I don’t know why, but Sunday is my favourite day of the week (and I love it even more when it’s a bank holiday kind of a Sunday!)

I’ve been thinking lots recently about food (as per), wellbeing, the gut (standard), and how when our lives might feel a little bit out of kilter, we often neglect our needs and what makes us tick. 

It’s easy to lose sight of what’s guiding us, our wisdom, our intuition and the peace and fulfilment that comes with allowing ourselves to let go, trust and have a cuppa with our feet up!

So, I thought that I’d start a regular (if possible), ‘Sunday Self-Care’ slot where I share lovely ideas, special recipes, exercises, poems, art; you name it, I’ll write about it to round-off the weekemd and to get us all ready for the week ahead.

I’ve been writing my monthly mantras which have been going down really well but hopefully, as Self-Care Sunday is going to be more of a regular feature, we can really start to build a Holly’s Wholesome Kitchen Community that provides the platform for us to support one another and maybe share the things that have been bothering us or that we’ve overcome.

I am really excited about this and I would love any of your feedback, suggestions, input about the types  of things you do to relax and unwind.

I may give this feature it’s own page eventually, but for now, I will be posting it on my main feed (every Sunday morning).

My very first #selfcaresunday theme is simply; Silence. When was the last time you just sat in silence and just focussed your attention you? This is actually easier said than done and it took me a while to master it. 

However, by allowing myself to relax, unwind and simply sit silence, I was able to hear everything (if that’s makes sense; a slight oxymoron but a great metaphor).

Modern life is so hectic, fast-paced and noisy; it often feels as though we don’t really have the time, inclination or capacity to look within for our wisdom to guide the way.

I’ve found that sitting with my thoughts, with no (or limited distractions), my inner voice has become clearer, less hazy and I’ve been able to decipher the proper route to take about certain situations.

“In the calm of stillness comes great light. And light leads the way.” (I wrote that, lol!)

Here are my top-5 tried & loved ways to create your own little slice of calming silence:

1) Take a bath. With Epsom salts preferably (which contain magnesium). Many people are deficient in magnesium and it is such an essential mineral for the immune system, heart, bones. Signs of low magnesium are twitchy muscles, irregular heart beat, fatigue and muscle weakness. You can also get your daily dose by eating all the green veg; especially spinach but I think there’s nothing quite like a long, hot bath (with a cuppa/vino) to relax and calm the mind and body. This is also a great trick for detoxing – steeping ones beautiful bod-ay in these salts will help to draw-out impurities and toxins!

2) Breath. This may sound really obvious but did you know that 80% of detox is achieved via breathing and the deeper, the better! The following simple technique encourages the breath to be drawn from the diaphragm which simultaneously increases the capacity of the lungs. Imagine your ribcage moving out sideways and take 3 long, steady breaths (in through the nose, out through the mouth). Repeat 3 times morning and night. I find that it’s a great way to focus my mind in the morning and a way to release the stresses of the day before bed.

3) Take a walk. This won’t be totally silent of course but it’s such a good idea to step-out into nature. Being amongst the sounds of nature can have a hugely calming influence on us. Living by the sea, I love to sit and listen to the waves; the ebb and flow has quite a somnambulistic effect on the mind and body.

4) Stretch. I’ve recently got back into Pilates. A few years back, it was totally my bag but I fell out of love with it for various reasons. However, remembering how strong I felt physically and mentally during this time has guided me back to it. I started-off with a Beginners routine (20 minutes in the morning) and I’ve now graduated to Intermediate! Woohoo! I wanted to start gently and gradually built it up so that it wasn’t a shock to the system! This technique builds core strength, quiets and bolsters the mind and it contours the body like no other exercise I’ve tried. And setting aside 20 minutes each day to practice can have a really positive impact on your day!

5) Get crafty! I just love getting my paints out, drawing, sewing, writing…..anything that allows me to be creative has got my vote and I find that when I am totally absorbed in what I’m doing, my focus is unwavering which is so good nowadays with all the distractions we are bombarded with. So whether you like to write poetry, paint landscapes, knit! Whatever it is that floats your boat and makes your heart sing, do more of that! It’s so important to allow ourselves the time to do the stuff we really love to do – it puts us back in-touch with the very essence of who we are.

I guess that Silence can be found and achieved in many different ways. Giving ourselves the headspace to just be is royally crucial to our wellbeing. Taking the time to get back to nature and re-discover our inner light, intuition and wisdom is really worthwhile and it can have such positive effects on our mental health and wellbeing. 

I hope that you like my Top-5 Silence tips! I would love your feedback.

With my love and encouragement,

Holly xxx