This Father’s Day, extend the gift of wellness to someone you care about by finding ways to show that you care.
Self-care is for everyone; whether it is implementing a quality night-time routine, introducing ways to de-stress or simply a Beard Oil - GROUND believes in encouraging everyone we know to tóg e bog é.
Richard Davidson, the founder of the Centre for Healthy Minds, identified generosity as one of the four pillars of Wellbeing (the others being attention, resilience, and a positive outlook.) Research has found that altruistic behaviour can reduce stress and sadness, and even leads to a lower heart rate and blood pressure. This Father’s Day, extend the gift of wellness to someone you care about by finding ways to show that you care.
BEING PRESENT AND LISTENING GENEROUSLY
“The greatest gift you can offer anyone you love is your presence.” – Thich Nhat Hanh. Before you spend time with a loved one, close your eyes, breathe and allow your body to settle, letting go of any stress or tightness. Pay attention with an open mind and genuine interest. Make time and space to take in not only the content of the spoken words but also the feelings and emotions of the speaker.
PRACTICE ACTIVE LISTENING
The act of active listening means to listen intently and responding to what your loved one is saying. Try not to interrupt them mid-flow, even if you strongly agree or disagree with what they’re saying. Let them finish, and then respond. Ask intentional questions and fully engage your attention, allowing space to for them to be heard. Most importantly – no phones, technology or distractions.
QUALITY TIME IN NATURE
Another brilliant way to unplug from our devices and to de-stress is to encourage time together to be spent outdoors, while also encouraging more movement in our older relatives. Not only does this have fantastic benefits for the body, but also for the head; spending time in nature has been known to improve mood, focus and restore a healthy sleep routine.
ENCOURAGING QUALITY SLEEP
Many of our loved ones overlook the importance of rest and high-quality sleep, making little time to switch off or recover from our busy days. Oftentimes, the importance of sleep is neglected, while we are fixated on productivity and hours of screentime.
Encouraging our family to implement a ritualised routine – with something as simple as a Sleep Essential Oil or a Sleep Pillow Spray - can let the body know that it is time to switch off. The benefits of sleep are endless for our physical health and mental health. Introducing ways to support the head-space of our loved ones is vital, and a consistent sleep routine can lower the likelihood of mental illnesses, enable better thinking, learning and memory.
SHOW GRATITUDE
Regardless of the picture of the ‘strong and silent’ type of father figures in our lives, everyone needs to feel loved and appreciated. Be sure to let the people around you know how much you admire them, and everything they have done to support you. Encourage all aspects of wellness and self-care to those that seem all too self-reliant.
Often times, the people who are our pillars of support in our lives are the ones who need to mind themselves the most. The word ‘Wellbeing’ to your Dad might be mistaken for an exclusive reference to scented candles or spa retreats; at GROUND, we believe in implementing Wellbeing into the lives of everyone, especially the people we love. To shop our Father’s Day Edit, please click on the image below.
