Over this last Easter break, I opted for a staycation. I’m on the road a lot – both for work and play, and while this is a huge blessing (I love to travel and explore), I can often feel that by the end of a holiday I am so burnt out from the travel and jet lag I need another holiday (don’t we all get this?!). Today’s post is about Why staying home for the holidays can be your best self care habit.
This holiday season, I felt it in my body that I really needed to ground down at home and spend some time cleansing my space and my body. I decided to try and document some of the things that created the most joy and relaxation for me, as well as felt the most rewarding. I have to say, a once-per-year staycation is going to be my new annual self care ritual.
Here’s what my Staycation in Oslo looked like this year.
Take Some Time Out: Home Spa or The Real Deal
Not so far from downtown Oslo is a World Class spa, The Well. Just a 20 minutes drive from the city center you’re transported into the nature surrounded 3-level spa. Boasting a full range of outdoor and indoor spa and swimming amenities, not limited to a Turkish hamam, a Japanese garden, a Northern Light Sauna, Jungle Sauna, Cave Showers and Steam Rooms. There are 15 saunas, 25 treatment rooms, and a total of 11 pools. For the most part you are either in a bathing suit purchased from the Well, or nude, which means it’s an adult only spa. It’s quiet (adult only), and the treatments are luxurious. The amenities are many, so even if the spa is busy, you can find some privacy to relax. They carry Voya organic skincare at the spa, which is always lovely for me to see. If you’re in Oslo, or Oslo-based like me, I can highly recommend a day trip here, or even a Friday after work to kick the weekend off to a perfect start.
Photo from The Well
Try a New Recipe, or an Old Favourite
One of my favourite things to do when I have a bit of extra time on my hands is cook, bake or recipe create. Over this holiday I came back to one of my all-time favourite recipes from food blogger, My New Roots. Her Life Changing Loaf of Bread is just that. I’ve been munching on this in the mornings with a little cashew butter and manuka honey. Ingredients and directions from My New Roots.
Ingredients:
1 cup / 135g sunflower seeds
½ cup / 90g flax seeds
½ cup / 65g hazelnuts
1 ½ cups / 145g rolled oats
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks (3 Tbsp. if using psyllium husk powder)
1 tsp. fine grain sea salt (add ½ tsp. if using coarse salt)
1 Tbsp. maple syrup (for sugar-free diets, use a pinch of stevia)
3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or ghee
1 ½ cups / 350ml water
Directions:
1. In a flexible, silicon loaf pan combine all dry ingredients, stirring well. Whisk maple syrup, oil and water together in a measuring cup. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix very well until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick. Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Let sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.
3. Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down directly on the rack and bake for another 30-40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing.
Get Out in Nature
Needless to say, getting out in nature and spending time with the trees or the ocean is a necessity for that grounding time. I love going through the woods with warm clothes and spending time in the sun – soaking up that limited vitamin D we’ve been having up in this northern hemisphere. The weather has been cold but gorgeous here this holiday, and I’ve been trying to soak it up.
Try a New Skincare Line: Wildcraft Skincare
I was in Toronto last autumn and popped into the Detox Market, and while exploring there, I came across this beautiful brand, Wildcraft. This Easter holiday, I decided to try an entire new line on my face for the duration of the break. I’ve been thinking about when I would switch it all up, and this was the perfect opportunity.
Why I picked Toronto-based Wildcraft: their products are all handmade in small batches, with ingredient lists that are simple, pure and easy to understand such as honey, distilled flower waters and essential oils. I loved the simplicity of the line and the subsequent efficacy on my skin.
My favourites from this line were their Buff Face & Body Scrub (Rice powder, Apricot kernel shells, Arrowroot powder, Rhassoul clay, Chamomile flowers, Australian pink clay, Spearmint oil, Peppermint oil, Everlasting essential oil) and their Regenerating Facial Serum (Rice bran oil, Meadowfoam seed oil, Rosehip seed oil, Hemp seed oil, sunflower oil with carrot extract and Seabuckthorn oil, Frankincense and Palmarosa essential oils). The serum went on light and was not greasy – great for all skin types that aren’t sensitive to essential oils. While the Buff scrub gently cleans, dries out blemishes, and smooths the skin with mineral-rich exfoliant for the face (and body).
Dig Into Your Spiritual Self & Reflect
Some quiet time is essential during these Staycations – just giving yourself a little alone time to dig into your journal, your favourite book or just drink a good cup of tea. I spent some time paging through my Practice You journal created by Elena Brower, and doing my own journaling.
Organize Your Home for some Good Vibes
I spent the better part of one or two afternoons cleaning out our kitchen cupboards and organizing them – purging old foods and contents that no longer stood the test of time, and putting everything in airtight labeled jars, making navigating the kitchen a whole lot easier and more calming.
Getting rid of the excess clutter gave me a sense of relief, there is something to be said for tidy space, tidy mind. Almost as soon as I was finished taking out the recycling and the trash, I had an overwhelming sense of relief and a weird sense of accomplishment. Opening our cupboards never felt so wonder. haha!
Batch Prep Your Fermented Food Favourites
One of the other things I love to do is batch prepare my fermented favourites when I have some extra minutes. This super easy, vegan coconut yogurt is one of my favourites. You have probably seen it on my blog before here. I just love this yogurt for the perfect morning breakfast to go, adding it on top of my soups and making thicker, more flavourful smoothies.
This recipe is so quick and easy, here’s what you need:
- Large jar
- Two to Three cans of organic coconut milk (full fat)
- Three probiotic capsules (that you can easily break apart and dump into the milk)
- A wooden spoon
- Cheese Cloth
- Elastic band
Directions
- Pour cans of coconut milk into clean glass jar (I used 3)
- Break apart 3 probiotic capsules with more than 20 billion live cultures
- Stir in with wooden spoon (this is improtant, don’t use metal as it reacts with the probiotics)
- Cover with cheese cloth and a rubber band
- Let sit on the counter for 24 – 48 hours – this batch was 36 hours
- Taste during the resting time to reach your desired tangy-ness
- When it has reached it, put it in the fridge overnight, it should thicken
Clean Out Your Closet for Donation or Sell and Donate!
The last de-cluttering and cleansing activity I did was clean out my closets. Spring is an optimal time for cleaning out the closets, but it can be done anytime. It feels great to make some extra room in your space, as well as donate (or even sell) your excess things. Just like the cupboards, it is such a great feeling to lighten up the household from things that are no longer needed.
Well beauties, aside from that it was a lot of tea drinking, book reading and relaxation.
I hope this inspires your next holiday to go against the need to get out of town, and instead feel encouraged to have yourself a little “staycation.”
Your soul will thank you for it.
X
K
The post Staycation: Why Staying Home for the Holidays Can Be Your Best Self Care Habit appeared first on Living Pretty, Naturally.
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