I remember how I let my junior year get the best of me - with all of the constant homework assignments, copious projects with close deadlines, and time-consuming clubs I was involved in. By the end of the year, I was completely deprived of energy and constantly in a negative mood.
Come senior year, I knew that I had to make a change. That didn't mean I was going to abandon all of my obligations or stop doing homework late into the night. I had to take baby steps into removing some of my stress.
The first step I took was having a bath a few times a week. I had done extensive research on ways to detoxify the body and one of the methods I found was taking epsom salt baths.
Magnesium
- reduce inflammation
- help muscle and nerve function
- regulate the activity of more than 325 enzymes
- prevent artery hardening
Sulfate
- improve the absorption of nutrients
- flush out toxins
- ease migraine headaches
As well as detoxifying my body, I thought I might as well multi-task and detoxify my face. After washing my face, I like to use a manuka honey mask. Since I have very sensitive skin, manuka honey is the best type of honey to spread over my face for 10-15 minutes. Manuka honey has amazing anti-inflammatory properties which means it can reduce redness and heal inflamed skin such as eczema and acne. This is the perfect mask for me due to the fact that I still struggle with acne.
To add to my pamper routine, I thought placing some candles beside the bath would be a nice touch. One of my favorite candles at the moment is "Holiday Spice Cake" by Yankee Candles (cause I'm still in a festive mood!)
After filling the room with my favorite scents, I thought, why not fill it with my favorite music as well? I absolutely love to listen to classical new age so I decided to play the station on my Pandora app.
With these three elements combined, I found myself looking forward to coming home and getting to wind down for a bit. It really is a simple pamper routine to maintain. Even if it's only ten minutes of soaking the epsom salt and getting to listen to your favorite tunes, I promise you, it will make such a difference in your everyday life. That's the meaning of the word pamper! You're showing love to yourself by reserving some time to treat your body and your mind. What's not to love about that?