Stress is self-created, and it’s something Sarah Davidson, Brand Ambassador for Soulara, decided to stop manufacturing in her mindset quite some time ago. Instead, she chooses to find calm in any moment of chaos because that’s what brings her the most amount of joy, productivity, success, you name it.
Sarah began her working life as a mergers and acquisitions lawyer at a leading international law firm. While she enjoyed several years building strong professional foundations, she found it increasingly challenging to reconcile the all-consuming corporate lifestyle with her personal passions for health, wellbeing, creativity and adventure.
In pursuit of balance, Sarah and her partner started Matcha Maiden, closing a gap they discovered in the health food market for matcha green tea powder. Matcha is now one of the world’s premier health food trends, and Matcha Maiden is leading the way with a very bright (green) future ahead.
Now, Sara tells her tips to the CF team on how to nourish the body and mind.
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“We all know I’m a huge fan of a motivational quote, an instant mood booster, but I encourage everyone to slow down that little bit more and take the time to look inwards and really nourish your body and mind,” says Sara.
Also, she added that the best thing about our thinking and behaviours is that we have the power to change them at any time! As someone who is personal and professional philosophy is built on the premise of ‘seize the yay’ can confidently say focusing on the things you appreciate most in life (big or small) is a powerful antidote to that stressful, overwhelmed or general flat feeling that sometimes throws us off course.
It’s taken Sara quite a few years to find a gratitude practice that works for her, so she encourages you to start your own journey today.
Here are six simple daily calming rituals she tries to incorporate into her lifestyle every day.
1. Journal
More often than not, the idea of putting pen to paper and recording your thoughts feels oh-so-daunting, but you do not need to be writing a 100-page novel every morning in order to clear your mind.
Even simply writing down three things that you feel lucky to have can change your whole mood or your outlook for the day. The liberating thing about journaling is that you’re writing for yourself and not necessarily for anyone else, so it doesn’t have to be coherent or make sense – even a stream of consciousness can help you clarify things you didn’t realise you thought or felt. I see journaling as the process of taking a big, knotty mess of thoughts and feelings out of my head, writing them down so I can see them with some objectivity and untangle everything on paper, then putting them back in neatly again. It’s like a Spring clean for the mind!
2. Tell someone you love them
Love, platonic or otherwise, is something to embrace, not run from. Telling someone how important they are to you, how much you cherish your relationship, is only going to see you nurture these bonds and encourage us to give and receive more affection (which we could all do with a little more of right now). Verbal communication might not be your love language, so show you care in other ways: make a hot tea for your housemate, send a self-care package to your sister, spend quality time with your mum. I often say that the quickest way to make your own day is to make someone else’s!
3. Connect with nature
Everything about the natural world has the ability to calm your thoughts. Sun rays, trees swaying, ocean waves crashing, stepping outside (literally) and letting go of the smaller things make you realise once more the world is so much bigger than we make it feel with our thoughts. Whenever I start to feel overwhelmed about things, sometimes the simplicity and consistency of nature can help restore perspective about what’s really important and what’s really going to matter to you in a week, year or even five years’ time. Nature runs at its own beautiful pace, and spending some time outside without the clutter of noise or stimulation can be so refreshing.
4. Nourish your body
Sourcing fresh, whole foods and cooking with love is recognising that you are grateful for your health and wanting to preserve that way of life. Plants have the power to make us both look and feel good thanks to the added antioxidants, so snatch up as many as you can and try to make friends with salad…Depending on your routine and responsibilities, you might not find the time each day to make a conscious meal. I tend to rely on the plant power from my favourites over at Soulara – freshly made, dietician approved meals delivered straight to my door as I need.
5. Move your body
Get sweaty! Every day! I don’t care how you do it but get those endorphins pumping and realise how great you can make yourself feel as a result of being active. Run, swim, pilates, have sex, mix it up and make sure you acknowledge how great it is to be able to move when you’re stuck in a slump or feeling down. Harnessing that happy hormone is crucial, and as a result, you’ll be a more balanced, productive, and proactive version of yourself. No matter how much you don’t feel like moving your body, you never regret it afterwards when that dopamine rushes through your body!
6. Express yourself
Don’t deny yourself the opportunity to decide who you are and find a way to express just that. It took me a few years to truly figure it out (and let’s face it, I’m still working out parts of it), but I’m so grateful to have finally worked out my own unique passions, strengths and values and how they all intersect and interact best with each other. Life is too short to waste a moment living by someone else’s rules, expectations or standards – we are all beautifully different so it makes sense that our food, exercise, leisure, and every preference will differ too.
We each have 24 hours in a day, so find the time to touch on everything I’ve just mentioned and I promise you’ll see the mental, emotional, and physical benefits. There’s happiness hiding wherever you choose to look.
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