The Importance of Being Still

Something that could easily be written off as a side to a serve of glowing skin. But something that we here at ATOB know is exceptionally important to giving people back their bounce, essentially, rejuvenating the outside from the inside.

All of our treatments are designed from the bottom up in terms of ‘experience first’. Product comes second to the theory of how we want our clients to ‘feel’ while they are in and when they leave our place. We want you to feel welcomed, wound down, cocooned, relaxed, loved and lastly, reinvigorated for everything life throws at us. If we achieve this, then our job is done properly.

We all know there’s nothing nicer than waking up to a day and realising we have nothing scheduled: nowhere to be, nobody but ourselves to please. But how often does this happen to each of us? I think we all know the answer to that question.

But say, for argument’s sake, you do have the time to simply stretch out a morning with a leisurely breakfast, a quiet read, a relaxing stroll and maybe a good movie in the afternoon. Ask yourself this: is there typically a niggling little voice in your head on these occasions that just won’t quit suggesting that you’re wasting your time? We are conditioned, in modern life, to be BUSY. To have a list of to-dos we must steadily work through at speed, all contributing to the higher purpose of our GOALS. And if we’re not busy, it must surely mean we are not working toward our goals. Enter: guilt.

But here’s the thing: the body and mind are not designed to be in perpetual motion. We do not thrive from it, instead we encounter quite the opposite. Stress, illness and unhappiness to name a few. And, funnily enough, we slowly drift further away from our goals as our functionality and productivity takes a dive.
But we struggle with being still. In a recent US study, 700 people were asked to sit with themselves for 6-15 minutes, alongside a shock button they could press if the stillness became too much. 67% of men and 25% of women chose to shock themselves rather than sit quietly and think.
So strange, when you learn the myriad benefits stillness can lend.

DOING NOTHING STATE
When you stop, the brain gets a chance to fire up and essentially ‘superpower’ itself. In the resting state, your neural networks can process experiences, consolidate memories, reinforce learning, regular attention and emotions. This, in turn, keeps us more productive and effective in our daily work. 

SWITCHING ON CREATIVITY
There are numerous studies to show that those who are the most creative on a daily basis (read: innovative and unique) are also those who free themselves from structure and allow their minds to wander, rather than focus on various tasks at hand. Einstein called this the ‘sacred intuitive mind’.

MIND YOURSELF
Being still creates a breeding ground for mindfulness, which reduces stress, improves memory, decreases emotional reactivity (hello, mood swings!), gives more relationship satisfaction, cognitive flexibility and even a decrease in anxiety and depression.

FEEL YOURSELF
It is generally agreed by psychotherapists that not allowing yourself to reflect, reconcile and acknowledge what you feel, actively gives your feelings more power. The old ‘push it from your mind’ technique has only been seen to lead to more intrusive thoughts, which can prompt people to make themselves even busier in the pursuit of avoidance.

We regularly encourage our clients to make a little time for themselves daily, while they are carrying out their at-home skincare rituals, just to ensure a little stillness in each day. It’s amazing what a difference it can make. Even more phenomenal is the change in our clients’ demeanour when they leave A Touch Of Beauty, as opposed to when they stepped in the door. A drop in the shoulders and pitch of voice, a relaxation of facial features, a slowing of the walking pace and a smile on the face makes us (and hopefully you, too!) happier than anything else. We want to send you out into the world to shine.