Understanding Stress, its Harmful Effects, and the Best Ways to Cope and de-stress

Have you ever wondered about stress and what it really is? Stress is defined as a reaction that disturbs our physical or mental balance. It is an ever-present part of life brought on by frustrations, deadlines and demands.

For many of us, stress is so ‘normal’ that it has become a way of life. Stress can damage your health, mood, relationships, and quality of life.

What does stress do to your body? 

Stress is your body’s response to any kind of demand or threat. So when you feel threatened, your nervous system responds by doing any or all of the following:

• Releases a flood of stress hormones which rouse the body for emergency action. 
• Your heart pounds faster, 
• muscles tighten, 
• blood pressure rises, 
• breath quickens, 

Effects of ‘Stress Overload’

If you’re stressed over an argument, a traffic jam, or a mountain of bills, your body can misjudge the level of stress and react as if you’re facing a life-or-death situation and have the following effects:

• raise blood pressure,
• suppress the immune system,
• increase the risk of serious illness, 
• speed up the aging process etc. 

Here is a very quick list of signs and symptoms of stress overload. How many can you count that are familiar to you?

• Unable to remember simple things
• Constant worrying 
• Moodiness 
• Feeling overwhelmed 
• Frequent colds
• Aches and pains in the body
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, pacing)

We usually think of stressors or stress triggers as being negative, such as an exhausting work schedule or a rocky relationship. The truth is that anything that puts high demands on you or forces you to adjust can be stressful. This includes events such as getting married, buying a house, going to college, or even receiving a promotion.

How to positively manage stress 

• Engage socially - The simple act of putting your phone away and simply talking face to face with another human being can reduce stress
• Get moving - Physical activity plays a key role in managing stress. Walking, running, swimming, dancing, and aerobic classes are good choices to de-stress!
• Holidays - time away from work and chores 
• Switch off your phone - Yes, really! Your body needs a recharge too!  

Lifestyle changes also help deal with the symptoms of stress
You can also better cope with stress by strengthening your physical health.

• Relaxation time. Yoga, meditation, and deep breathing activate the body’s relaxation response, a state of restfulness. 
• Eat a healthy diet. Well-nourished bodies are better prepared to cope with stress. 
• Get plenty of sleep. Feeling tired can increase. Keep your cool in stressful situations by getting a good night’s sleep.
• Have ‘Me Time’ – Time spent in a spa with friends or even pampering yourself alone is never wasted. 

If you are super stressed, make time for a few hours per week at the spa, so you can have a foot rub, massage or even a head rub. This really helps in quickly relaxing and rejuvenating your system.

Spa Ceylon has produced an unique array of de-stressing and calming products infused with frankincense, kaffir lime, sandalwood, tangerines and aloe-vera for you to indulge in at home and office.

The Spa Ceylon Harmonizing Essence Mist is one of the authors’ personal favourites.  After a bath or shower, spray on lightly, all over your body, pillows and bed linen. The age old remedy of using frankincense to calm and destress goes back many millennia and is still used today to help the body find harmony and balance. The components of these precious ingredients are blended with the idea of bringing about complete wellness and a state of restfulness in body and mind.

Contact us on 0094 11 5344001 
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S.O.S! Skin Rescue by Spa Ceylon

Extreme weather - both hot & cold, constant weather changes & even the monsoon rains – play havoc on your skin, leaving skin dry, parched & even chapped. Dry skin when left unattended, can result in rough, discoloured, blistered & even thickened skin.  So be aware & take care to protect your skin during bad weather.

Spa Ceylon has just introduced a range of 100% natural Skin Rescue Balms for complete 24/7 top to toe care of your skin. Packed with nutrient natural oils & fragranced only with pure organic essential oils, these targeted intensive treatments for specific skin problems help protect your skin from extreme weather, while working to restore, revive & rejuvenate – so you can have silky smooth beautiful skin – naturally!

LEMONGRASS GRAPEFRUIT - Knees & Elbows Treatment Balm

Specially designed for dry, rough & discoloured skin on elbows & knees, this balm is enriched with vitamin rich Virgin Coconut, Rice Bran & Soya to help nourish & hydrate, while Almond & Organic Aloe Vera helps soften & smoothen skin. Grapefruit & Mandarin essential oils help lighten skin, while Lemongrass helps calm & refresh the senses.

Try these great ways to use this balm to rescue the skin on knees & elbows:

• Use as a targeted treatment on elbows, knees & toes for instant softness.

• Heat up in hands & use as a massage balm for fatigued muscles & joints.

• Apply to shaved legs to enjoy its extra softening and soothing properties.

• Rub on mosquito bites to soothe &reduce itching and swelling.

• Drop a few tablespoons of Balm in hot bath water for a moisturizing soak.

• Apply to fading scars &burns to speed up healing time.

CARDAMOM ROSE - Nail & Cuticle Treatment Balm

•  Use on nails & cuticles, for stronger, shiny, healthy looking nails.

• Put it on top of nails after a manicure to make the paint colour shiny and luminous.

• Apply generously to hands before bed and cover with gloves for a deeply hydrating treatment overnight.

• Apply to paper cuts so that they are instantly soothed &leave no scars.

• Use as a hand cream or lotion base for extra moisturizing the hands.

ALOE VERA LEMON MINT - Cracked Heel Treatment Balm

• Apply liberally on heels to soothe & treat cracked heels.

