Day 1 Wellbeing Practices
Remember these are not rules they are suggestions. If they sound like they might work for you give them a go. If they don’t leave them out. They are not going to make you a better person, you are already whole and amazing! I find the cold showers energise me and as, due to my CFS/ME, I often feel rubbish when I wake up in the morning they give me an energy boost to get me going. Once I am up and about I generally feel better. You may have a totally different morning routine to me which is perfect for you so stick with that or try out some of these ideas.
Your morning routine sets up your mindset for the day. Here are my ideas for how to start your day with energy, mindfulness and positivity.
Cold Water Immersion
This could be taking a cold shower or if you don’t have a shower you can get an attachment for your bath and take a cold shower after your bath. Or a cold bath if you’re really brave. Remember if you have any medical conditions or are pregnant please consult your doctor. When I started taking cold showers I began by just doing my feet and then my legs and working my way up to the whole body over a few days. Now I dive straight in! I try to keep my breathing regular although sometimes I still hold my breath!!! But I am trying to work up to being able to be in the cold shower and remain calm with my breathing balanced so that my nervous system remains balanced too. This helps to build resilience in your nervous system which has many positive health benefits.
Why is this good for me?
1. Helps us adapt to stress - over time we have less of a sympathetic nervous system response to the cold and more of a parasympathetic response. This improves the vagal tone making us more resilient to stress.
2. Can help reduce inflammation by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines and increasing anti-inflammatory cytokines
3. It can help increase the numbers of cytotoxic t-cells which are responsible for killing cancer cells and virally infected cells
4. Cold water makes our lymph vessels contract forcing the lymphatic system to pump lymph fluids throughout the body and flushing out waste.
5. People who take cold showers are 30% less likely to call in sick than those who don’t.
6. Cold also helps us cope better with stress by enhancing internal antioxidants which help us battle oxidative stress (more free-radicals in the body than antioxidants) which contributes to aging and excessive inflammation.
7. It’s good for the brain as it encourages feel-good beta-endorphins in the blood. Also the mind focuses 100 per cent on the body and the brain feels like it has hit the reset button.
8. It helps us sleep
9. Helps the body heal and recover
10.Optimises cognition
11.Helps keep our mental state balanced
Abhyanga - Ayurvedic Self-Massage
I like to do my massage after my shower. Some days I have time to do the full body, some days just the feet. If you have bought the kapha oil you can use that. Otherwise any olive oil or sesame oil will be fine too.
When massaging take a small amount of oil on your hands and start at the feet, then work up the body, legs, tummy (clockwise circles to follow the digestive system), chest, shoulders, hands and arms. Don’t worry too much about how you do the massage - enjoy it! To give a basic idea long strokes on the limbs and round, circular strokes on the joints.
Self-massage has many benefits - it’s said to be good for the lymphatic system, to aid better sleep, to improve skin and aid digestion but what I love most about this massage is that in Ayurveda oil is ‘love’. So when I am massaging myself after a bath or a shower I see this massage as an act of love. It’s wonderful to think that you are sending love to your body and nourishing it in this way.
Take a Mindful Shower
It may be you don’t have time for meditation or massage in the morning in which case a mindful shower can be a really important way to get the day off to a good start. To take a mindful shower pay attention to the details of your shower, notice the temperature of the water, feel the water on your skin, notice the smell of the shampoo or soap, breathe the aroma in deeply and notice if your body relaxes, feel the sensations on your scalp as you massage the shampoo into your hair, make your movement slow and purposeful. As you dry yourself with a towel feel the sensations of the towel brushing against your skin. Take a deep breath. Before you move into the rest of your day take a moment to appreciate this feeling of cleanliness and relaxation.
Definition of Mindfulness by John Kabat-Zinn - “awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally”