In this issue we’re featuring the beautiful Dual Pantone Colors of the Year: Rose Quartz and Serenity. They are bright, yet calming shades of nature, combining the unconditional love that Rose Quartz is known for and the calming, serene blue of sky and water. Cast your eyes on this beautiful duo of peace and calming and enjoy nature’s gentle reminder to slow down and relax.
 
Here are thirteen simple ways for the busy entrepreneur in you to relax and unwind without inviting additional stress into your life.
 
1. Purchase a rose quartz salt lamp for your workspace. Also known as “The Vitamins of the Air,” these lamps are made of the salt from Ancient Oceans. When lit, they produce negative ions that stimulate the flow of oxygen to your brain, increasing mental alertness and energy.
 
2. Take a power nap. You may believe you don’t have the time, but a nap can boost your creative problem solving ability, verbal memory, perceptual learning, object learning, and statistical learning. Naps improve our mood and feelings of sleepiness and fatigue. The health benefits are many; napping is good for our heart, blood pressure, stress levels, and even weight management.
 
3. Use your favorite essential oils, salts, and suds and take a good, hot bath. A twenty-minute soak will improve your blood circulation, soothe sore muscles, and produce a better night’s sleep. Adding sage oil sharpens memory, and bergamot relieves stress, according to the journal Alternative and Complementary Therapies. 
 
4. Complete a task that’s nagging at you. As little tasks add up in the back of your mind stress levels will elevate. Make a list of five to ten-minute tasks that seem to never get done and select one a week to complete. Fix that loose doorknob, get the car detailed, or call your aged aunt or uncle. You’ll feel lighter and lighter as you shorten this list.
 
5. Do something nice for someone else. The best way to lower stress is to put your focus on the needs of another. The person behind you in the coffee house drive-thru will smile the whole day long when a perfect stranger pays for their order. Volunteer a few hours during the non-holiday season when there’s a shortage of help. Anonymously leave flowers on the steps of a friend who’s feeling down.
 
6. Learn to meditate. The benefits of mediation are too many to list. Meditating daily for mere five-minutes will quickly bring you a renewed sense of peace.  The easiest way to learn meditation is through a guided-visualization or meditation process. There are many wonderful resources on-line.
 
7. Spend time near or in the water. If you’re fortunate enough to live near the ocean you can take in an abundance of the negative ions that I mentioned above. The gentle movement of a lake, or even just floating in a pool, will wash your troubles away.
 
8. Indulge in an entire evening (or day) of a Netflix or DVD marathon. What’s your favorite old television series? Sex in the City? Friends? Orange is the New Black? Pour yourself a nice cup of tea or enjoy a glass of wine and watch as many as you can!
 
9. Take time off in the middle of the day for lunch with a friend. Banish all guilt and enjoy a decadent meal accompanied by laughter and a walk down memory lane. You’ll feel like you’re on vacation!
 
10. Treat yourself to a spa treatment. Many spas allow their patrons the use of their hot tub, sauna, and relaxation rooms for the price of just one service. Enjoy a massage or facial and spend a couple of hours surrounded by luxury.
 
11. Take a nature walk to stretch your muscles and soothe your mind. Walking in nature can actually change the workings of your brain in ways that improve mental health and lower stress. Breathe in the fresh air and enjoy nature’s many benefits.
 
12. Pull up your playlist. Music releases the “feel-good” neurotransmitter in the brain. A mere fifteen minutes a day will also decrease levels of the stress hormone cortisol in your body, which counteracts the effects of chronic stress.
 
13. Keep an on-going gratitude list. Gratitude is one of the highest forms of energy there is. Just five minutes a day spent in this energy can change your life. Grab a journal and list three things each day for which you are grateful. Notice the special moments in each day: the toddler who waved at you with a huge, innocent smile on his face, the scents of spring that filled the air as you walked through the park, or the unexpected phone call from an old friend. 
 
Go ahead, indulge. You’re worth it!