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Rest is inevitable in January!

January a time for new year’s resolutions and new beginnings. Or is it? With the weather still dark and cold. In fact, I think it feels colder somehow. The feelings of just getting on with new energy feels a little off kilt. Personally, I am in my “Wintering” phase of the year. I am not making any new fresh starts. I am reserving my energies, reflecting on what has been, and thinking on how I would like to move forward. For me it’s a time of rest, looking after myself and living with my comforts at home. Hot chocolates, movies, snuggles under blankets and rest. Plenty of rest.

But I hear you. January is a looooooong month. Both mentally and financially. It’s when everyone feels at their lowest. The dark nights, the cold weather, the never-ending month that seems to go on forever and pay day just never seems to be on its way.  Life does have to move on, we do have to work and the pressures of starting a fresh for the coming year is imamate that we feel like total failures when we don’t continue the gym sessions, or the diet we started, or whatever resolutions you set yourself. But hear me out.

What if, just what if, you try and find a little bit of time for rest. no guilt! I know right sounds crazy.

As some of you know I am a keen gardener. I am no way an expert, however I do enjoy the seasonal transition of the plants. In my garden and allotment, they are sleeping. I have put both areas to bed. The garden is tidy and bare and is asleep. The allotment has literally been tucked up with fallen leaves and covered with a sheet to keep the ground warm, while giving it the food and nourishment it needs. There is nothing for me to do in any of these areas. Other than plan. Plan my seeds, plan my bulbs, plan my layout. Rest and read up on what I am going to do. Prepare the things I need to start a good harvest for the year. But what about the house I hear you cry! What about the house? It is clean and tidy. I declutter as I go along, but again I am not starting a big or new projects just yet. The house is wintering too, with arts and craft, resting and family time. Why? Because everywhere is resting. We go to bed earlier because its darker. We are resting because the activities we do during the day take our energy and attention to function. We don’t have that glorious sunshine to help invigorate us with energy. Like the garden and allotment, we are resting and saving our energy ready for the rest of the year.

So how do we “Winter”? Simple.

No:1 – Stop putting pressure on yourself. Yep, let the little monkey in your head take a nap. There is no pressure to start a new personal project and be halfway through by the end of January. Set yourself small, manageable task, that keep it light and gentle. Remember we are taking away the pressure.

No: 2 – Financial struggles, because January and the pressure of Christmas is real, talk to the right people. Tell them the situation and what you can realistically afford. Everyone is in the same boat. Try a “No spend month” where you holdoff on any unnecessary purchases like takeaways or that new top. Be mindful on how you spend your money. Budget and plan, and most importantly talk to people about it. It helps take it out of your mind, and then it won’t eat you up so much and make you feel anxious and add to the January Blues.

No: 3 – Get outside! Go for that little walk with the family. Take a flask of tea and a snack and wrap up warm. The fresh air and being in nature will uplift your soul, put a little bit of windswept colour in your cheeks, and help you look at the world and nature in a different way. Look at what it is doing. Are there any buds showing yet, what are the birds doing? Can you see any urban squirrels about?

No: 4 – Rest. Snuggle up at home. The skirting boards can wait. It’s not spring, there is no need to deep clean just yet. Watch a Netflix series, read a book. Crochet a blanket or scarf. Play games or even start a puzzle. The aim here is to do relaxing activities that fill your soul. Sleep. Take a nap. I love a good nap. It really helps reset my overactive brain.

No: 5 – Plan. Plan the projects you want to achieve this year. Be realistic about them. Research the best ways to do them. Get all your ducks in a row and then get excited to start. For me I have planned my new allotment plot. My greenhouse has arrived and will stay in the garage till I am ready to put it together in the spring. I am planning what jobs need to be done on the site and what can be done at home and when. My plan is to start seeding at home towards the end of this month and start tidying and preparing ground from February onwards. At home, I plan to sort my youngest son’s bedroom out in February for his birthday. Looking at paint charts and new curtains etc. but again nothing will happen till next month. I am just planning.

January doesn’t have to be too difficult. Yes, it is a long month, but if we surrender to the season of rest, we will breeze through and be prepare for the rest of the year.

I hope you all have a good January, and I hope the winter season is kind to you.

