The end of the year can involve big pushes that wear us out. My push was a two-day Time Away retreat at Terranea in Los Angeles. It was extraordinary – vision work on a cliff at sunset, deep unblocking work on the beach, and fireside chats to pull it all together. I felt lit up by all of it – and super depleted!
I reached for my usual go-to’s: a nice dinner and a lovely glass of wine. That was fine, but honestly it left me feeling a little dull the next day. I realized I need some better ideas for grounding after a big event. So – voila!:
10 Ideas For Restoration After a Big Push (the list I’m literally using going forward)
- Dance your ass off. Releases the cortisol, feeds the feel good hormones, and gets all the excess energy out while simultaneously re-energizing.
- Self pleasure mindfully. There’s a way to be with yourself that’s, uh, outcome oriented, and there’s a way that’s filled with reverence and devotion for yourself. Both are nice, but the latter is exponentially more replenishing.
- Swim. Therapists, healers and coaches use this one all the time. Getting into water and moving cleanses us energetically. A swim would have been an outstanding choice for me.
- Vigorously exercise. It doesn’t have to be some HIIT marathon – a simple set of jumping jacks triggers the release of stress relieving endorphins.
- Book the spa for immediately following the event. Get in that steam room, soak in the hot tub, then have someone else massage all that hard work out of you.
- Walk. No headphones, and for at least 30 mins. The more nature the better!
- Try some breathwork. It slows your heart rate and triggers your parasympathetic nervous system, aka your “rest and digest.”
- Take a super sudsy shower, get all tied up in your robe afterwards, then sit in a gloriously comfortable chair and mediate. Or read a novel or fun magazine.
- Eat something nutrient dense and grounding. Healthy protein, all those slow carbs, yummy fat.
- Take a bath with epsom salts. While there isn’t hard data on it, the idea is the magnesium seeps in and helps with stress relief and sleep. The placebo effect always works for me!
That’s my new list – let me know if you have any additions! Note, for a lot of these, you need to plan ahead. It might be risky to rely on your post event self to choose wisely.
See you at the spa!
Kit
