Being Of The Month - Holistic Nicky
Welcome to our first Being Of The Month feature where we chat to wellness experts, brand founders, healers and inspirational beings.
This feature we chatted to reflexologist Nicola Smith aka @holisticnicky. We asked Nicky her top 3 ways to de-stress and unwind and this is her response.
Nickys top 3 de-stressers are:
1. Have a treatment at least once a month - massage, reflexology, reiki- whatever floats your boat and remember self care is not selfish
2. For me personally I like to journal and get things down on paper. Writing things I am grateful for always takes me out of a negative state into a positive state when I realise how many things I have to be thankful for. It can be anything at all. After our dishwasher broke down I am forever grateful for it working now 😂
3. Exercise is key to anyone’s happiness and de-stressing. Running is great or any exercise that gets your heart rate up to flush away toxins and release endorphins as well as giving you a real sense of achievement. And finally just know that if you are having a tough time with your emotional and mental health it will pass - nothing stays the same 💜
We also asked Nicky her top tip for using reflexology at home to help with stress and anxiety.
Nicky says 'doing Hand Reflexology yourself is easy to do and highly effective when you are stressed. The circle in the middle of the palm is your Solar Plexus, which is a bundle of nerves in the centre of your chest. When we are heightened with stress this area can become overactive. By pressing into your solar plexus reflex point we can help rebalance this area and relieve stress.'
'To do this you need to press and hold for 3-5 seconds as you take a long slow inhale, exhale and release. To further induce a feeling of relaxation when you are stressed use a caterpillar action with your thumb horizontally across your palm as indicated. This is your diaphragm reflex and by working to rebalance this reflex point you will help create slower, deeper breathing which will help reduce stress and anxiety. You can do this on both palms and try this regularly as it is great for all ages. I personally love to use the Sleepy Head balm on myself and myclients when working with the hands and feet.'
