This last month has held a fair share of stresses. It’s taken me over a month to recover from the severe concussion that occurred as a result of a fainting spell (see HERE). Add to the stress of injury and recovery the fact that life does not stop so I can recover, and that as I’m feeling better there are seemingly mountains of things that need to be done, and the pressure grows.
My husband is amazing, and took on so many household and childrearing responsibilities in addition to his full-time job in order to let me rest and recover. However, there are a lot of things that were simply waiting for my recovery and attention. Important things, like working on our taxes and other such obligations. There is the list of I shoulds that keep running around in my mind. People I want to talk to, things I want to do for my family, items I want to research, and so on. And then there are the many demands of young children, who seem to become extra needy when big changes occur, and a mama being out of commission for a while is definitely a huge change.
All of that to say, life can sometimes feel really hectic and crazy. And while an injury exacerbated this in my own life, everyday life can sometimes be just as stressful — even when we do our best to keep things really simple. We all have seasons when life just seems to keep throwing more and more our way, or times when it feels like it takes all of our effort simply to keep our heads above water. No one is immune to this.
One of the things I’ve taken to doing in this last month is a nightly [well, almost nightly] bath. I started it as a way to help me to sleep better at night when my head was pounding, but I’ve found the simple ritual of self care involved in drawing and taking a hot bath to be wonderfully relaxing in ways beyond simply improving my sleep. I’ve been adding homemade bath salts to my bath each night, and soaking in their delicious, calming aroma has helped me to set aside my worries as well as my physical tensions before I head off to bed.
Here’s the recipe I’ve been using. I hope that it helps you to relax too.
Wash Away your Worries Bath Salts
Ingredients
- 1 cup coarse Sea Salt
- 1 cup Epsom Salts
- 20 drops Stress Away essential oil
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a 1 quart mason jar. Shake until thoroughly combined. Store tightly sealed.
- Add a handful or two to your bath as you’re filling the tub. Get in, relax, and enjoy!
Wash Away your Worries Bath Salts
1 cup coarse Sea Salt
1 cup Epsom Salts
20 drops Stress Away essential oil* (I get mine HERE)
Place all ingredients in a 1 quart mason jar. Shake until thoroughly combined. Store tightly sealed.
Add a handful or two to your bath as you’re filling the tub. Get in, relax, and enjoy!
*You can read more about how I use essential oils and why I use this particular brand of oils HERE.
Do you find taking a bath relaxing? Do you use anything to help you relax in the bath?