• Use on dry feet before putting on workout shoes, as the heat from the exercise helps the nourishing oils soak in better, leaving feet extra-soft.

• Apply on feet before slipping into shoes to keep them hydrated and protect them from blisters.

• Apply generously to feet before bed and cover with cotton socks for a deeply hydrating treatment overnight.

• Use as a Foot cream base for extra moisturizing the feet

NEROLI ORANGE - Dry Skin Treatment Balm

• Try these tips to get body beautiful with this balm:

• Use as a sun-soother, to calm dry, itchy sun exposed skin after a day at the beach or the pool.

• If pregnant, apply to belly to reduce & prevent stretch marks.

• Massage all over body for a spa like massage experience.

• Soothe razor burn irritation by applying a very thin layer on the skin.

•  Apply as a nighttime moisturizer or deeply hydrating mask for your neck.

•  Apply to ears in winter when they burn because of the cold weather.

A power packed blend exclusively for the treatment of dry & brittle nail cuticles & rough skin on your hands. Let the vitamin-rich virgin coconut, rice bran & soya help nourish, hydrate & soften, while avocado, sunflower & rose help to condition, strengthen & protect, for total hand care.  You will love the warming cardamom sensation that also helps invigorate & delight the senses.

Try these innovative balm uses for fast effective hand & nail rescue:

This is the solution for fast relief from cracked heel & dry, thickened skin on the feet. Nutrient-rich virgin coconut helps heal & repair, while organic Aloe Vera hydrates skin. Rice bran & Wheatgerm help nourish & soften, while Lemon, Lime & Peppermint essential oils soothe, cool & purify feet, totally relaxing the senses.

Fast-track your foot recue with this balm, using these techniques:

This delightfully fragrant balm is an effective targeted treatment for extra dry, rough & discoloured skin on the body. Nutrient-rich virgin coconut, rice bran & soya help nourish & hydrate, while almond & avocado helps soften, condition & protect skin. Orange & bergamot essential oils help lighten skin, while Neroli promotes a sense of calm & tranquility. 

 For more information please call Spa Ceylon on 5544398

Silky Smooth with Spa Ceylon

Royal Rituals

The wonderfully enlivening, softening and smoothing benefits of natural body scrubs and body polishes were discovered centuries ago by women of the Royal courts of ancient Ceylon and India. Combining the rich herbal heritage of the region with Ayurveda wisdom, the royals are believed to have adopted luxuriously pampering pre-bath beauty rituals to accentuate their oriental beauty.  Since then, they have been passed down the generations, becoming the inspirational essence of Spa Ceylon’s all-natural silky-smooth Body Scrubs.  

Natural Ingredients

Dosha and skin type specific Ayurveda Body Scrubs made with creamy all natural ingredients including vitamin rich fruit oils and pure organic essential oils are a great way to go silky smooth. Carefully formulated to deliver the best of nature with each application, each scrub is enriched with different powdered therapeutic wooden grains from therapeutic Ayurveda herbal trees.

Silky Smooth Results

Designed for use twice a week as part of your bathing ritual, these creamy body scrubs work best when applied after cleansing your body with shower gels or cleansing bars. Apply all over and gently massage in circular movements, working extra of dry, rough areas before washing off with room temperature water. Pat dry and follow up with your choice of luxurious floral body lotion.

Cellulite

Scrubs and polishes can also be helpful for people with cellulite, although they do not constitute a miracle cure. Lumpy pockets of cellulite – unsightly deposits of water, fat and other wastes – build up on thighs, buttocks, hips and upper arms and not only look unattractive, but are difficult to dissipate. 

Calumbawood Body Scrub

Calumba – popularly known as “Venivel” – is naturally antiseptic, antibacterial and skin lightening. Blended with precious Turmeric, the Calumbawood scrub is specially designed for “Kapha” dosha dominant - normal to oily skin types.  This naturally exfoliates, working to remove harmful toxins and dead skin cells, while soothing minor irritations and softening rough skin. Pure orange essential oil and Virgin Coconut Oil helps to nourish and gently renew skin. when used regularly on a twice a week basis.

Red Sandalwood Body Scrub

“Rath Handun” is another wonder herb known for its powerful drawing and purifying properties. Used in combination with Honey, Licorice and Virgin Coconut oil, this “Vatha” dosha specific formula helps to remove rough skin dark patches and discolourations associated with dry skin, while softening, smoothening and de-toxing your skin from head to toe. For more luxurious pampering, we recommend you wash off the scrub with milk, instead of water.  

Sandalwood Body Scrub

Fabled across the orient over centuries of time, Sandalwood is both aromatic and therapeutic. Blended with Cinnamon, Virgin Coconut and Honey, this gently warming, nourishing and exfoliating formula works specially on normal to sensitive skin which is generally associated with the “Pitha” dosha.  The great Sandalwood fragrance adds to the gentle smoothing and exfoliating properties of this creamy scrub.

Green Mint Foot Scrub

Great for any home pedicure, this naturally purifying formula softens, smoothens and purifies feet. The Lime Peel and Volcanic Minerals help remove rough patches and hard skin while lightening discolourations. Then comes the soothing effect of Peppermint and Lemongrass essential oils cool and refresh feet - controlling foot odour too. As you wash off this scrub, you feel the effect of Margosa and Virgin Coconut nourishing and caring for your feet – beautiful and soft to touch!

Call 011-5544398  

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