Recovery: Nurturing yourself

During Recovery, it's important to remember to take care of yourself. Your physical health is equally as important as your mental health. The two go hand in hand.

Today, I was able to spend the morning at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass spa. Called Aji, I took time out of my day to enjoy one of their new treatments there. The treatment's not even on the menu yet, but my contact there offered me the opportunity to be one of the first guests to sample it ahead of time.

Called the Four Directions Treatment, the two-part service was created by Dawn Enos, one of the culture caregivers at the resort, which is on land owned by the Pima Indians. Inspired by a Native American creation story, Dawn modeled the treatment after the four directions on earth. Using four indigenous ingredients you can find on the reservation, she says the colors each symbolize a direction: pomegranite, which is red for west; salt or white for east; honey, which is tan for south; and blue cornmeal for the north.

Enos combines the mixture in front of you, explaining the creation story as she pours. For this treatment, you lay on a table tub under a Vichy shower--a hinged overhead shower with several heads that a massage therapist uses to rinse off treatment product. After she scrubs you on one side, she rinses you off with a cascade of warm water from above. Then you turn over for the back portion, which I thought was the most relaxing. It's not a treatment for shy types, though, as you're not fully covered at any time during this treatment.

The second portion of the treatment involves moisturization with a citrus lotion. For that, you go to another treatment room, where you'll lay on the typical massage table. Moving from the soft scent of honey to a very strong blood orange and lemon scent really awakens the senses. In fact, I can still smell the lotion on me. And Dawn gave me what was left to take home.

After a relaxing lunch out by the pool, I was ready to go home and go to bed.

But work called me.

Nevertheless, if you're not taking time out for special treatments like this once in a while--even if it's a more affordable bubble bath at home--you might need to schedule some nurturing time.

What are some ways you have nurtured yourself in the past?


(Above photo provided by Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa)