BY KAYLA COLLETT MEDITATION As people with busy schedules, we are typically engrossed in behaviours that involve exerting a lot of mental and physical force. As such, we usually ignore our bodies and minds and what they’re telling us to do, thus leaving them in pain and often injured to some extent. When we exert too much force, we end up extremely exhausted and sometimes even in physical pain. Hence, it is important to listen to our bodies and minds when they’re telling us they need something – be it a good night’s rest or even a spa treatment. Here are a few ideas on how to take care of your body and mind better and where you can get the appropriate treatment or service for some of them! SPAS Sometimes, spas can be a useful way of taking care of your body, as they give you a relaxing hour or so of self-care. Spa treatments can be done outside or even at home. They are a comforting, stress-relieving way of taking care of your body. Look up DIY sugar scrubs, bath bombs, and bath salts for a lovely at-home spa treatment! It’s important to spoil yourself a little bit whenever needed. So if you feel like you want to get a spa treatment out of your house, go ahead. There are plenty of spas here in Colombo such as Spa Ceylon, where you can even purchase spa-related items. EXERCISE Exercise is a vital component of healthy living. It helps you relieve you of any stress by releasing dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin (happy chemicals) in your brain! Perhaps go to the gym twice a week, go for a walk around Independence Square, or even just do some physical exercise by yourself at home for a quick stress-relieving session. Exercise really does help a lot when it comes to maintaining your physical health, as it allows you to be fit and less lethargic on a day-to-day basis, whilst also helping your mental health by releasing happy chemicals in your brain. All in all, exercise is an extremely good way of relieving yourself of anxiety and life’s stresses by giving you an hour or two of healthy physical activity, boosting your metabolism, your mental health, and your physical health, all at the same time. Exercise is an extremely good activity for anyone. Meditation is highly important when you are looking to take care of your mind and body. It helps you tune in to your body, helping you listen to what it’s telling you, be it needing adequate rest, or a period of stress relief. It is also very time-effective if you have a busy schedule, as you can just take five to 10 minutes of your day just to sit down and listen to a short YouTube video about meditation! Meditation is highly effective in reducing stress as it helps you feel more in touch with your body and what it needs. Listening to your body is another method of taking care of your mind and body better, thereby helping you to be more connected to your mind, body, and soul, and thus being beneficial in your daily life if performed every day. Personally, meditation really helped me in understanding and compiling my thoughts into more coherent ones, especially when I’m feeling particularly anxious about an upcoming important event or feeling worried about a problem that I’m currently facing. Meditation helps you recollect your thoughts, compiling them into more pragmatic ones, hence helping you to be more organised in your approach to daily life and all its obstacles thrown at you. LISTENING TO YOUR BODY AND MIND Listening to your body and mind is often the most difficult thing to do, considering it’s difficult to even tell when you need to quit. Regardless, this is one of the most important things you need to do. Yet, many people ignore their body when it’s telling them to get some rest or stop working. Don’t overwork yourself! ADEQUATE SLEEP Most teenagers prefer to ignore their body when it’s telling them to sleep, staying up until late just to watch their favourite TV shows (guilty!) or movies, not acknowledging the fact that continuous lack of sleep can be detrimental to one’s mental and physical health, as it causes irritation, lethargy, and extreme exhaustion the next day, thus leaving you feeling horrible and worse than you would feel had you gotten enough sleep the night before. Therefore, it’s useful to listen to your body when it requires a break, or when it needs to be spoilt a little bit. Treat yourself to a spa session, detach yourself from your screens for a while and take a walk, get adequate sleep, and try out meditation! These are all extremely useful tips on how to take care of your body and mind better, so that you’ll live a peaceful, stress-free life.