H E A LT H & B E AU T Y
TAKE A BREAK TOWARDS WELLNESS By L. A. Dawson
L.A. Dawson is the author of articles, self-help books, and novels. She is also an inspirational speaker and resides in New Jersey with four happy canine friends. @authorladawson | authorladawson.com
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hen your world is spinning too fast and staying on the wheel becomes impossible . . . jump off! It’s simplicity at its best, yet somehow we forget to go back to basics. Whatever rents space in our brains is our responsibility, and only we can do the housecleaning. One of the many ways to seek serenity is to clean house. The chatter in our heads is irritating and over-thinking can be exhausting. Perhaps at these moments, the word escape may cross your mind. Vacations are amazing to re-energize our bodies and brains, but sometimes they become just another place with a different wheel. Good stress creates the same chaos in our bodies as bad stress does. Seeking peace is a personal journey. Some achieve it from facials, massages, or quiet candlelit rooms with soft music. Others achieve it from walking in a forest, hugging a tree, or smudging to remove negative energy. Whatever attracts you is the right way. Nature is my playground and the place where solace awaits. Listening to birdsong calms me. Watching squirrels jumping from tree to tree quiets me and makes me happy at the same time. But I never would have known these things had I not taken a walk in the woods under a particularly stressful time. A bit of experimenting and research can guide us to what resonates and promises at least a few moments of solitude that can quiet the mind. Power nappers do this by grabbing a quick 20-minute nap in the middle of the day to recharge. What a great gift it is to nod off at will; but that is difficult for me, so I choose to spend a few days at a spa.
Sanivan Holistic Spa and Retreat in Hurleyville, New York, is a hidden gem in the Catskills. This lovely place will quiet and recharge a busy mind. It gave me the serenity I sought and fed my body and spirit simultaneously. The owners Saniye and Ivan create a peaceful and informative atmosphere to recharge a tired soul. Organic and vegan food is offered and much of the produce is locally grown. Unused rails that have been repurposed into walking paths are around the corner. A brand-new art center also offers weekly ballroom dancing. Coming back to the daily grind refreshed, absolutely reflects in the work we do, the people with whom we interact, and our reactions to situations. However, jumping off involves trusting that we will find our parachute on the way down. If making choices and having to do research add to your chaos, perhaps some visualization could help. Imagine your parachute. Trust your instincts to guide you. Is it bright and colorful like your personality or is it monochromatic with calming neutral colors? Then perhaps imagine jumping out of pandemonium into perfect safety. Land in a lush green garden where people great you with warm tea and kindness. Utopia doesn’t exist, but we can create a perfect calmness in our lives with a bit of tenacity. Things have a way of working out even if different from what we had imagined. Letting things fall into place without the control we try to impose upon our lives may just open the doors to greater growth and evolution.
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