Bathtime vibes

When it comes to trying to manage my mental health, something that is always brought up in sessions, groups, helplines etc is mindfulness. For those that don’t know, mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique. Mindfulness can be practiced in many ways, as one of those ways I’m going to now talk about (more on mindfulness here ). In the early stages of my real recovery, I was introduced to a self soothe kit. A self soothe kit it something you make yourself, where you put things in that calm you or help with your anxiety/urges/you can practice mindfulness with. I was lacking motivation back then and never knew what to fill my kit with, as apart from music and art, I didn’t have many things to self soothe with. Then I joined the recovery community and discovered #selfsoothenotselfharm. This hashtag mainly consisted of people using Lush products and treating themselves to nice long baths instead of hiding away in their room ruminating or self harming/giving into their urges. People discuss Lush products and how the smell helps them and send each other Lush products to cheer each other up. It is something that has brought people together and saved a lot of people from nights in A&E, ending their lives, over-exercising and many more mental health ‘symptoms’. Lush bath bombs are a great way to practice mindfulness and self soothe. Focusing on it fizzing, crackling, glittering and being the amazing visual spectacular that they are can draw your thoughts away from the voices, dark places, suicidal ideations, obsessions etc. The best thing about using a lush bath bomb is the natural ingredients and its benefits and the fact that every bath bomb is different and so innovative. The range of colours, popping candy, glitter and stars etc mean you can always be treating your senses and have variation in your mindfulness/self soothe sessions each time. A lot of people that suffer with mental health illnesses find it very hard to ‘treat’ themselves or give time to themselves, so self soothing can be very hard. However, with the use of a simple bath bomb, it is inexpensive and very helpful. When I was in the depths of my illnesses I always thought that self soothing, distraction and mindfulness was bullshit and that nothing could take me out of the depths of my illnesses. I was very wrong; along with music, treating myself to the smells and sensations of a Lush product, gave me some respite from the crap I was and still am dealing with. 

It isn’t just the bath bombs that help with self soothing, it is all of the natural ingredients that constitute all the products at Lush. I will get onto some of the helpful ingredients later, but it’s also the effect of them. Using good quality skin, hair and body care that makes your skin/hair the best it can be for you, can boost your self esteem and confidence. FUN by lush is another good one for anxiety. When I was in hospital, and even now, I have to have something in my hands to play with to reduce my anxiety. I used to use a tangle but this just didn’t do the trick. I then moved onto play-doh which was better but now I’ve found the ultimate winner: FUN. It smells incredible, is pliable so keeps my hands busy, and is multi-purpose in the bath! Also, I recently learnt about the Lush beauty products. Each pigment has a reinforcing name that boosts your confidence. For example, if you’re having a bad day in recovery, you could wear ‘quietly motivated’ or if you feel your illnesses getting the better of you, you could wear ‘control’. Lush like to play a game where you see the first the colours that grab your eye and the first is your strength, the second your aspiration, and the third your talent. The psychological effect of these names and bright pigments is so positive and encouraging, who wouldn’t want to give it a go?

Now to the ingredients:

 Neroli is probably my favourite ingredient; from the Lush website: “Neroli is one of the few essential oils to be scientifically proven to increase serotonin production in the brain, which makes us feel contented and cheerful. It is also said to help improve the skin’s flexibility “ so, this essential oil is a great anti depressant, and it also good at helping with the healing process of scars. The scent of this oil and effect is incredible. My go-to product is Therapy¿ massage bar. The concept of treating yourself to a massage and moisturising your skin and the benefits of the Neroli oil is just a dream for me. Other products that include Neroli include: so white and think pink bath bombs, love and light hand cream and In hale gorilla perfume. 

Chamomile is next on my list. “Chamomile is anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, bactericidal and sedative. Aromatherapists have used it for bruises, allergies, stress and depression. It is helpful for even the most sensitive of skins.” If you’re feeling particularly anxious or agitated then I have found chamomile very soothing, even drinking chamomile tea soothes me, so using products containing it really do the trick. My top products for these properties are helping hand hand moisturiser and herbalism facial cleanser.

