Happy & Healthy Summer Holidays

- Kristina Banner, Qualified Massage, Reflexology and Yoga specialist reports

The annual summer holiday plays an important role in making adequate time for rest, relaxation & spiritual nourishment in our increasingly busy & complex lives. It gives us time to recharge our batteries that may be running on empty, & spend quality, precious time with our family & friends whilst away from the usual demands of life (don't forget to turn your mobile phone off!). Holidays also give us the opportunity to get back into healthy habits again; we no longer have the excuse of lack of time! So we are free to enjoy that walk on the beach, have time to make healthy food choices & enjoy relaxed meals with family & friends, benefit from a relaxation therapy such as massage or reflexology & catch up on sleep deprivation! When on holiday we nourish our minds with new & stimulating experiences & get out of the ruts we often fall into. We give ourselves the opportunity to take ourselves & life a great deal less seriously; to "lighten up" & experience more humour. No wonder we feel fantastic by the end of our holiday. The real challenge is to maintain that state of being upon our return & throughout the year!!

One way to enhance your holiday experience & maximise the financial outlay is to have a relaxation therapy before you go. Going on holiday can be a stressful experience & you don’t want to react in a negative way experiencing anxiety, irritability & pressure; a good recipe for family arguments which never a positive start to your much awaited vacation. Feeling relaxed can help you calmly deal with the packing & other arrangements that need to be made before you get away. The journey to your destination will be more enjoyable too in your bright, unstressed mind, free from fear & anxiety about all the possible things that may happen & often over which you have no control anyway! If you are flying long haul I can personally vouch for the benefits of a pre-flight massage having experienced them prior to my 22 hour flights to & from New Zealand!

The summer holiday season with the children off school can also be a stressful time for mum, dads, & grandparents helping out working parents! So be aware of the stress symptoms & nip them in the bud before they contribute to family disharmony & unhappy holidays for the kids & adults. Modern life for children can be stressful too so don't forget to make sure they get quality relaxation time during their school holidays. Then they start the new academic year feeling refreshed & excited about learning!

So how do you deal with modern day stress to ensure you live a healthy & fulfilling life that allows you to balance all the demands you experience without feeling overwhelmed & miserable?

1) Firstly you need to tackle the symptoms of stress as they arise through deep relaxation therapy & self-help techniques such as meditation. Take positive action when you become aware of feelings of anxiety & tension. The body can become tense & stiff due to our pressured & often sedentary lifestyles & we carry this tension in our faces (hence tired, drawn look), neck & shoulders (hence tension headaches, restricted breathing & feelings of tiredness), or tummy area (irritable bowels) & often our minds are spinning permanently. A regular massage, reflexology or class of yoga for example helps you maintain a lower arousal level & reduce the onset of the symptoms of stress; preventative health creation & enjoyable too!

2) Simplify your life both at home & work to remove any sources of unnecessary stress & learn to prioritise; there will always be things “to do”! Get your life back into balance to enhance the quality of your relationships which will add meaning & nourish your soul. Put your energy & time into areas in your life that really matter to you & you enjoy. Experience fun, pleasure & creativity in your life.

3) Take a good hard look at how you self-stress & change these patterns. We are all well aware of the external stresses in our life but often largely unconscious of the relationship we have with our self which may cause us stress. Do you criticise yourself & push yourself harder & harder to achieve?; do you believe more is better?; do you try to win love & approval from others, putting yourself under pressure in order to do this? Once we become aware of our patterns we have a choice to change them & free ourselves from self-stress leaving us better able to cope with external stress which we do not always have control over.

If you would like to experience or learn more about deep relaxation please contact me at The Retreat. Why not take one step towards taking your health in your own hands and experience greater well being, peace & joy in your life.

Wishing you all a fantastic & relaxing holiday, & healthy body & minds throughout the year.

Phone The Retreat on 01273 492727 today to make an appointment & mention the webpage promotion.