In this period of heightened anxiety, it's all too common to be surrounded by feelings of uncertainty about the state of our world. More than ever, we need to master techniques that can help alleviate these emotions because long-term ambient stress can deplete our health and dull the body’s immune response.
For us, an antidote to a hectic week weighed down by 24/7 technology would be to take our time in the morning. Spending an hour or two free from interruptions to focus on ourselves helps us move through the coming week with a clear, focused mind. It's something we indulge in on weekends - though it was a bit more often than that during the confinement period!
Creating a ritual around these mornings can help build an atmosphere of calm. Start the day with simple skincare focused on cleansing and hydrating. Light an incense in the background, put some music on.
Over a cup of fresh juice or freshly brewed coffee, we process the week and unpack our thoughts by brainstorming and talking it through with each other. We'll do a 10-minute meditation or intention-setting and around 10 or 11 in the morning, homemade brunch will follow (tuna avocado toast or donburi are some favorites) and some time spent on our terrace watering plants, cutting flowers, harvesting ripe vegetables to bring back inside.
This has become a wonderful and easy weekend ritual that sets the tone for the incoming week. It clears us of any physical tension and gives us the energy and clarity we need.
No one knows your internal needs better than yourself so try to find the rhythm of activities that suit you the most. Once you discover what puts your body at ease, having this hour or two to yourself can set you up in the right frame of mind for the rest of the day and week.
Photographed by Danny Scott Lane
