Do you ever feel like it takes you days to unwind on holiday and the stresses and strains of a busy lifestyle only start to lift when it’s time to head home again?
Well, in a bid to help you snap into the chilled out mix of things quicker, celebrity meditation expert Jody Shield, 36, has put together her top tips exclusively for MailOnline Travel.
The London-based mentor, who counts Ella Woodward of Deliciously Ella fame and TV chef Jasmine Helmsley among her clients, says there are eight methods that one can use to unwind. Scroll down to start your journey to a more peaceful state of mind with Jody’s eight-step guide…
Getting in the zone: Meditation expert Jody Shield, 37, has put together her top de-stressing tips exclusively for MailOnline Travel
Prep your mind ahead of time
Prep your mind. Upgrade your thoughts before you fly. When you’re in the airport, find a seat while you’re waiting, and do this simple exercise to reset your thoughts:
- Fingertip tapping involves you tapping on each of your fingertips which sends energetic impulses to your brain to help you reset your thoughts.
- Start by tapping your index finger to your thumb around six to seven times, and saying the word ‘peace’, then tap your middle finger to your thumb around six to seven times, and say the word ‘begins’, next tap your ring finger to your thumb six to seven times and say ‘with’, and then tap your little finger to your thumb and say ‘me’.
- Repeat five times and witness how much calmer you feel.
Meditate on the plane
It feels good to meditate in the clouds, away from the energy of a city or the land. Download a guided meditation before you leave, put your earphones in and relax while your mind is emptied.
And breathe! To chill out on holiday, Jody advises packing ahead of time and buying a journal
Invest in a journal
Treat yourself to a lovely new journal for your holidays and take time to write down things that are coming to you. When we create space, new ideas come into our mind, so capture these. This isn’t the time to analyse. Simply capture and you can review when you get home.
Forget home
Get grounded in the energy of the new place. When we arrive somewhere new, it’s easy to feel like half of us is there and half of us we’ve left back home. So a quick way I get grounded and into my body is I close my eyes and I imagine calling back all parts of me into my body. I imagine myself sitting really deep in my hips too.
Soak up your surroundings
Be mindful of your holiday surroundings. When you arrive and get settled, go for a walk and really drink-in the environment. Take your time to notice the colours, the shapes, the smells, the temperature, the sounds. Breathe it all in and exhale out.
Take your time: Jody says that a holiday is an ‘opportunity to reset and transform old patterns, while getting rid of old negative thoughts’
Press the reset button
A holiday is an opportunity to reset and transform old patterns, while getting rid of old negative thoughts. Take time to mediate while you’re there, and allow the mind to detox itself fully. You’re in a unique place where you don’t have lots of problems to solve, so make the most of this, and empty your mind.
Always be prepared
Get prepared ahead of time. It might sound obvious but some of us leave packing and administration (digging out the passport, preparing boarding passes) until the last minute. Think about the best ways of investing a little energy in getting prepared ahead of time so the journey is stress-free and relaxed.
Hydrate
Make sure you drink plenty of water at the airport and on the plane. We all know how dehydrating plane air conditioning can be. One of the easiest and most effective ways to make sure you land feeling refreshed is to stay as hydrated as possible. When you arrive, challenge yourself to drink at least two litres per day – your skin and mind will thank you for it!
Jody Shield is the author of Lifetonic: A Modern Toolkit To Help You Heal Your Life And Soothe Your Soul (Yellow Kite, £14.99). To order a copy for £11.24, visit mailbookshop.co.uk or call 0844 571 0640.