spa business Building Palaces of Peace but how are YOU doing?

The first time I went to a spa I felt a bit like I was living one of my childhood dreams ... I felt like a prince surrounded by people intent offering me one rare thing …. the ability to just relax.

Isn't it fascinating that while we have those palatial dreams, the thing we so often wish for, even beyond the materialistic wealth is the absolute luxury of relaxation. We so often wish that we had the wealth to afford the ways and means to relax, stress free, and without worry.

While it is not realistic for most of us to live in palaces, if we're honest, that's not really the dream but rather, the ability to be stress free, happy, and yes, relaxed lives. It's not the wealth but rather, what I like to call “wellth” … the life currency of being well. So is it unimaginable to think that relaxation is possible and not a fantasy that requires a fairy godmother or magic? It seems that way.

Psychologist Megan Arrol conducted a study in which almost 75% surveyed experienced days with no downtime or relaxation and even during and after weekends or holidays, they could not wind down. Their reasons? Work commitments, anxiety, needing to do too much and having too many people depend on them.

I have dedicated my life to improving the health and wellbeing of people. My company, Healthy Living Consulting (HLC) works with corporates, communities, and individuals to find practical ways of dealing with health challenges - be they psychological physical or spiritual. We use a model comprising seven cells and 16 factors to create a realistic and individual picture of every individual's wellbeing and how that impacts - positively or negatively - on the people around them and conversely, how their environment impacts them.

The Villain In The Fairytale

The one overwhelming factor that we see impacting people - be they CEO's labourers, celebrities, managers stay-at- home moms and dads, or small business owners is this: STRESS

Time and time again, those completing our surveys; giving feedback; participating in sessions or workshops tell us they are stressed. When I say they “tell us”, it's not always because they are always consciously aware of it (although a great percentage are) … it often comes through as the root cause of other health issues - known and unknown - that we pick up in our assessments.

Our Environment

As South Africans, what is the one thing we're bad at doing? Relaxing. Let's be honest… we have a lot of stress to deal with, whether it's load shedding, crime, the economy, traffic, violence …. On top of that, we have a resilient culture of hard work and sacrifice - going above and beyond, no matter what life throws at us.

But then, we live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world and there are so many advantages to our lifestyles … we are good at spending time in the outdoors, absorbing our beautiful surroundings, or enjoying the incredible weather, braais, sport, time with family and friends, getting out to our beaches dams rivers and parks. But are we good at making relaxation and destressing a regular and committed practice and time in our daily lives?

Relaxing Is Not Being Lazy

I find that many people confuse relaxing with being lazy. It's not. Being lazy is being unwilling to work. Relaxation is a state of being that is free of tension and anxiety. These are two very different things and not doing the latter could quite literally be the death of us.

The fact is that if we don't take time to relax, we risk everything that we have worked so hard to achieve and that support we provide to those who depend on us could be snuffed out in a second.

The antidote? Relaxation.

There is no heroism in constantly keeping at it, in a constant state of stress and hard work and here's why.

Stress Kills You.

There is good stress (working to deadlines, competition etc.) and bad stress (ongoing, persistent, adrenalin pumping panic without immediate relief). So when I say, “stress kills you”, I am obviously talking about the second variety.

The stress hormone cortisol exists to save us from death - our body responds to perceived “threats” when cortisol triggers the body to pump more adrenalin, strengthen our muscles, keep us hyper vigilant and so on … this is when our levels of stress are so high that our bodies interpret that we are in a life-or-death situation. Which is necessary occasionally if we need respond to something shortterm or in a worse-case-scenario, to escape danger. But here's where it goes wrong…our bodies are not made to be driven by stress hormones ALL THE TME.

If cortisol becomes the body's guiding force, it is not saving our lives, it is causing massive damage which, over time, will likely result in health issues that can cause severe impact- major fatigue, adrenal issues, insulin imbalances, obesity, diabetes, digestive issues,

By Ronald Abvajee - Healthy Living Consulting

heart issues, anxiety, depression ... the list goes on. The longer we live in stress mode, the worse the impact is on our bodies, minds, wellbeing, and relationships.

At Healthy Living Consulting, we take a lot of time to understand every facet of wellbeing- that's why our model looks at seven cells and 16 factors of wellbeing. We don't just tackle nutrition, or fitness or fatigue or anxiety or depression … we look at getting to the root cause or causes and the most targeted solutions to save lives.

How Are You?

It's a question we ask often in society but don't often mean. In my world, we mean it … let me explain. Those of you in the spa and therapy industry understand special and critical that you play in establishing safe, calm spaces and practices to help people tackle the silent killer - stress. What a noble, necessary, and fundamental role this is - the space, means and pursuit of relaxation and wellbeing where it is achievable, acceptable, practical, and professional.

In the immense joy that so many of us experience while at spas or receiving those therapies that can be life changing for us, I often wonder how much time those in the industry get to take care of themselves and how stressful the business of creating peaceful relaxing spaces for others can be? If you get to experience the very thing you offer so generously to your clients?

Sometimes we struggle to practice what we preach and sometimes, we put ourselves last in line. But how long and how well can we provide others with the support they need when we ourselves are running out of the vital ingredients we need to create the luxury (and necessity) of downtime for ourselves. To stay strong, for ourselves and others, we need to rest, recuperate, and relax - because if we don't, we won't have the strength or life force to continue.

So, while building those palaces of peace and relaxation for others, how are you building that same time in your life and into your life? Are you practicing what you preach? Are you building the ways and means for you and your team to build wellth? How are YOU?

Want to know how you're doing?

Go to https://myhealth360.co.za/assessment/ and do our free, confidential assessment that will analyse your state of wellbeing and more importantly, offer you the steps, support, and interventions you need to live a wellthy life.