Making time for yourself… Easier said than done, right? Even thirty minutes away sounds almost impossible with all you have to do. However, spending just a few moments in a warm bath is beyond therapeutic and can be well worth the short time away from your duties.

“There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them.” Read more about the healing wonders of a bath in Issue 11 of Bella Grace.

In this world of perpetual motion and immediacy, we rarely etch out time in our busy schedules for self-care.

Most of us are too busy with social media or other insignificant time consuming activities to stop and smell the bath soap. However, in the past, our mothers and grandmothers seemed to truly uphold the ritual of self-care and pampering.

The bathroom in my childhood home was a mixture of different shades of blue. The shelves and cabinets were full of perfume bottles, toiletries, pounds of Epsom salt, and other amenities.  Our bathroom window opened up to our huge backyard.

I used to draw my mother’s bath in one of those large basin bathtubs, it was blue too.  I’d squeeze a considerable amount of bubble bath in the water, and watched it gurgle, bubble, and slush around until the tub was full. When my mother was ready for me, she’d call for me to wash her back.

As a young girl, I noticed this was a time of relaxation and reflection for my mother.

Interestingly enough, my mother did the same thing for her mother. She drew my grandmother’s bath and washed her mother’s back as well. For her it was a time to bond with my grandmother.

A nurse with six children of her own, my grandmother still took time to pamper herself after a long day of taking care of others.

Bathing is not only for cleansing, but it’s a time for reflection, relaxation and ritual.

So when you’re slaving in your soap room or kitchen producing wholesale amounts of bath and beauty products, make sure you set aside some time for yourself.

Establish your ritual and enjoy the real meaning of the word “bath.” Remember to always take care of yourself, mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Jackie Joice is an award winning photographer, poet, writer and qualitative researcher. She’s a passionate self-care advocate and a strong believer in the healing qualities of water. Joice’s creations emphasize scent, sight, and touch. Find her on IG as @ecclektikos @jackie.joice and find her work at jackiejoice.weebly.com and ecclektikos.weebly.com.

Discover More Bath-Time Inspiration from Willow and Sage:

6 Tips for the Perfect Bath                         The Art of Bathing                                        Let’s Talk Detox Baths
from Winter 2017                                        from Summer 2014                                       from Winter 2015