A semi-finalist for Mrs South Africa 2022, Shan Fourie believes that wellness is all-encompassing – mental, physical and emotional, and believes it is important to keep your life clean of toxicity. For Shan, self-care is her number one priority. Here are her top 12 tips for putting herself first.
1. Meditation and taking time out to just be in the moment is so very important for your well-being. It helps to ground you, bring a sense of calm and balance to your life, which is often very frenetic and busy.
2. Including breathing exercises when meditating or before falling asleep at night helps to calm you and bring you into a deeper sleep state. I’ve been taught the four-seven-eight breathing technique: breathe in for four, hold for seven, and out for eight. It is amazing – try it.
3. Practising yoga is one of my number one wellness tips. Yoga brings breathing and exercise together in such a way that helps you not only stay fit physically, but also releases tension and stress psychologically. It truly helps ground me.
4. Never underestimate the power of a long, hot bath with beautiful oil or salts. My current favourite bath oil is one from Babylonstoren in the winelands. Find one that makes you feel peaceful, grounded and relaxed. Lavender is fabulous for this.
5. It’s no secret that true health starts in your body and mind. What you put into your body is just as important as what you put into your mind. Remove toxicity from your life, whether it be Instagram accounts that leave you feeling unworthy, or people who bring more negativity into your life than positive, as these things no longer serve you. Self-preservation is vital.
6. When it comes to what you put into your body, drinking loads of water is number one on the list. A minimum of two litres a day will help flush toxins, keep your cells hydrated and help your gut to work properly.
7. I try to start most days with a green juice. Celery alone is brilliant, but if you can’t quite stomach that then a mix of celery, spinach, half an avo, an apple and some cucumber is brilliant. I like to add Harvest Table Nutrafy collagen for uneven skin tone into my green juice.
8. It’s important to find the time for a regular massage – every six weeks is ideal. It helps relieve stress and tension that builds up in the muscles before they start creating serious pain and discomfort.
9. I highly recommend prioritising regular facials with skin specialists to keep your skin healthy. Also take their guidance on what to use on your skin. Healthy skin = products best suited to your needs.
10. Carve out time to spend time with friends and those who fill your soul with sunshine. We all need to feel loved and love on one another. Isolating yourself due to being “too busy” can easily lead to feelings of depression. Spend time with people who leave you walking in sunshine.
11. Practice gratitude. This isn’t always easy, especially when we feel like we are barely keeping our heads above water, but when it comes down to the basic human needs, we have so much to be grateful for. The sun that rises every day. The air we have to fill our lungs and cells with life. Love – that we can freely give and receive. I assure you that by practicing an attitude of gratitude you will soon see how your outlook changes and will start to notice more goodness around you. You’ll start to appreciate more moments.
12. Lastly, splash out every so often on something that makes you happy – whether be a beautiful candle, a new make-up product you’ve been saving for, or a fragrance that makes you feel happy. Fragrance is such a powerful way of changing mood and evoking emotions due to its ability to influence our brain.