By Nanette Wiser
BODACIOUS BATHS Turn your bath into a spa for serenity and health. Your brain and nervous system benefit from a bath, which can reduce pain and inflammation as well as improve mood. If you can’t get to a natural springs or spa, begin at home. Explore scents for the soul (essential oils, body and bath oils, especially soothing lavender and rose) found in health food stores such as Rollin’ Oats, Sprouts, Nature’s Food Patch and my fave, Great American Natural Products. Add scented candles, quiet music and handmade soaps or bath delights from Lori’s Soap & Sponges Exchange, Aphrodite Natural Bath Essentials, Wild Roots or scent-sational merchants at local outdoor markets. Treat yourself to bath tray and pillow, some fresh flowers and a long-handled scrub brush or loofah. Replace that glass of wine with a cranberry spritzer to stimulate your brain’s limbic system and energize brain waves.
GET DOWN TONIGHT! The Journal of Experimental Social Psychology research indicates that time off has mental health benefits, from less stress to more productivity. Part of it is how you perceive your leisure time. See it as useless, and it may make you more anxious. See it as part of a larger goal, and it relieves stress. For example, sleeping in so that you are fresher for an evening meeting is a ticket to happiness. Another downtime trick? Use idle time to daydream and observe thoughts rather than scrolling through your email. We all know that shutting down your electronics and putting them outside your bedroom helps improve sleep…but it’s time to add breaks for our daily as well as nightly routines.
DISRUPT AGING How do you want to live your one and beautiful life becomes even more important as we age, or when we are caring for aging parents. Now there’s help with Five Wishes, a complete approach to discussing and documenting your care and comfort choices. It’s about connecting families, communicating with healthcare providers, and showing your community what it means to care for one another. It’s written in everyday language, making it easy to understand and complete. It covers personal, spiritual, medical, and legal wishes all in one document, allowing your family or caregiver to know exactly what you want from end-of-life care and pain management to how you want people to treat you. Having your financial, medical, and other important documents in place and updated is important and Five Wishes can help. www.fivewishes.org
