By Courtenay Turner
The world of wellness is forever evolving – and understandably, it can be hard to keep up.
Rather than overwhelming yourself with all of the things you think you ‘should’ be doing, choose a few practices that speak to you and work on incorporating them into your life. To get you thinking, we’ve listed five of our favourite wellness trends for 2019. Rest assured: they’re simple, accessible and effective.
TRACK YOUR TIME ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Studies show that the overuse of social media may be harming our mental health. As our lives become more and more digitised, it’s important to set healthy boundaries which enable us to keep social media at arm’s length. Apps like Moment allow you to monitor your daily screen time, as well as the time you spend on individual apps like Instagram or Facebook. Facing up to the enormous amount of time that we’re spending on our phones is enough to make us question how wisely we’re using our leisure time.
CONSIDER YOUR SLEEP HYGIENE
Before you ask – we’re not talking about dousing yourself in soap every night before bed! Sleep hygiene refers to the helpful habits we implement that promote a peaceful night’s sleep. Alongside eating healthily and regular exercise, ensuring we get enough quality sleep is one of the most important pillars when it comes to our health and wellbeing. Sleep hygiene may differ from person to person, but there are some general guidelines that all of us should be following:
- Ditch your device after dark.
- Avoid drinking coffee after midday. This may also extend to matcha, black tea and even chocolate if you are particularly sensitive to the effects of caffeine. Instead, try a warm mug of SLEEP Inner Beauty Powder, which contains ingredients like lemon balm and passionflower which are traditionally used in Western herbal medicine to induce sleep.
- Before bed, opt to read a few pages of your favourite book instead of mindlessly tuning into Netflix.
- Avoid vigorous exercise too close to bedtime. While exercise is a great way to help reduce stress, for some people, exercising before bed can disrupt sleep quality.
EMBRACE POCKET WELLNESS
From the largest international airports to the smallest local convenience stores, we’re seeing whispers of wellness everywhere. Now, more than ever, it’s easy to travel with wellness at our fingertips – or rather, in our pockets. Travel-friendly products like WELL SPRAY Inner Beauty Support™ are designed to make it easy to stay healthy and happy while you’re on the go. So whether you’re taking a long haul flight or simply commuting to work, you’ll always have your holistic health companion within arm’s reach.
TRY DIGITAL DETOXING
Digital detoxing takes ‘social media monitoring’ one step further. Switching off your phone for an entire weekend, saying ‘adios’ to your emails and logging out of Instagram are just a few of the ways you can experience the benefits of a digital detox. You’ll likely find it challenging at first (what else are you supposed to do while you’re waiting for the bus?), but rest assured, once you set yourself free from those self-imposed cyber constraints, you’ll find yourself noticing the colour and richness of the world around you.
EMBRACE SIMPLE RITUALS
Rituals are the antidote to the ceaseless rushing of the modern day world, and the good thing is, they don’t require radical change. Whether you’re an early bird or a night owl, creating a ritual that makes you feel at ease and in control is relatively easy. If you’re a coffee drinker, ditch the pod and take the time to prepare a filter or stovetop brew in the morning before leaving for work. Similarly, tea drinkers might like to slow down and prepare a small pot of their favourite loose leaf tea. Anything can be turned into a ritual when we invite slowness in. Try cooking porridge on the stove instead of using the microwave. Listen to music with your eyes closed, rather than putting it on in the background. Nourish your health by taking a little time to prepare and enjoy you favourite inner beauty elixir before you head out the door. These rituals might require an extra 20 minutes of your time, but having an activity that is slow, steady and tactile is a surefire way to feel more well.
What's a wellness trend that you've adopted into your life?
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