Mindfulness and bubble bath play … what’s the connection?
Do you remember your first bubble bath and the excitement and joy it brought? Did you try to create bubble mountains or try to count them? Whatever you did, we all have fond memories of bubble bath playtime. As adults, we often think bubble bath play is only for babies, toddlers and children alike and you are wrong, it’s for all of us!
We all need to explore new ways to ‘top up’ our well-being lifestyle account and for those of us who have forgotten the ‘ahhh’ ... the ‘mmm’ … and the ‘ooo’ sounds when relaxing in bubbles should think again. Bubble paradise – the natural therapeutic stress reliever.
Pandemic fatigue and well-being anxiety is everywhere and the recent UK Government COVID-19 Mental Health and Well-being Recovery Action Plan is testimony to this, so why not have bubbles in your bath as a simple way to relax and rebalance yourself.
Bubble bath play is not just a good way to meet your cleanliness and relaxation needs only – it’s more than this. It’s a great way to meditate too!
The fusion of water and bubbles encourages us to physically and mentally disengage from life worries and forces you to clear your mind and be calm. Many health experts and practitioners say “Bubble playtime can be a really great exercise for mind, body, and spirit”.
Bubble bath play - your natural therapeutic stress reliever…
Your bubble bath benefits
Having a warm bubble bath is a blissful way to relax. It helps us to calm our nervous system, reduce levels of stress and anxiety and improve our overall mood. Likewise, bubble bath play can help stimulate your serotonin levels, the chemical in the brain associated with happiness. Similarly, our bodies associate being horizontal with relaxation in the bath, which can mimic the warm, liquid conditions of the womb - which instinctively provides a feeling of security and peace.
Hopefully, we all understand the importance of cleanliness for obvious reasons. A good bubble bath soak (with the right soap or liquid) helps to remove dead skin and impurities. Furthermore, it’s a good way to detoxify too. The warm heat from your bubble bath helps you to sweat and allowing toxins to leave your body, and boosts your lymphatic system as well.
Bubble bathing is a natural way to deal with aches and pains and those sore muscles. It helps our muscles to relax and it stimulates good blood flow and lowers tensions. Furthermore, the warm heat gets our blood moving, which is not only great for circulation, but can also help sore or tight muscles to relax properly.
Good skin maintenance is all part of the value of bubble baths. Our body’s protective covering needs to be nourished and hydrated regularly. Taking warm bubble baths can help improve some skin conditions. Naturally, the choice of soap or liquid is important as well, to deal with a number of skin ailments including eczema, keratosis pilaris, dry and rough skin patches, skin allergies and irritations and much more.
Our heart is the strongest muscle in our body and blood circulation is essential for good health and performance. Your bubble bath in warm water encourages your blood circulation to exercise your heart and making the blood flow easier. Similarly, it helps to oxygenate the blood by allowing you to relax and breathe more slowly and deeply. And according to some health research has shown that regular warm baths can help reduce high blood pressure, which is important for overall health.
Bubble bath play is a nice way to burn calories through the art of movement. Whilst we don't recommend you giving up good regular exercise. It is nice to know, this is an added bonus for your well-being and exercise regime.
Keeping our immune system topped up to fight infection is key to peak body performance. Soaking in a warm bubble bath helps stimulate your immune system, decreasing your chances of contracting a cold, and helping you to fight infection. The inhalation of steam is also an excellent remedy for cold symptoms, clearing out the nasal passages while reducing inflammation.
Quality sleep and a good sleeping pattern is paramount for our health and general well-being and many of us struggle to fall asleep at night. Getting your body ready to sleep is the key to restful sleep. To encourage sleep, your body needs a drop in its internal body temperature to trigger the production of melatonin, a hormone that prepares us for sleep. A soothing warm bubble bath encourages a better night's sleep by alerting your body to start a downshift in temperature by first heating it up. Our bodies get colder at night naturally, by giving the cooling process a nudge by heating yourself up artificially, is a proven trick to wind down and start feeling tired and getting that quality sleep you deserve.
You see bubble bath play is not just for babies, toddlers and children – it’s for all adults too. We all need to chill-out and have fun!
I trust you agree!!
Try out this bubble bath recipe to relax and unwind.
Choose your favourite bubble bath (you can even use shampoo if you don’t have any bubbles). Make sure you start out small to avoid bubble overload.
Spicing it up
o 4 to 8 drops of lavender essential oil
o 1 spoonful of coconut oil
o 1 spoonful salt
