Get your beauty sleep
While sleep deprivation drives up anxiety, getting adequate sleep reduces levels of stress and improves general mood. It’s worth investing in a sleep aid kit and adopting some simple strategies to help you snooze.
A comfortable pillow will make all the difference. Experts advise buying new pillows every 12 to 18 months
Eye masks are one of the best tools to overcome sleep problems
When choosing sleepwear, the most important factor is fabric, along with style and fit. If it’s uncomfortably clingy or irritates your skin, a good night’s sleep is hard to come by. You will find a wide selection at Marks & Spencer and Oysho
Sleep soundly with one tablespoon of honey or a cup of chamomile tea before bedtime. You can find a wide selection of herbal tees at Cozmo, Safeway and Carrefour
For sleep aids, check out Virgin Megastore, Zara Home, Ikea, Cozmo, Wild Jordan’s Nature Shop
Pick up your mood
Certain aromas (like jasmine, lemon oil and lavender), actions (like exercise and sex) and foods (dark chocolate, fish, fruits and vegetables and saffron spice) can reduce anxiety and lift your mood by influencing the production of endorphins, the brain’s ”feel-good” chemicals.
To pick up your mood, check out Amina’s Natural Skin Care, Trinitae, Candle Home, Gizmos, Virgin Megastore, GX Gym, http://www.youtube.com/user/bathbayakha
Music in the car, office or home is a mood booster. Play your favourite songs when you’re in a creative or mood slump
Certain smells can have a very real impact on how we feel. Try a vanilla-scented candle or lavender oil. Natural Looks, IKEA and Bath & Body Works offer a good selection
Dark chocolate isn’t only a delicious treat – it can give your mood a lift, as well. Discover more health benefits of dark chocolate on
page 32
As the saying goes, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Even better, it’s painless and free! Laughter has been proven to strengthen the immune system, boost energy, diminish pain and protect against the damaging effects of stress. Check out local laugh therapy groups with Nabil Sawalha.
Make exercise a part of your daily routine like brushing your teeth. Morning is the best time for it, since unexpected things pop up throughout the day that can interfere with your workout plans. Research shows that, with a morning workout, your mood is still elevated at bedtime!
A long day’s work at home or the office often means giving sex low priority or having it simply to appease your partner. But sex is in fact one of nature’s great relaxants and a de-stressing activity
in itself!
Carve out time for yourself
How often do you find yourself devoting most of your time to others and find yourself with no time for yourself? Making ‘me time’ a priority isn’t just essential for your own wellbeing – it will make you a better partner, parent and worker.
To take out time for yourself,
check out Solace Skin Care Center, Mövenpick Resort & Spa Dead Sea, Ananda Yoga Studio, One With Nature Center, Limited Addition
and IKEA, Mariam Center for
Arts & Crafts
Give yourself permission to take half an hour every day just for yourself, even if it means setting an alarm to remind yourself. Then, treat yourself to a monthly spa treatment.
It’s not about overindulging – it’s about taking care of yourself! Check out Solace Skin Care Center, the Zara Spas at the Mövenpick Hotels in the Dead Sea and Aqaba. In addition, treat yourself and the love of your life at The Ishtar Spa, Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea. Go for the vitamin infused scrub followed by a 60 minute couples massage. Extra perk? You’ll be offered a glass of champagne with chocolates!
If you want to feel better about yourself, surround yourself with people and things that make you feel good. Make a quote board of motivational sayings, paint your home or office walls in colours that inspire you, read books about positive thinking and distance yourself from people who tend to put you down rather than lift you up.
Perhaps there’s something you long to do but lack the confidence to pursue it. Why not enrol in a photography or art class? And there are plenty of websites to help you publish your story! The key is to focus on the process rather than the outcome. When your sense of worth is attached to the effort you put forth, the process is exciting and rewarding in itself.
Write a compassionate letter to yourself! Imagine a friend who can see all your strengths and all your weaknesses. Then write a letter to yourself from the perspective of this imaginary friend. Be sure to read our Life Skills article (page 46) this month to help you get started!
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