Sunday Spa Day: The Experience that will change everything

Every Sunday evening I have a similar experience. As the day starts to come to an end, I start to feel a deep sense of anxiety around the upcoming week.  Thoughts flood my mind about the many actions I didn't get to complete over the weekend. Then I think about all the work, phone calls and hecticness that awaits me in the week ahead.  There's nothing I dread more.  Yesterday, I chose to do something different.  Instead of going to straight to bed, I decided to treat myself to a spa facial.  

This is actually one of my New Year's Resolutions.  This year I intend to create rituals that support my goals and desired outcomes.    The first of these rituals will be the weekly spa day.  Actually, I planned to do the facial much earlier in the weekend but things got in the way and it was postponed until the evening.  Everything happens with reason and I'm so glad that this experience was done at the end of the day because it created the perfect transition into the new week.

  

Items pictured above are as follows:

1. Bamboo Tea w/Lemon (internal detox)

2. PMD (Personal Microderm Abrasion)

3. Aromatherapy candle

4. Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)

5. Vitamin C Serum

6. Lip Scrub (exfoliation)

7. Aztec Clay Mask

8. Fresh Facial Cleanser (sensitive)

9. Olive Oil

10. Facial Steamer

 

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So here's how it went down. I decided that instead of a normal facial, I would create an "experience."  The first step was to light my favorite candle and warm  up a cup of bamboo tea with lemon.  Next, I put in a meditation music CD and turned on my facial steamer.  Next, I applied some of the olive oil to my face and performed a 10 minute facial cleansing massage.  Without rinsing, and while my pores were still open, I applied the Aztec clay mask which was mixed with ACV.  After application, the next thing to do was wait.....

 

 



Then I thought, this would be a perfect time to enjoy a healthy meal or catch up on some of the magazines that I hadn't had a chance to read.  Sitting in my chair, while sipping on lemon tea and eating a green salad was a COMPLETELY different experience than my normal Sundays.  I felt such a calming peace.  With no trace of anxiety in sight, I thought about all the ways I could maximize this experience.  Perhaps I could use this time to meditate, write down my goals for the week, catch up on a good book, or place a phone call to reconnect with a friend.  The possibilities were endless. 

This morning, I woke up refreshed with glowing skin.  I'm so inspired by this experience that I decided to make it a mandatory weekly event.  For the sake of my sanity, I need to stay consistent.  Not only that, I will create daily morning and nightly routines that represent a little slice of what I experienced yesterday.  This goes way beyond a simple beauty ritual, it's more of a growth ritual with beauty benefits.

p.s.  I opted not to use the Personal Microderm Abrasion machine because I didn't want to over strip my skin.  This leaves an opportunity to do a mid-week facial routine using the PMD.  I can not wait to create a morning routine that produces the same (or greater) level of serenity and focus as this.  When I do, I'll certainly share. 

Do you have weekly or daily routine?