Welcome to Time For You, HELLO!'s brand new series that asks wellness experts for the one thing they do every day to boost their mood – take notes!
We spoke to life coach and author Michelle Elman about the one way she makes time for herself – and how her simple habit stops her from overthinking
Michelle, what's the one thing you do that's just for you?
"I love carving out some time to be alone and meditate in the bath. I spend up to two hours in the tub, staying in until I'm wrinkly.
"I don't go overboard on products – I prefer to keep my bath quite simple with bath salts, usually from Westlab.
© Photo: InstagramMichelle Elman has a clever way to quiet her mind
"I like to use guided meditations on Audible or if I have a lot of feelings, I do something called somatic processing where I do a body scan and pay attention to the physical sensations in my body that are arising.
"I have a playlist on Spotify of music that I put on in the background and I breathe into the areas of tightness and tension. I love turning the lights off and putting on candles and my current favourites are the ones from Anthropologie.
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Sounds blissful – why is it so important to you to unwind?
"When I get stressed or feel overwhelmed, my mind gets busier and busier, so this is a practice I started to get myself out of my head and more present in my body.
"I believe that when we spend more time in our body, we are able to actually process how we feel, rather than overthinking and building stories around everything that's going on."
© Photo: Getty ImagesMichelle's two-hour baths help stop her overthinking
How does your bath stop you from overthinking?
"It helps me ground into reality and bring a perspective to all my problems.
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"It's easy for me to think that every problem is a big deal, but my bath helps everything feel manageable again. It's also a way to get me off my phone. I always put my phone on airplane mode so I can have the music without the disruption."
How often do you treat yourself?
"I've got into a bad habit lately and have only been making time for myself when everything already has built up. I want to get better at keeping up the maintenance, so I don't need so many repairs.
Michelle Elman's latest book The Selfish Romantic: How to date without feeling bad about yourself is out now
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