Living in a country in crisis can be hard on your nerves, as therapists’ growing client lists attest. Consulting a mental health professional can be a smart move for people burdened by anxiety, but there’s plenty more you can do at home to boost your peaceful delta and theta brain waves.
TEA FOR YOU
Get your polyphenols here, folks! Matcha tea is rich in those plant-based micronutrients and antioxidants, which help relieve depression and anxiety. And Motto Tea sources its matcha from Japan’s Camellia-sinensis capital of Uji. An added bonus? Matcha boosts your metabolism, which may help you shed your “Quarantine 15.”
Uji matcha, $4.25, Motto Tea House offers delivery or pick-up at 100 W. Green St., Pasadena. Call (626) 365-1049 or visit MottoTeaHouse.com.
MIND YOUR MINDFULNESS
Download the Calm app, and obey its first instruction: Take a deep breath. The app (crowned Apple’s 2017 App of the Year) promises to help you “meditate, sleep, relax” with guided meditation, nature sounds, bedtime stories and soothing music. Free content is limited, but for $60 a year (after a free seven-day trial), you can experience an extensive library of content including Calm Masterclasses, like Pico Iyer’s video on stillness.
Or check out Mindfulness@PAM, USC Pacific-Asia Museum’s free virtual mindfulness programming, posted new each Wednesday here. Look for live and recorded sessions of guided meditation, tai chi, soulful music, crafts projects and mindful cooking (“the act of slowing down and staying attuned to the moment-by-moment experience of making a meal,” according to the museum’s website).
THROUGH THE MIRROR
Not all addictions are bad. Runners feed their addictions to “runners’ high” by getting back out there day after day, which is all to the good. But you don’t have to run to boost your naturally relaxing endorphins, and you don’t need to leave your home to work with a trainer or browse thousands of classes. The Mirror home exercise system, which hangs on your wall, hooks you up with guidance and inspiration, without space-hogging machinery. Still not sure? The company offers a 30-day, risk-free trial.
Mirror, $1,495 for equipment plus $250 for delivery/installation and $39 a month for membership (access to classes via the Mirror app), mirror.co.
A HUMAN TOUCH THAT PLUGS IN
Sink into the Human Touch Super Novo Massage Chair and emerge a puddle of calm, thanks to its virtual massage therapist (Amazon’s Alexa can see you now); dual lumbar heat; zero gravity; Cloud Touch Acupressure; extended and heated foot, calf, knee massage; an Altec Lansing Premium Sound System and more.
Human Touch Super Novo Massage Chair, $9,999, at Relax the Back, 709 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Call (626) 793-1966 or visit RelaxTheBack.com.
WASH YOUR WORRIES AWAY
Don’t forget the relaxation aid that goes back at least to 3300 B.C.—a warm bath. Make it a special treat with Aromatherapy Eucalyptus Spearmint Bubble Bath, which promises to uplift and clear the mind.
Aromatherapy Eucalyptus Spearmint Bubble Bath, $16,50, at Bath & Body Works, 340 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Call (626) 639-2386.
