Keep Those New Year’s Resolutions: Five Natural Ways to Increase Focus and Energy

As January lurches out of the traps, it’s understandable that you would be longing for natural ways to increase focus and energy. Because while the arrival of a fresh new year is always exciting, the build up to the festive season can leave you feeling frazzled and fatigued – not to mention full. So we asked aromatherapy and skincare expert Jo Manchester for her favourite natural ways to increase focus and energy. Her picks provide calmness after the Christmas chaos and will help to bring ‘20/20’ focus to your new year resolutions.

Hot bath, long soak

Let’s be honest. You deserve some R&R. Between the parties, the prezzie purchasing and the planning – not to mention your everyday responsibilities – you gave a lot of yourself over the festive season. Now it’s time to indulge in some guilt-free you time. And what better than a long soak in the tub to begin blowing away the post-Christmas cobwebs? For a soak of superior quality, add some restorative bath salts and light some aromatic candles. Try the calming scent of lavender and chamomile or promote clarity of mind with geranium and lemon. Rub-a-dub-dub.

Scrub yourself energised

What if you could energise your senses while pampering your skin? For super soft skin and improved circulation, scoop out some of Laughing Bird’s invigorating Lemon & Walnut Body Scrub and get with those ablutions. Follow up with the natural skincare expert’s Shea & Cocoa Body Butter, bursting with energising patchouli and lime essential oils. A simple way to reconnect mind and body.

Revive your post-Christmas complexion

Sometimes looking your best on the outside can energise you on the inside. If the culinary indulgences of the festive season have left your complexion looking a little unbalanced, turn to G Baldwin & Co’s exclusive Balancing Neroli & Willow Bark range. Bursting with astringent, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, the formulations have been designed to cleanse, balance and revive skin to maintain a clear complexion.

Fill your room with therapeutic goodness

Forget post-Christmas crankiness, here’s a mist that you’ll be happy is descending. Findhorn’s mist sprays are handmade using organically grown wild Scottish flowers, plants and trees. They are endowed with thoughtfully curated essential oils – such as blue lotus, frankincense and rose – that don’t only smell beautiful, but are thought to promote focus and creativity too. Happy dew year.

Presents of mind: essential oils

If you want to get more creative about natural wellness this year, give yourself the gift of aromatherapy. For hundreds of years Mother Nature’s larder has been used to tackle medical ailments and boost focus, concentration and relaxation. Baldwin’s range of organic essential oils is supported by the Soil Association and allows you to unleash the healing power of Mother Nature’s larder in the comfort of your own home. After all, it’s so important to support your creativity and mental wellbeing…

Focus Story: Harriet Donnithorne

Following a traumatic incident in her personal life, Baldwins customer Harriet Donnithorne transformed her mental health by learning a new craft. It was a move she now credits with saving her life. Today she has turned her love for upcycling and furniture craft into a successful business. Watch her moving story of resilience, determination and creativity. Well worth two minutes of your time.

Discover award-winning vegan skincare

The tips above were devised by Jo Manchester. She’s the aromatherapy and skincare specialist behind Joanna Naturals, an award-winning vegan skincare brand that uses plant-based ingredients to nourish and protect the skin. You can browse her amazing range on our website.

Loving Jo’s tips? This month, in the Baldwins Curator Collective newsletter, she provides a simple make-at-home recipe for a calming aromatic candle that will promote mindfulness with a blend of lavender, chamomile and ylang ylang essential oils.