Spa tips for stress management on National Relaxation Day

No one has ever said, 'I wish I had relaxed less', but plenty of us feel we could do with a little less stress, and spas are soulful self-care sanctuaries that can help us not only relax in the moment but to find inspiration for stress management and boosting relaxation at home. Here are a few favourite spa tips for stress management, from spa experiences to home care.

Mindful eating to reduce stress

There's a growing body of evidence that shows that stress impacts and gut and the gut impacts how we experience stress. So, what we eat (and what we don't eat), can be extremely influential on our mood. Eating for gut health is a great way to support mind and body. Some of the top tips from wellbeing experts across our spa network include:

• Try to limit your caffeine intake by reducing coffee and black tea and replacing it with light green tea that's full of potent antioxidants proven to lower blood pressure and counteract free radicals.
• Reduce sugary snacks, cakes and biscuits to avoid over stimulating the adrenal glands.
• Vitamin C is helpful to combat stress and can be found in rose hips, broccoli, salad greens, bell peppers, parsley, kiwi fruit, strawberries and citrus fruit.
• B vitamins are used up in greater amounts during periods of stress so consider supplementing with a daily B-complex (with the advice of a qualified nutritionist).
• Fats are used by the body to produce adrenal hormones. Beneficial fats can be found in avocados, coconut oil, butter, flax seed, hemp seed oil and oily fish such as herring, mackerel and sardines.

Look after your gut for stress management 

Experts talk about the ‘gut-brain axis’.   It is a direct communication between the liver, gut and how brain chemistry is managed via the vagus nerve. There are studies proving that our gut bacteria has a direct impact on anxiety levels and stress resilience. This communication only happens however, when we’re not in stress mode. So what can you do to help?

• Increase your intake of fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, basic live yoghurt (unflavoured), good soy sauce and nattō.
• Top up on fibre found in fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans and legumes like lentils. Having 12 hours between your last meal on one day and your first the next day is a good way to give gut microbes a chance to reboot.
• Try to reduce your intake of refined sugar, which preferentially feed the less desirable microbes in the gut.
• Artificial sweeteners are best avoided if possible.
• Try to swap out wheat based products for something like rye.

Use aromatherapy to help your mood

“It is believed that an astonishing 75% of the emotions we generate on a daily basis are affected by smell, and, because of this, it is believed we are 100 times more likely to remember something we smell over something we see, hear or touch.”

– Cassandra Cavanah and Beth McGroarty, Global Wellness Summit

Aromatherapy can have a strong impact on the way you feel. In Japanese factories they have been known to spray citrus scents into the room because lemon is very stimulating and increases productivity. On the other hand, rosemary is good for the memory and peppermint is good for brainstorming. Of course, one of the best ways to enjoy aromatherapy is in a spa environment, where therapists will often encourage you to choose oils that speak to something you need at that moment. However, you can also imbue your home and little moments in your day with aromatherapy, from diffusers to skincare, or a roll on aromatherapy oil to breathe in throughout the day.

Aromatherapy Associates’ Global Director of Education, Christina Salcedas is passionate about how essential oils can help impact our mood, and certain ones can help manage stress. For example:

• Frankincense is great for a slump in the middle of the day.  A lot of yoga instructors will use it as it relaxes your diaphragm and allows you to breathe more deeply. 
• Lavender can help ease a headache, and at nighttime to help you sleep is also a good idea.
• Rosemary is often used in massages as it’s brilliant for stimulating circulation.  It goes into your bloodstream and stimulates blood flow, clearing out toxins from the muscles.

Massage to help manage stress

Massage is the most popular treatment category in spas, and most of us will know that following a massage we tend to feel more relaxed. In part, we can put that down to the fact that it's a very nice experience, but it's also measurably beneficial for reducing stress levels. On a scientific level however, we can also see that massage is a great way to relax. For example, research shows that it has a "positive effect on diastolic blood pressure", and that "cortisol decreases and serotonin and dopamine increase following massage therapy".

Movement for relaxation and stress reduction

You probably don't need us to tell you that movement (and exercise) is good for relaxation and stress reduction, but sometimes when we're in the throes of an extremely stressful situation it's hard to remember that exercise might be our friend. It's not just a question of burning off steam or tiring ourselves out, because movement can incorporate deep breathing, yoga practices, Tai Chi, or going for a gentle walk. It's one of the reasons so many of us like to include swimming, walking, maybe a jog, or time in the gym, as part of a spa break. The Mayo Clinic says that some of the reasons exercise is good for stress relief include:

• It boosts the production of endorphins
• It can help relieve the body's flight-or-fight response, which in turn helps lower resting heart rate and blood pressure
• It moves your focus from mental stress to the physical activity

Harvard Medical School adds:

"Exercise reduces levels of the body's stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. It also stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that are the body's natural painkillers and mood elevators."