Getting The Most From Your Bath

Fibromyalgia is oh-so-hard to cope with sometimes, and there are days when exercise and medication just don’t seem to do the trick. On days like those, you may find yourself wracking your brains trying to think of something, anything that might make you feel better. You need to find a bit of extra motivation to keep going.

Grandma Knew

Look no further than your bathroom for relief. Your grandmother always said that there’s nothing much that a bath can’t fix. A nice, long soak may be just the ticket to put some steam into your motor and get you going.

Bridge The Gap

Conversely, a warm bath may help soothe you enough to lull you to sleep after a wearying day of battling your condition. There are times when the fatigue seems overwhelming, but it never fails to surprise us just how fatigue can linger without ever resulting in restful sleep. Sometimes a special bath can help bridge the gap between fatigue and elusive sleep.

Here are some tips for making the most out of bath time:

*Darken the room but provide some soft light with candles.

*Make sure the bath isn’t too hot. Too hot equals poor circulation and fatigue. You want to lull yourself to sleep, not wipe yourself out.

Self-massage

*Treat yourself to a self-massage just before you have your soak. Start with your temples, move down to your neck muscles, and on down to your upper arms. Massage your hands, then your thighs, calves, and feet.

*Listen to music, or if you prefer, wear ear plugs to block out distracting household noise.

*Place an oil burner in your bathroom and use any essential oils that you like. For serenity, try: frankincense, germanium, lavender, and ylang ylang.

*If your eyes feel very tired, try wearing an eye mask during your soak.

1) Bath of Roses: Add 6-8 drops of rose essential oil to your tub. Give your face an occasional spritz of rose water as you soak. Throw in some rose petals (from unsprayed roses) for good measure. Nosh on good quality dark chocolate, and listen to love songs. Repeat the following mantra, “Every cell in my body is healthy and loved.”

Slow Down

2) Slow Down Bath: This bath recipe is for days when you feel rushed and harried and feel desperate for calm. Add to your bath the following essential oils:

6 drops ylang ylang

4 drops Vetiver—this herb lifts depression and removes the burnout feeling.