 drop geranium, 2 drops frankincense, and 2 drops tea tree. Currently I use NOW Essential Oils, but I think I’ll be switching soon. Any suggestions?
- Essential oils (in my diffuser) – I love relaxing smells, so I’ll do a combo of lavender and eucalyptus. Or during the holiday season I’ll do a combo of balsam fir, eucalyptus, and a drop of peppermint. This is the diffuser I use and love.
- Beeswax candles – Yes, they are more expensive, but they are less toxic than soy or paraffin. Wax evaporates into the air when it burns, so you’re breathing in whatever your candle is made of. I use a mix of votives and tapers. They each last me quite a while, so to me they’re a great investment health-wise and financially. Plus, I’d prefer to smell essential oils from my diffuser than some chemical fragrance from a scented candle.
- Reading material – I like to save magazines for bath night because they’re lightweight. Compared to holding a book for an hour in the bathtub! Plus, I won’t be as upset if I accidentally drop it in the water compared to a book. I was a loyal subscriber to Coastal Living for about 14 years, but recently they have stopped printing! I’m so sad. And Magnolia only comes once a quarter, so I’ll have to find a new favorite magazine for my weekly me-time. Or risk a book!
- Dry brush – Dry brushing is a fantastic way to support your body’s natural detoxing capabilities. And you don’t even have to do a 7-day green-juice cleanse to see great results! Dry brushing supports your lymphatic system and takes literally 45 seconds to do. For those of us with autoimmune conditions, supporting our lymphatic system is very helpful. It aids in maintaining our overall health because the lymphatic system is part of our immune system.
- Scrub gloves – I have some exfoliation gloves that were given to me, which I pair with Dr. Bronner’s baby unscented pure castile soap to exfoliate everywhere. This activity leaves my skin feeling smoother and helps to get rid of dead skin cells. For stuff that goes on my skin, I choose as pure and natural as I can – hence Dr. Bronner’s. Due to the bout of perioral dermatitis I’m having right now, I haven’t been using these gloves on my face so as not to irritate it further. I just use Dr. Bronner’s to wash my face as normal, just no exfoliation right now.
- Meditation music – I love the Insight Timer app. It’s free, and has over 15,000 meditations to choose from: guided, musical, etc. You can even create your own mixture of sounds and bells to play for a specific amount of time. That is, if you don’t want to use a meditation that has been uploaded by one of their hundreds of teachers from all over the world. I found a 45-minute Tibetan bells music sequence that I love to play during my bath time.
- Turn off my phone – I make the bathroom my No Phone Zone by leaving my cell phone in another room. Or I put it on Do Not Disturb (since I use it to listen to meditation music). It’s my time, which means no interruptions!
- Glass of water – Gotta stay hydrated, of course! I highly suggest having a glass of water handy since it’s such a heated environment. Even though you’re in water, you’re still sweating!
- Magnesium spray – After baths and showers, I spray this on before I put on my lotion. Again, I’m just ensuring I get a good dose of an important mineral that is used for a ton of bodily functions. No, I don’t think I’m getting “too much” by using the spray and epsom salts. I also take a magnesium supplement every evening. In general, most people with autoimmune conditions have poor nutrient absorption from food. So adding vitamin supplements and other types of things such as magnesium spray is often necessary in order to obtain optimum levels.
- Vitamin C – Particularly mixed ascorbate powder. I add about a tablespoon to the running water to neutralize chemicals such as chlorine. It dissolves pretty quickly.
- I turn on the overhead fan to block out extraneous noises. Sometimes I lock the door (one of our cats knows how to open the doors in our house. He jumps super high and presses down on the lever. Maybe it’s time to invest in some knobs…)
- JOOVV light session – Our JOOVV panel just arrived yesterday, so I’ll be adding this to my daily routine. This will be nice to do right after my bath on Thursdays. I’ll be writing a separate blog post that I’ll update each month regarding whether or not I’m seeing positive results in my health journey by using this. I’m super excited!
So I turn out the lights, light my candles, turn on my diffuser and music, and dry brush before slipping into the hot water.
At the end, I make sure to shampoo my hair and shave my legs before draining the water. This way, I can just rinse off after the water has drained. Just trying to save a little water and time!
I hope this post inspired you to take some time for yourself. And possibly even inspired you for ideas for your own epic bath night!