And Other Ways To Relax Without Leaving Your Home Or Accommodation
Home sweet home.
Sometimes it can stressful just leaving the house to do something relaxing. The thought of putting on clothes, getting in the car, finding a park, doing the activity can make it all feel too much.
And then afterwards, you repeat it all again, heading back in traffic, can make you feel what is the point?
During Covid, we all got really good at entertaining ourselves at home.
Here are some of our favourite ways to relax without going out your front door.
1. Book An In Home Massage
It's easy to create your own day spa oasis at home without a whole lot of effort or money.
Having an in home massage is perfect for those too busy to get to the day spa, or if you just want to relax, curl up and sleep afterwards.
The therapist brings everything with them, sets up quickly and in a minute can change part of your home or accommodation into your own spa. Ripple is much more than a mobile massage service, we really are the day spa that comes to you.
We bring aromatherapy oils, comfortable massage tables, relaxation spa music and fluffy towels. If you have a robe, you can change before we arrive, maybe light a scented candle, anything that will help make you feel destressed.
This is also a great option if you are booked into accommodation or an Airbnb. Relaxation on your doorstep.
2. Heaven Scent - Use Aromatherapy To Relax
We love essential oils and use them in all our treatments. From the peppermint scented foot soak that helps refresh your feet, to our relaxation or rejuvenation massage oils, the aromatherapy candles we give as gift and include in our day spa boxes, to the lime and tangerine body scrub we use for exfoliation.
If you have your own essential oil blend that you love, its easy to pop some in a diffuser or oil burner. Simply use an oil burner or diffuser and have that aroma wrap itself around you.
Aroma and scent plays really powerful roles in our lives. Does the smell of your Mums cooking help bring back childhood memories? Or the scent of frangipani take you back to your favourite holiday spot? Think of what aromas trigger relaxing memories for you, and then burn them in your oil burner. Science even backs how powerful this link can be. Several university studies have shown that scents can trigger vivid memories in the brain.
3. Music To Chill To
Everybody has different ideas of the best music to chill to. We tend to play ocean and rainforest sounds and spa music when we massage as we find its the best to switch off your mind.
But you may have something different that takes you to another place. Classical Yo Yo Ma, some Aretha and blues, or pehaps something that is linked to a favourite memory. Whatever it is, music is a quick way to transform your home into an audible sanctuary.
4. Bring The Outside, In
“Earthing” or “Grounding” is the theory that barefoot contact with the earth can produce changes in a variety of psychological measures.
We are meant to make contact with nature. We need to be outdoors more. But, why not also bring nature to us?
Open the windows. Let in some sunshine. Bring in some plants and flowers into your personal space.
5. Go All Marie Kondo And Trim The Clutter
Does having clutter sit around your home cause you stress?
There are a number of university studies that show that simply by reducing clutter in the home can lead to lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone) in the body.
Clutter can be accumulated for a number of reasons. Procrastination, not having time or the energy to spend time cleaning up and throwing out, can be a big cause of having “stuff” that isn’t helpful or needed lying around your home.
Even just feeling that your home is cluttered can lead to higher rates of stress.
Added to that, there is some evidence that stress changes the structure of the brain, and that more stress triggers the amygdala and makes it more sensitive to stress.
The KonMari Method, which is Marie Kondo’s system of de-cluttering a home with the intention of reducing stress and bringing back joy, has been hugely popular.
Just gradually going through room by room, and reducing the amount of “stuff” that is not needed, can help bring a sense of relaxation and calm to your home.
6. Yoga And Stretching
Known to have not only positive effects on your body (at Ripple, we often recommend various yoga stretches to help with muscle stiffness after the massage), but it can also be a great way to relax.
The breathing techniques associated with various yoga poses can also help calm your sympathetic nervous system, and help take you away from work/kids and other stressors in your life.
Yoga is very easy to access now without leaving home. There are many Youtube sequences you can do, online classes, or simply put together a routine of your favourite stretches. Tai Chi or Qigong are very gentle sequences of martial arts poses that can also help with relaxation at home.
7. Meditation
Similarly, meditation is an easy exercise to do at home. Again there are plenty of guided meditations on Youtube or spotify. A simple meditation can be as easy as just focusing on your breath, and when your mind wanders, gently bring it back to your breath. It takes a while to get used to but has been shown to have remarkable relaxation and stress reducing effects.
8.Reflexology At Home
Ripple can come to you with not only massage, but in home reflexology as well. We include it in all our massage packages, or you can have it as a stand alone treatment.
Its also possible to do it yourself! Usually start with a warm footbath, maybe with a few drops of your favourite essential oil in it, for a few minutes. Then dry your feet and start applying pressure with your thumbs to the bottom of your feet. A foot reflexology sequence can be found here or there are many others on the internet.