Lots of Love 

Its time to rest

As December is in full swing of festive spirit, and the invitations are flowing in, it is very easy to
become overwhelmed and overstimulated. In a world where we are told to speed up over a
season when we are meant to be slowing down, it can become all too much, and you just want to
hide.
Taking time out for yourself, slowing down is important to your health as well as your nervous
system. We need time to breath and rest. This is so important to us at nature beings.
We are designed to slow down and reflect and enjoy the warmth of family and the blankets while
watching a movie.
So how can you take time for yourself in this crazy season. Here are 3 of my favourite things to
do: –
1: Be out in nature. Wrap up warm, take that flask of something hot and go for a walk. On your
own or with the family. Just being in nature can calm our nervous system and even better it
doesn’t have to take all day. Just a few hours. With the fresh air, the natural surroundings, no
phone or gadgets, it can really help calm the mind and help your rest.
Not only is it great for the soul, but it gets your body moving, blood flowing which is great to help
calm those nerves and motivate those happy hormones that we all so desperately need.
2: To curl up under a blanket with a good book or movie. I like to do this with family or without.
Being snuggled under a blanket has a sense of calm and helps relax. The fluffier the blanket the
better. I also like to lamp warm lighting or the Christmas lights on. There is something comforting
about cosiness of a warm light, under a blanket, snuggled down and just resting. Even if you take
a little nap, even better. I do love a good nap.
3: Treating my skin. Going to have a facial or massage. There is something amazing when you
take that hour to yourself and treat your skin too. But this isn’t just a luxury treat. This is important
to relaxing your nervous system, and taking that moment to breath and just be. Even have a little
snooze if you will.
For me these 3 things really give me a sense of peace and slowing down. It helps regulate my
nervous system in this crazy run up to Christmas.
Knowing that I can offer you one of these things is so important to me. Whether you book a
hands on facial, with natural, vegan and cruelty free products or have the holistic facial, where I
hand make the skincare products for you, this experience really helps people relax. From the
moment you walk in and snuggle under that blanket, this is your time to relax, take time and rest.
So what ever way you like to relax this Christmas, just make sure you take some time for you.
This world is crazy busy as it is, and sometimes we just need to slow down a little .
Merry Christmas

Where has the last month and a half gone? I feel like the last part of this year is just
whizzing past and there is no room to breathe. Do you feel the same or is it just me?
I try and say to my client’s that they should slow down, take some time for
themselves and just breath, and I really should take my own advice. The truth is I
think we make rest and recouping a lot harder than it’s meant to be. We feel we must
put on a show, that if we are busy and have lots of things to do then we have
important lives. We thrive on burnout.
Truth is no-one wants the burn out. People want an easy life. They want the calm
life. However, when they try to create it, they feel judged that they are being selfish.
That they should put family and work before their own mental wellbeing. To be
honest I am the same.
What I have learnt is that if I can look after me and know when to rest, then I am able
to better focus on my clients and give you guys what you need.
So as I sit here drinking my herbal tea (yep, I love a herbal tea, Lemon and ginger,
just in-case you were wondering what I am drinking) Thinking of ways that I can help
you guys relax ad take back some peace in this crazy fast paced world that we seem
to be navigating in.
Here are my three top tips to try and help you calm the whirlwind that you live in.
No.1 This has become the main reason for people’s stress, but it really is important.
Limit your social media and screen time.
Yep, I will put my hands up, I am so guilty for this one. I will pick my phone up and
will travel down the road to the scroll of doom. Comparing my life to everyone else’s,
and why can’t I be more like that…. Blah blah blah. Hands up, anyone else?
But on the random and few days I have woken up, not looked at my phone, or
scrolled through it before bed; I have found that my mind is so much clearer. I feel
less anxious. I feel focused and most importantly I feel present. So maybe try some
yoga, or read a book, or even a hot bubble bath, just don’t pick up that phone.
No.2 – Rushing. It does nothing for your nervous system. Trying to fit in too many
things to do in such a small amount of time, can send anyone over the edge. In the
world we live in, makes it difficult to slow down. Everyone wants everything
yesterday. But no-one is willing to show you how to work more efficiently, you only
have to work quickly.
This is why in the Salon I refuse to rush. I add extra time to my treatments to help
you and me feel relaxed and enjoy the process. Not make it another job on the to do
list.
To remind yourself that is OK to take your time sometimes. Be present with what you
are doing. That way you will get your work done and to a high standard.
No.3. REST!!!! This is a big one. Resting seems to have become for the weak, or so
they say. But knowing when to slow down and rest is a great strength. Suffering with
an autoimmune disease, I have learnt the hard way about resting. I would literally
work myself till I fell. The problem was I fell often. Then getting fed up with always
being ill. Truth was I wasn’t listening to my body or my wellbeing. It’s that simple.

