Back to school, not just for kids.
Re-learning to take care of yourself in September.
“…peaches and pomegranates are at their peak. Bananas and sugarcane are beginning to ripen; fresh olive oil is making its way to the table, along with chestnuts and walnuts. The swallows are returning to the seashore…”
It’s not a haiku or a nature-inspired poem; it’s a paragraph that appears in the Córdoba Calendar, a kind of weather report written in the 10th century, an almanac containing various tips on health and well-being, as well as information on harvests, nature, and the balance of body and mind. This passage pertains to the month of September, for which it is recommended to seek out damp, warm places or to spend time on solitary, meditative walks…
September is a time for fresh starts, and not just for children and teenagers returning, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, to their school routines; it’s also a good time to get back into the rhythm of everyday life after the summer lull. It’s definitely a good time to resume habits and rituals that promote well-being, and especially mental health, to help us cope with everything that “the September slump” has in store for us. It’s possible that the summer vacation has allowed us to completely unwind and devote ourselves solely to dolce farniente, It’s also possible that we spent the holidays grappling with the enormous logistical challenge of moving a family 500 kilometers, or that we even had time to reflect on how we’re going to handle the conflicts that are still waiting for us at home or at work. That’s why it’s so important to consider a return to “life’s school.” This is the curriculum we propose in EL JARDÍN DE HAMMAM.
Total well-being: 5 recipes to help you achieve it.
Perhaps the first—and most important—step is to revisit the art of staying calm. It often happens that after summer vacation, instead of feeling more at peace, we find ourselves more irritable—perhaps because the bubble has burst and the news never lets up. To get back on track, there’s nothing better than booking a service MIMMA At Hammam Al-Ándalus, it’s a true gift of well-being that allows us to reconnect with our bodies, calm our minds, and renew our skin, as naturalists would say. We recommend choosing the scent Àmbar Sensual For massage, this fragrance combines amber and pomegranate blossom—perfect for this time of year and for reconnecting with all the benefits our senses have to offer.
Another key component of the program is reconnecting with nature. Although this may seem incongruous—since most of us live in urban areas—it is essential to reconnect with the natural world, which schools euphemistically refer to as “environmental studies.” In short, we’re talking about spending at least 30 minutes a day in contact with nature—walking or running through a park with trees, meditating or reading in a garden, or better yet, growing some vegetables in an urban garden, creating our own indoor garden in a sunny corner of the house (no matter how small it is, there’s always room for two or three pots)…
The next subject is an essential one, indispensable for starting the school year with energy and a positive attitude, and for facing all challenges with a sense of confidence and self-esteem: friendship. Coming back from vacation is like coming home, and this is the wonderful time to reconnect with old friends; let’s go through our contact list and suggest breakfast, lunch, or dinner with those people with whom conversation is always comforting, enriching, and soothing, or perhaps a moment of relaxation together at the Hammam. Important: never put off this assignment until the next day.
Some subjects, even if they are electives, are no less important for that. For this emotional and sensory return to school, we must also consider a practice whose benefits are enormous when it comes to regaining balance and stability: contemplation. It is a mistake to view contemplation as a waste of time; rather, it is a way to make the most of it. Take a few minutes to watch the sunrise or sunset, spend fifteen minutes flipping through one of those art books that have been sitting on the coffee table for years, or stop to admire the beauty of a building or a garden. Supplementation It's the easiest way to give your body a break and your mind a breath of fresh air.
The final subject for this course has a lot to do with the absolute necessity of knowing and loving oneself. Beyond fads, trends, what others think, or what we’re supposed to do, it’s essential to set aside time to practice a subject that’s akin to physical education class, but with the added element of mental education—this is self-care. It’s something we often put off or make secondary to other tasks on our to-do list, but we need it to recharge our batteries. Our suggestion for approaching this is to start with simple actions and, above all, not to obsess over it—don’t turn self-care into a triathlon that ends up exhausting and stressing you out more than anything else. Set aside ten minutes in the morning to the bathroom that energizes and revitalizes us, and ten minutes of self-massage at night to help us prepare for the break.
In addition to math and geography, we should have learned some essential things about balance and self-confidence… for now, we have the chance to learn on our own.