Its ok to say “I NEED A MOMENT” this holiday season.
This time of year is anything but relaxing with so much going on - there are family commitments, all that last minute Christmas shopping craziness, silly season work celebrations, scrambling to hit those end of year targets, it feels more like ramping up rather than winding down and can very easily turn into burn out.
A lot of the time, the problem is a lack of boundary setting and simply saying “yes” too much. Having said that, it’s so important to prioritise a little self-care especially at this time of year, and that doesn’t just mean slapping on a face mask, it’s about nurturing your mental health and investing in your future-self.
Some simple and non-time-consuming ways to get a little “me time” in before you really lose the plot can be:
- Saying no
- Standing on grass with bare feet
- Reduce your “To Do” list by half
- 3-minute meditation
- 1 minute gratitude
- Hydrate yourself with good quality water
- Take 3-4 big belly breaths
- Take 5 minutes to stretch
- Turn off technology
- Wind down for bed with a calming cup of herbal tea like Little Wildling Co I NEED A MOMENT
LWC has come up with a heavenly blend of medicinal herbs to lull you into a relaxed state. It’s especially made for those times when you are physically exhausted but too wired to sleep, when your head hits the pillow but the thoughts won’t stop. With ingredients like this, its not one to drink before operating heavy machinery, but its perfect as you settle into bed with a good book:
Lavendula officinalis (Lavender)
It’s fair to say with so many of us suffering from insomnia and anxiety, we should be bathing in this daily! Simply inhaling Lavender at night improved the quality of sleep as shown in human trials, whilst tincture form has demonstrated potent sedative and hypnotic activities in vivo. The essential oil contains potent chemical compounds with therapeutic effects of reducing anxiety and improving mood has gained a lot of attention lately, and rightfully so!
Valeriana officinals (Valerian)
Valerian has been used as a sedative for nervousness, and to treat dyspepsia over 2000 years. Clinically today, it’s often teamed up with other relaxing herbs like lemon balm, Chamomile, Skullcap or Passionflower to treat conditions like insomnia, anxiety or restless legs syndrome. Valerian is a beautiful herb to prepare your body and mind for a blissful night sleep, and for general wellbeing.
Matricaria recutita (Chamomile)
Something about the smell of this divine little flower brings instant comfort. That feeling may just have a little something to do with one of Chamomiles key bioactive constituents, a powerful flavonoid – apigenin which since ancient times has been soothing our minds and our nervous systems. Historically, Chamomile may also help relive restlessness, anxiety, insomnia, and if used topically can promote wound healing, soothe dermatitis. Today Chamomile is one of the most widely used and well documented medicinal plants worldwide not only for its sedative action (let’s face it who doesn’t need some of that these days), but it also acts like a nice warm hug for your insides.
Passiflora incartata (Passionflower)
This most intricate of flowers once introduced in Europe became a traditional phytotheraputic & homeopathic remedy for the relief of mental stress, anxiety and sleep disorders. This calming herb has been shown in research to have an affinity to GABA receptors (our cool, calm and collected neurotransmitters), so it is a good one to keep in the cupboard for those restless nights where our busy minds just won’t let up.
Hyssopus officinalis (Hyssops)
This historic and quite frankly, beautiful evergreen herb with its bright purple flowers belonging to the Lamiaceace family (part of the mint and Rosemary clan) was referenced all the way back to bible and was often prescribed by the father of medicine himself, Hippocrates to treat conditions such as pleurisy as far back as the 4th century. At little Wildling Co, we think Hyssop is pretty rad for its mild sedative effects so of course we had to have it in our sleepy Tea.