mindfulness
Self-care is essential for overall health and well-being, no matter what time of the year it is (but yes, especially during the Holidays).
Finding time for self-care may require some advance planning and thought, but it’s worth it. Relax and rejuvenate at the best day spa in Sydney and you will reap the benefits.
These days it is more important than ever to find time in our busy lives for self-care.Â
Many women, mums especially, are pulled in so many directions because of work and family commitments. We can lose our sense of self in the craziness of life. Find out why and how you should put the well-being of your body and mind at the top of your to-do list.
What do we mean by self-care and why is it important?
Self-care means taking the time out of a hectic schedule to put yourself first. How many times have you felt you are only just keeping your head above water with all the chores, to-do lists, kids’ needs, work deadlines and much more? Especially during the holidays, it can feel impossible to step away or switch off from it all. But self-care is essential to our physical, emotional and mental well-being.Â
A study from 2015 showed that, among Australians, levels of well-being are decreasing and levels of anxiety are increasing. Not making the time to relax, find balance in your life and rejuvenate can lead to stress, anxiety and even depression.
There are many benefits to taking a breather and stepping out of the rat race for as little as half an hour or an hour a day. Regular self-care helps your health on a physical level by giving your body a chance to rest and repair. It also helps on a mental level by improving your mood, making you a calmer, happier person. This in turn boosts confidence and self-esteem.Â
Looking after yourself shows you value your needs, which helps those around you value them too. By setting the expectation in your family that self-care is a priority, you will also be modelling the right behaviour for your children and partner.
How to make time for self-care
You may decide that self-care for you means a whole day of pampering at the best day spa in Sydney, or just 20 minutes to go for a run. Either way, you’ll need to work out when and how to fit it into your busy life. Here are a few tips on making time for self-care:
- Where possible, schedule your me-time into your calendar. You’re much more likely to do it if it’s already planned into your day or week.
- Parents – if you have small children, why not arrange to swap babysitting time with friends or with family members? Book that massage or facial and make it a regular appointment.
- Look to your partner to support you. That might mean making a time when they do something special with the kids so you can have time to pamper yourself. Or just one night a week when you don’t have to do dinner and bedtime. They may not get it perfect but they will manage!
- Give yourself a break from all distractions and interruptions. Put your phone and laptop in a drawer so you are not tempted to ‘just quickly do this’ or ‘just take this one call’.
Top suggestions for self-care
Once you’ve organised your timetable to include time for yourself, it’s time to think about what you can do. Self-care is a very personal thing. For some, it means energising the body and clearing the mind through a vigorous sport or a physical challenge. For others, it can mean finding a quiet space and activity to unwind the mind, soothe the body and lift the mood.Â
Here are some great ways to look after yourself, de-stress and revive your mind, body and soul:
- Take a book to a corner of a cafe and enjoy some quiet time alone
- Go for a bike ride or jog around the local park
- Book a facial, massage, body scrub or pedicure and manicure at your local Sydney day spa
- If you’re getting your treatment at the Temple Skincare & Spa, why not treat yourself to a special night at The Hills Lodge hotel and book to stay overnight?
- Book an aromatherapy treatment to nourish your skin and ease muscle tension
- Find a calm, quiet place at home or in nature to meditate
- Take a long hot bath with essential oils and a relaxing music playlist
There’s no time like the present. Contact us at the Temple Skincare & Spa and we will be happy to find the perfect relaxation treatment to help you get started on your self-care journey.
The Day Spa at Temple Skincare is your space — a respite from stress, for solitude, meditation and to nurture your mindfulness journey.
Contrary to what many people think, a day spa is not just a place to get a “fancy” facial. The Temple Skincare spa is both an ideal and idyllic choice to care for your skin and your soul.Â
The moment you walk down the jasmine-lined path to the spa, it is already a calming and restful experience. Automatically, this sets the mood for your senses to be actively present and attuned to your body and your surroundings. Our trained and professional therapists are also a select group of caring and giving individuals. They are ready to pamper and spoil you with the careful and caring attention you need.
We have also partnered up with Aromatherapy Associates to bring you day spa facials and massages best for meditative activity. The treatments are designed to treat the skin and mind simultaneously — because beauty is often beyond skin deep.
