Hands up if you’re in need of some epic self care right now?!

Maybe you’re feeling the effects of going through a global pandemic. Or perhaps you’ve got a lot going on right now, and you’ve let yourself drop to ‘last’ on your priorities list. Or maybe you’re just not feeling as good/ healthy/ vibrate/ high vibe as you want to, and you’re not sure why.

Whatever the reason, self care is an excellent medicine for the mind, body and soul. When we nourish our nervous system through these intentional practices, the pay off in ALL areas of our health and wellness is huge — including reduced stress, increased immunity, improved focus, better wellbeing, way better sleep… and that’s just for starters! 

Also, you’ll just feel way better as you go about your daily life, and that’s reason enough in itself to commit to your self care. 

My nervous system regulates the whole ecosystem of my home.

For me, being a new mama has shone a whole new light on self care. It’s more important to me now than ever before, because if I’m not overflowing with self love, then the whole family unit doesn’t function at it’s best. Of course, I’ve had to get a bit savvier about making time and space for these practices, but BOY is it worth it when I do!

And on that note, there’s good news: there are so many things you can do today — right this very minute, in fact! — to calm your nervous system, boost your immunity, and increase your physical and mental wellness. They can be simple, quick, and can be easily tweaked to fit into your daily routine.

So without further ado, here are 21 of my favorite hacks to calm your nervous system, boost your immune system, and increase your physical and mental wellness. 

1. Eat organic, chemical free, spray free, local, REAL wholefoods from Mother Nature. Ditch the processed junk ‘food’ and just eat REAL food. A hot tip: if you can, start shopping at the farmers market in your area — that way, you will be shopping and supporting local farmers, getting the fruit and veg that are in season, and getting spray-free produce too — it’s a win-win for everyone!
2. Drink clean filtered water. Our body is made up of 75% water, so make sure you are getting enough each day to keep your temple beautifully hydrated. (It really does make such a difference to how you feel!) If you’re ready to radically uplevel your water game, grab yourself a Hydrogen Health bottle and use the code ‘Melissa’ for 20% off.
3. Prioritise sleep and aim to get 8 hours each night. If you have children, make sleep a priority and teach them about the importance of sleep too. I get into bed at 7pm with my daughter. I don’t stay up watching TV. I make sure I’m in bed at 7pm because I know how important it is for my health and happiness. 
4. Reduce your EMF exposure. Electronic pollution has been called ‘the new smoking’, and it can have a hugely deleterious effect on your health. To counteract exposure in your home or workplace, grab yourself a BIO POD, (use the code ‘Melissa’ for 20% off). You can also listen to my episode with Josh Hiam (the creator of the BIO POD) to learn more about this amazing technology. 
5. As soon as the sun goes down, block out the blue light. This will ensure your body is ready to fall asleep when bedtime comes around (and not get that dreaded ‘second wind’ at 11pm!). Grab yourself some goodies from Bon Charge and use the code ‘Melissa’ for 15% off. And listen to my episodes with Andy Mant and Jack Kruse to learn all about the detrimental effects of blue light and what you can do about it.
6. Breathe deeply. Try Nadi Shodhana (a.k.a. alternate nostril breathing). This is super powerful and will quickly calm your nervous system. 
7. Meditate. Grab my FREE Zen Tone 8D meditation when you sign up for my newsletter. 
8. Move your body every single day. It does not matter what you do, just move, move, move.  
9. Master your mind. Watch my TEDx Talk to learn how, and read my book Mastering Your Mean Girl for next level mind mastery. 
10. Get outside into nature as much as possible. If you can’t, make sure you open the windows and let in as much fresh air and sunlight as possible.
11. Swim in the ocean, a lake, or a river as often as you can. 
12. Let the sun kiss your beautiful skin.
13. Quit comparing yourself to others. I wrote a book on how to do that.
14. Do work that you love, that lights you up and inspires you. You only get one precious and sacred life, so you may as well do something you love. (Not sure what lights you up? Listen to my audiobook PurposeFULL to discover your true life purpose.)
15. Surround yourself with inspiring people. You are the product of the 5 most prominent people in your life. So choose wisely. 
16. Dance daily, even just for one song. This is my favorite artist to dance to and my favorite playlist ever. 
17. Laugh and smile BIG. Your nervous system is regulated by your facial expressions. You can reverse-hack this system by putting a smile on your dial and letting your nervous system follow the cues. Try it now. (Aaaaah, now doesn’t that feel better?!)  
18. If you have children, get down on the floor and play with them. Be silly, make up songs, pull funny faces and don’t take yourself (or life) too seriously.
19. Make sweet love. You can read Open Wide to learn all about soulful sex.
20. Create, paint, draw, write, sew, build, or make something with your hands.
21. Get in the kitchen and cook.

These are just some of the things I love and do to calm my nervous system, boost my immune system and increase my physical and mental wellness.

Have you got any to add?

Please share below and email this post to all your friends so we can create an upswell of happier, healthier people and a happier, healthier planet.