Cinnamon leaf oil is next; cinnamon is my favourite spice in the world. It holds so many happy memories for me and offers security and comfort. Lush say “In perfumery, cinnamon leaf oil is used for its spicy, woody notes, creating an uplifting scent to fight fatigue and mood”. I definitely agree with it uplifting mood; it also gives that sense that christmas is coming and who doesn’t like that?! This can be found in fizz banger and cinders bath bombs, wiccy magic muscles massage bar and new shampoo bar.

Finally, Ylang Ylang oil, “It has a heady, sweet and floral aroma and is often used in aromatherapy for its uplifting properties and for combating stress and depression.” I just love the scent of this oil and anything that’s uplifting or calming is in my basket. Products constituted of this include death and decay perfume, luxury lush put bath bomb and don’t rain on my parade shower gel.

I asked people in the recovery community to say what their favourite products are and why, I’m not going to mention their names as they may not want to be known but here are some quotes: 

“Lush really helps me to soothe and really calm myself down in a panic. Taking care of yourself is so important and helping yourself is also important. Lush is also helps with distraction techniques when dealing with self harm urges.”

“Lush helps because it relaxes me and instead of going out and buying stupid things like alcohol which used to make my mental illness worse I’m spending my money in a positive way. (I have anxiety/bipolar). As said on a previous post it’s a brilliant distraction and other than my son is sometimes the only thing that sorts my head out and makes me happier.”

“Intergalactic because it takes forever to fizz so there’s something to focus on and then it’s pretty and sparkly and distracts me from SH in the bath and the comforter because it really calms my anxiety”

“Lush really helped me in my low times with my bpd after having emergency surgery for impending caudia equina syndrome last November. After my operation I had lots of trouble with my back and baths helped alot with the warmth and to relax my brain. I still suffer physically now and have a bath every 2 days alongside morphine.”

“Dream Time Temple balm is amazing. I suffer from anxiety and have been having nightmares since I was little. I like to rub some on my pillow before I go to sleep. If I wake up or have a panic attack, I have a grounding scent to comfort me as the lavender and camomile in it have natural calming qualities.”

“My favourites are twilight, yoga bomb, intergalactic bath bombs and kerbside Violet perfume. For me lush has taught me to be kind to myself. Also I find the bath bombs great for mindfulness, I can be in the bath and nothing else enters my mind, I’m focused on the sight, smells, feel and the warmth of the water. I love the perfume as I find it really grounding when I’m out and about, if I’m getting anxious, a little waft and I’m more focused. I can’t explain it.”

“My favourite products are the jellies because I have a problem with over washing (PTSD related) and they are so useful because they are gentle and not abrasive so it doesn’t scar me anymore, and also they smell strong which makes me feel cleaner so it happens less”

“I have a history of depression and also I am a carer for my husband who has severe depression. Lush is helpful for me because it is pretty much the only “frivolous” thing I spend money on - something that is just for me and serves no practical function. It helps me make time for myself and to unwind. Also joining the lush community on Facebook and instagram has helped me connect with the outside world when I feel lonely or isolated.”

“fav products is refresher shower jelly or layer cake soap! lush is helpful with helping me “ground” in times of panic/low mood/SH urges and the strong smell of the refresher helps when I’m hallucinating as it brings my attention back from either auditory or visual hallucinations!!”

I would also like to take time to talk about my personal experiences with lush. In my last admission my parents went into lush asking for some samples for the patients at the unit. Lush then said that they would invite us round after opening hours and do some demos and treatments with us. The kindness and welcome that we felt was incredible, when we came back from the visit, every single patient was singing and in amazing spirits, after having a very tough week on the ward. It was like we were ‘free’ from our illnesses for a night and allowed ourselves a good pamper and a chance to be ‘normal’ without the voices getting the better of us, the anxiety hiding us away etc. I now temporarily work at Lush and it has taken self soothe to a whole new level. Before I was hired I was feeling very overwhelmed from starting new college and just being discharged from hospital. I was lacking motivation and didn’t have something to ‘live’ for or to keep me going. Now, I look forward to my shifts, meeting the customers, working with the staff, learning and experiencing the products and ingredients, and doing something I love. It’s such a nurturing environment and I feel no shame about my past and I’m just proud that I’ve survived up until now and for the rest of my life.