The many women (and men) that we see at Temple often come to relieve stress and for good reason. In our very busy, noisy lives, it is a must to find a space to quiet the mind, meditate and to enjoy (even if for a few hours) a mindful life.Â
Read: Finding Balance: Self-Care Rituals for Busy Women in Sydney’s Castle Hill Area
Benefits of Meditation
It is undeniable though how regular meditation is quickly becoming a prescription for a healthier life and overall wellness. The research on meditation and mindfulness point to positive effects including reduced anxiety, increased well-being, increased connectedness and empathy, improved focus, improved relationships with others, heightened creativity, better memory and improved decision-making skills. And those are just the cognitive benefits. Meditation is also associated with other, more tangible health benefits, such as addiction treatment, improved cardiovascular health, a stronger immune system and better sleep quality.
Being mindful of one’s actions and self helps bring you to a meditative state.
Sitting still and emptying the mind at the day spa
The trouble is that in today’s fast-paced and social-media driven life, it’s simply harder to sit still and actively do nothing. When I first attended a meditation class, I could barely keep a focussed, quiet mind for 10 seconds. Before I knew it, I was thinking of the report I had to do for work and the dinner I had to cook for the kids after the class.
It’s deceptively harder than many would think!
Plus, many would assume that being “good “at meditation meant that you’d have to be totally zen and calm for hours on end. One writer described the experience as though it were like running a full marathon the first time you lace up your running shoes. A miracle feat!
How to meditate?
It helps if you are in a quiet place. The day spa environment at Temple is a good choice. Sit by the pool or make use of it. Then proceed with our hour-long Mindfulness Facial Treatment to build a sensory experience of scents, textures and temperatures, relaxing music and solitude.
With your skin and body cared for, your mind can be left to wander to a meditative state.
Try the meditation techniques below during the treatment or while at the day spa:
- Body scanning during a day spa treatment
This is a good stepping stone to deeper meditation practice and a fantastic crash course on the concept of mindfulness.Â
In meditation, mindfulness is an intentional awareness of the present moment. It’s the kind of thing that seems obvious, right? Like something you must already be doing just to function, but it’s not. Ever gotten into your car and made it home without exactly remembering the drive? Or, eaten a meal without really tasting it? That’s how easy it is for us to get stuck on autopilot and mentally disconnect from what’s going on in the moment.Â
- Take a couple of deep breaths, and get ready to focus on your body for a few minutes.Â
- Start at the top of your head and focus on actively feeling what’s going on in your body, moving slowly from your the top of your head to the soles of your feet.Â
- Notice the weight of your own hair hanging down from your scalp. Notice where you situate your tongue in your mouth when you aren’t talking. Notice where your weight rests in your spine and what your feet feel like pressed against the ground.Â
- This seems very basic, but most of us never do it in day-to-day life. We’re too busy thinking about the emails we haven’t answered and the errands we haven’t run. But, when you’re actively focusing your attention on how your body feels, you can’t think about the emails and errands, and mindfulness starts to take shape.Â
- If you do catch your mind drifting to those emails and errands, don’t beat yourself up or write the session off as a failure. Just acknowledge that your mind drifted, let the thought go, and refocus on the body scan, right where you left off.Â
- Swimming meditation
If keeping still is truly a big challenge for you, then swim. The pool by Temple Skincare & Spa is for you to use before or after your day spa treatment. Bring your swimsuit and let the water lull you and shut out the world around you.
- Take a few breaths and get into a calm mindset.Â
- Start moving through the water, focusing on the act of swimming. Actively be mindful of the aspects of swimming like lifting your arm, moving your body forward, paddling your feet and legs, the sensation of water drifting over your body, etc.
- Count your strokes (10-15 is a good number), pause and take a few deep breaths, focusing on the sensation of breathing in and out.Â
- Then repeat.
- Sound mindfulness meditationÂ
- Close your eyes, and listen to the world around you, making a note of every sound that you hear, say, 10 or 15 sounds.Â
- List them out, one by one, starting with the obvious: maybe music playing over the speakers, for starters.
