We’ve been talking about it a lot on Instagram right now so we have to ask the question: when was the last time you made a dedicated effort to slow down and take time out for yourself? And no, passing out on the sofa on a Friday night after a pizza and Netflix binge doesn’t count. We’re talking about that oh-so-hard-justify-at-the-time but ever so rewarding level of slowing down that truly recharges your batteries. Whether that means working through a guided meditation on an app, or five minutes closing your eyes and focusing on your breathe while in transit, taking even the smallest amount of time out of your day for yourself can make a huge difference.
Before you get cynical, we’re far from the organic cotton-wearing yogi-types – ‘zen’ is probably the last word you’d attribute to our team. Our days are filled with stress (work and self-imposed) and we have unrivalled monogamous relationships with our iPhones – so not the best combination. As people who find ourselves interacting with other human beings, both in social and professional settings, chances are we’re going to feel stressed at some point during the week. We can’t all pack up and vacate our lives to some far flung island in the quest of zen and that’s where Neom founder Nicola Elliott comes in.
After years interviewing celebrities for the likes of Marie Claire and Elle, she was at breaking point. Burned out, exhausted and jaded by it all, she enrolled on an aromatherapy and nutrition course and started off by making little tinctures to keep her nearest and dearest energised. 11 years later, she’s the head of her own natural aromatherapy brand and she has a personal mission to encourage more of us to, well, relax. If there’s one thing none of us has, it’s time, and she’s knows that, which is why she’s shared some of the tips, tricks and routines she’s implemented to manage stress and anxiety.
ON WALKING AWAY FROM A 10 YEAR CAREER IN MAGAZINES: I loved it! I left university and did about nine placements on different titles – it was a great way for me to learn on the job, and showcase my talents. I went on to work on Minx Magazine, and then worked my way up. I was in the industry for 10 years and worked at magazines like Glamour and Marie Claire. I worked mainly on the entertainment side, so a lot of my work was with celebrities, which was great fun, but towards the end I was crying out for a “normal” job, where I wasn’t being called in the middle of the night to change a celebrity’s nail appointment, or something similar. I was stressed, and I became burnt out at the age of 26. It was a very fast paced environment, I was working 60 hour weeks and trying to juggle my social life too, I didn’t even have kids then. I worked really hard and while I definitely do thrive under pressure, I was in the type of job where what you put in you didn’t always get out. I had become jaded and it at that point that I thought that I had to take stock and take a different route with my career.
BABYSTEPS INTO AROMATHERAPY AND NUTRITION: At the beginning it was really just an after-work hobby – I had a natural interest in wellbeing and I needed something else to focus on outside of work. I started making little tinctures for my friends who were stressed, tired and having mood swings, and I found they really worked so I became more and more interested. My sister was really having trouble sleeping, so I started blending together a mix of essential oils and called it Tranquillity. It really helped her so I kept going. My husband would often come back from playing sports on a Saturday and he’d be really tired, not wanting to go out so I made up what is now our Energy Boosting blend which he would use in the. Starting the business, though, was something that happened organically. I have a true passion for women’s health and wellbeing, and I was hugely influenced by my sister, and other friends who were completely burnt out. Plus, at the time there was a growing awareness of green and organic beauty, which wasn’t necessarily in easy reach for consumers so I knew there was a little gap where Neom could sit perfectly.
You need to think of success as a marathon and not sprint. If you burn out too quickly you won’t be able to see the real fruits of your labour, so even though it’s tempting to skip the lunch breaks and work late every night, if you don’t make time for yourself then you simply won’t be firing on all cylinders for your team, your family, yourself. Your wellbeing is everything – get the basics right and the rest will follow.
THE NEOM STORY: I had a lightbulb moment was when I was looking for some organic pampering gifts, again for my very green-minded but glamorous sister. I had to either choose something glam that was full of synthetic chemicals or head to a health food shop, buy something with great organic credentials but stuffed in a brown paper bag. It was really obvious to me from the beginning that my products had to be 100 per cent natural and, where possible, organic to actually work. It’s all about the purity of the essential oils, the complexity of the blends and the highest level of inclusion, and no-one else was doing that back then. First and foremost, Neom is about helping people manage their wellbeing; the issues people face, from poor sleep to stress, tiredness and feeling low, are often inter-linked. If left unchecked, they can really impact on long-term health and that’s what keeps me inspired and always seeking new solutions. I am the Neom customer – I’m 38, a busy mum of two and I don’t have time to do yoga for 2 hours on a beach each morning (if only!). I want my shower to work twice as hard to give me a quick burst of energy at 6am, for a bath to relax me twice as deeply at night and for a home scent to really help everyone wind down after getting in from school or work.
WHY ESTABLISHING A ROUTINE WILL MAKE YOU FEEL BALANCED: Nothing affects how you feel as much as sleep or lack of it. And I absolutely believe that a great day after eight solid hours of quality sleep A routine is key. I banish electricals after 9pm, light a Neom tranquillity candle in my bedroom, have a warm bath filled with tranquillity oil, take 2 magnesium capsules and spritz my pillow to soothe me into sleep.
ON MOTHERHOOD: I find motherhood is hard. It’s the gear shift, for me, that I find the hardest. It’s not necessarily fitting a lot of stuff into the day that can be tiring at times. It’s the shift from organising a business and working in a slick adult fashion, to then going home to two children saying ‘no I’m not getting in the bath’ or ‘I want the blue cup and not the pink cup’. It just kind of throws you. When I spend a week with my kids, I find it gets easier as the week goes on. You slicken up your routine, don’t you? But flicking between working and being a mum, that’s one of the hardest things. I think us working mothers are really hard on ourselves as well.
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING TIME FOR YOURSELF: There was, and still is a feeling that making time for yourself is a “luxury”, when in fact it’s absolutely a necessity! We conducted the Neom Lifestyle Audit on 1,000 women last year and we found that 93 per cent of stressed women take no time for themselves every day, and 1 in 2 does not make enough time to look after their health & wellbeing – it’s really worrying. The road to success is long and hard. That’s the reality and that’s coming from me who’s only a few steps along on that journey! You need to think of it as a marathon and not sprint. If you burn out too quickly you won’t be able to see the real fruits of your labour, so even though it’s tempting to skip the lunch breaks and work late every night, if you don’t make time for yourself then you simply won’t be firing on all cylinders for your team, your family, yourself. Your wellbeing is everything – get the basics right and the rest will follow. People like Arianna Huffington are admirable role models right now, as we are all guilty of wanting to ‘have it all’ at the expense of our health and true happiness. I recently read her book ‘Thrive’ where she discusses the third metric: the importance of slowing down and unplugging from our 24-hour world. I love that idea and try to emulate that approach in my business.
STOP FEELING BAD, ALREADY: There’s no ‘okay’ area in our life that we can take as downtime. It’s really important to not look around and see how everyone else is doing. We need to quit beating ourselves up about everything and comparing ourselves with other women. I loathe saying ‘me time’ because it sounds like this indulgent, unnecessary, luxurious, ‘put your feet up while everything else goes on around you’ time – which is completely counterproductive. But I do think we need to take some time for our mental health. I fear for women because I think we are particularly bad at that. As a woman, it’s about cutting yourself some slack and trying to make the everyday a little bit more luxurious. You need to change your attitude so that you look after yourself, because then you can look after your family and your colleagues.