So, I have learnt to do little bit but often. To keep on top of simple repetitive jobs to
make life easy and to delegate jobs so I am not the only one doing them. Nobody
likes a martyr. That way I feel busy, but I am being productive, but if I don’t do a load
of washing for a day, I also know the world isn’t going to end. Sometimes doing the
bare minimum to get through when your energy levels are low, is the best you can
do. And do you know what …. IT’S OK TO REST! As I said we are not going to get
any gold medals or beat any world record for burnout.
So, binge watch that program, come and have a massage or pedicure, go for that
walk. Meet with friends for a coffee but do what fills your soul and resets you.
These are just my little helpful tips that I do when I feel the overwhelm. It takes time
and it’s not an overnight fix, but with practice and patients, you can try and build
yourself a calmer and less chaotic life.

Wow, September came and boom! The cooler air and turning of the leaves came with so much speed, that I forgot to blink.

For me I love this time of year. Hot Chocolates, pumpkins, Blankets and open fires. The chance to really start to slow down and get ready for winter.

For me this is where the selfcare really happens. I start to embrace the early nights tucked up on the sofa with a good book, and picking the last of my summer vegetables ready to freeze. It’s not quite stew time but roast dinners are back on the menu, and it’s a chance to get my youngest son into bed early without him saying “it is still daytime”!

For me this is where I start to look after my skin. Keeping up the fluid intake (because that is important all year round) but making sure that I keep up on my skincare routine and watch out for dryness.

Also feet.

Just because those toes are being tucked up in socks it doesn’t mean that we stop looking after them. Keeping on top of pedicures is the perfect way to have gorgeous feet all year round and you don’t have to have the polish. I offer a wonderful paraffin wax pedicure with no polish just for this occasion.

There are many benefits of having your feet done all year round with a paraffin wax treatment and here below I name just a few

• Moisturizes and Softens Skin: 

Paraffin wax acts as an emollient, creating a protective barrier on the skin that locks in moisture, making it feel softer, smoother, and more supple. 

• Exfoliates: 

When the wax cools and is removed, it pulls away dead skin cells along with it, revealing fresher, more radiant skin. 

• Improves Dry Skin Conditions: 

The occlusive barrier helps relieve symptoms of dry skin conditions like eczema and atopic dermatitis by preventing water loss. 

• Increases Blood Flow: 

The heat from the wax stimulates circulation in the treated area, delivering essential nutrients and oxygen to the skin and tissues. 

• Soothes Joint Pain: 

The penetrating warmth helps to relax stiff muscles and joints, providing relief for chronic pain from conditions like arthritis, bursitis, and fibromyalgia. 

• Improves Mobility and Stiffness: 

By promoting circulation and muscle relaxation, paraffin treatments can reduce joint stiffness and increase the range of motion for people with arthritis and other mobility issues. 

• Reduces Muscle Spasms and Inflammation: 

The therapeutic heat can also help minimize muscle spasms and inflammation. 

• Aids in Detoxing: 

The heat opens pores and encourages sweating, which can help to flush toxins from the skin. 

Who Can Benefit:

• People with dry, cracked skin, or certain skin disorders like eczema and psoriasis. 
• Individuals with chronic joint pain and stiffness, including arthritis, bursitis, and fibromyalgia. 
• Those experiencing muscle aches and spasms, such as after strenuous exercise or in preparation for physical therapy. 

So what are you waiting for book your Luxury Pedicure and enjoy having very happy feet.

Hey there,

Welcome to the first ever blog from the Gallery of Wellbeing. This is where I will share my inspiration, insights, and any new things, adventures, and products that arrive.

I am so excited for this—it feels like it’s been a long time coming. So let me introduce myself.

I’m Sabrina, the owner of Gallery of Wellbeing. It is just me in the salon. As some of you know, I did have a business partner who moved on in October 2024 to pursue other things. Instead of throwing in the towel, I made the brave (and scary) decision to take on the salon myself. I am so glad I did—it was the right decision, and I’m loving the journey. Because let’s face it, self-employment and running a physical business is not for the faint-hearted.

So, what is it that I do?
I like to think of myself as a Holistic Beauty Therapist, combining natural, organic beauty with modern-day beauty. Showing you that you can be beautiful in your own skin. Not all treatments give instant results—some are a journey that we take together.

The salon is a place where you can come, relax, and forget about the busy world outside—a little space of calm in the middle of Hereford.

I am naturally creative and have worked in the creative sector. I’m also a working Makeup Artist who has had the opportunity to work at London Fashion Week (more on that to come). I love creating new homemade products that I use in the salon—and I’ll share more about that later too.

I used to be a carer, and this is where I truly found out how much I love helping people. Combining my passions, I can deliver treatments that are tailored just for you.

I can’t wait to tell you more…

In the meantime, look after yourselves and we will chat later.

Lots of love,
Sabrina.