- Then, go deeper. Notice the quiet shuffling of your therapist’s feet as she moves around you; pay attention to the sound of the brush or hands as salves or masks are applied on your skin; or, the rhythmic sound of your own breathing.Â
- Sound mindfulness is not only versatile, but also a quick and effective way to break an anxiety pattern, particularly if you’re prone to ruminating and catastrophising.
Want to find out more ways to relax at temple? Check out our Day Spa Facials and Massages here.
There’s more to being beautiful than beauty treatments. If you want to see lasting results, you’ll need to take a holistic approach.
You’ve probably heard the saying that beauty comes from within. However, when you’re an everyday woman who is endlessly busy and doesn’t have a lot of time to think about feeling beautiful, it can be a struggle to bring your inner light and energy to the surface.Â
At The Temple Skincare and Spa, we take a holistic approach to beauty, meaning we want it to be far more than skin deep. We’re motivated to support your entire wellness journey so you feel and look good, inside and out.Â
Looking good starts inside
No amount of makeup or face creams can cover the fact that you’re not feeling great. If you’re stressed, lacking sleep and not eating well, your friends will pick up on your lack of energy and start asking if you’re okay.Â
When you’re not physically healthy or feeling positive about yourself, your body is more than happy to show it—with dark circles and bags under your eyes, acne breakouts, dry skin and lacklustre hair. To get back to looking fresh and revitalised, you need a whole body (and mind) approach.Â
 
How to be beautiful, inside and outÂ
Step 1: Start eating better
While the occasional cheat meal is okay (and even recommended), your body ultimately needs the nutrients that come from good old wholesome foods.
Try to incorporate more lean meats, fruits, vegetables and healthy grains into your diet, while cutting back on excess sugar, salt and questionable additives.
Don’t know where to shop for nutrient-rich options? The Source Bulk Foods is a great place to start, with the nearest location to the Hills District being Rouse Hill. You’ll not only find quality ingredients, you’ll be able to bring your own containers for a zero-waste shopping experience.Â
If you want to keep your skin young-looking, don’t forget to drink ample amounts of water throughout the day. Your skin requires a steady supply of hydration to maintain its elasticity.
Step 2: Start moving more
Regular exercise is not only good for looking fitter and more athletic, but also for having healthy skin.
Aside from improving your circulation, which helps nourish your skin cells, regular physical activity triggers your body to release more endorphins, helping you combat stress by literally making you feel happier.
Couple this with mindfulness-promoting activities and less intense workouts like yoga and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a more positive and relaxed life.
The good news is you don’t have to sign up for a membership at a number of different facilities to stay on top of your fitness and wellbeing. We recommend Real Fitness Training in Castle Hill as our preferred studio for personal training, yoga, meditation and dietary advice.
An added element that will have you feeling good about working out is quality, stylish activewear. At The Temple Skincare & Spa, we’re addicted to Yogadoll Activewear (now Lacera Activewear) because of its vibrant designs and ‘for Mums by Mums’ range.Â
Step 3: Make de-stressing a regular part of your life
Massages, aromatherapy and spa treatments are all known to help with stress relief. When you feel better about yourself and what’s going on in your life, you’re more likely to radiate positive energy, which will have your friends commenting on how great you look.Â
The Temple Skincare & Spa team is obsessed with helping our clients unwind. We offer a wide assortment of massages—some with aromatherapy incorporated—and spa treatments. These are specially designed to help you bounce back fully rejuvenated from even the most stressful of days.
Step 4: Top it all off with beauty treatments
Once you’ve got steps one through three down, that’s the time to explore beauty treatments to add the icing to your inner-glow cake.
These treatments aren’t meant to replace a healthy lifestyle. Instead, they give you that extra boost towards having clearer, younger-looking skin, realising your beauty goals and feeling your best both inside and out.Â
Start by combining beauty and relaxation with a Mindfulness Facial Treatment using the the Aromatherapy Associates spa and skincare line. This luxurious time-out includes meditation as part of your facial experience.Â
To be truly beautiful, you need a holistic approach
Beauty treatments are just a small part of being truly beautiful. If you want lasting results, self care and taking the time to unwind are all part of the equation.Â
This means a healthy diet, ample amounts of exercise and time spent doing the things you enjoy.Â
Ready to de-stress and experience the latest and best in beauty treatments so you feel beautiful and healthy, inside and out? Book an appointment with us today!