In case you didn’t notice that your diary was full, or that you don’t have a spare Saturday for the next six weeks, here’s the memo: life (as we knew it) is well and truly back in full swing. And while that’s good for our social life and feeling normal again, having things squeezed back into every spare minute can take its toll on our stress levels.
So now that home is not our entire universe, how can we get back to calm when the outside world causes anxiety levels to rise?
According to Melanie Gleeson, founder and CEO of endota, it comes down to balance.
“Women can find it difficult to ask for help, and tend to do everything for everybody else first,” she explains. Gleeson has built an empire based on the philosophy of giving and receiving in equal measures.
“At endota, we want people to experience wellbeing in their lives and give back to themselves and their communities.”
The spa chain, which has 100 day spas (and counting) across the country, has made it a priority to make others feel better through services, products and education designed to nurture. And while a trip to an endota Spa is often just what your body and mind need, you don’t even have to leave your house to get a slice of endota’s feel-good benefits.
The brand’s online Retreat offers a membership program with everything from meditation sessions to recipes.
“endota Retreat is all about shifting our energy so we can get in the right space to feel happy and well, allowing us to create a better life,” explains Gleeson.
The program offers classes and activities aimed at zapping stress and eliminating stagnant energy.
“It transports members to a place of stillness and focus for when they need to re-centre,” says Gleeson. She points to meditation, tapping, sound healing, and yin and vinyasa yoga as her top stress fixes.
“These practices have been used for centuries to calm the mind and relax the body.”
A simple first step for a wrung-out urbanite could be the brand’s affirmations, which are available to endota members to inspire them and lift their mood.
“Affirmations are a great tool to change your perspective, support yourself from within, and manifest a more joyful life,” says Gleeson.
“They allow you to combat negative thinking and encourage positive changes in your life by repeating phrases that resonate with you in areas where you might need some extra support, like self-worth and self-belief.”
It’s all about keeping a positive mindset, which Gleeson says is the key to a successful, fulfilling life.
In times of stress, checking in with ourselves often gets neglected.
“Keeping yourself grounded and doing small check-ins can really help ease stress,” says Kimberley Conboy, endota skin expert and education coordinator. She advises creating an environment at home that calms you.
“Turn on a diffuser,” suggests Conboy. “Set ambient lighting, listen to music you love – indulge your senses.”
When we were locked down, we learnt to help ourselves when we started to circle the drain mentally, and we need to remember those coping tools. Even just five or 10 minutes to sit, breathe and be present is a great way to take time out for yourself, says Conboy. But when you want to indulge a bit more, endota has real-life treatments to pamper and relax.
The Rejuvenate spa package, for instance, is a two-hour session of head-to-toe bliss.
“It incorporates a full-body exfoliation, a nourishing facial and soothing body massage with essential oils and organic skincare,” explains Conboy.
If you can only spare an hour, the spa’s Rest & Restore treatment involves a 60-minute relaxation massage with built-in back scrub and muscle balm to work out any pent-up tension.
With the temperature plummeting, a session with warm jade stones sounds about as close to heaven as you can get, and it’s included in endota’s Surrender spa package. “Heat is so important for our muscles,” says Conboy. “It aids in circulation, which keeps the muscles lubricated and melts tension. The warm stones are a brilliant way to get the body back to calm.”
To ease skin fluctuations that may be linked to stress, Conboy runs through a checklist. She ticks off hyaluronic acid for restoring hydration, while AHAs, glycolic and lactic acids are her favorites to help brighten fatigued skin.
Antioxidants such as vitamin C, meanwhile, act as the best protection against outside stressors. Pressure, with or without a pandemic, is inevitable but, according to Gleeson, mindfulness is vital for maintaining inner happiness.
“It reduces stress, helps me manage my emotions and reactions, and keeps me in tune with how I’m feeling.”
For more, visit endotaspa.com.au
endota Jojoba and Coconut Dry Shimmering Oil for $50, at endota Spa
endota Hydrate Me Mist for $35 at, endota Spa
endota Mini Kits in Hydrate and Balance for $50 each at, endota Spa
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