Neom founder Nicola ElliottFounder and Creative Director of wellbeing fragrance brand Neom Organics, Nicola Elliott talks real wellbeing and how to create a calm zone…

Wow where do I start? I am not a calm person – I wish I was. I’m a full-on ball of energy, with a default state of super-busy. It’s got me into big trouble and I started to get anxiety. After spending seven hectic years working 60-hour weeks as an editor for Glamour magazine, I noticed my own wellbeing, and that of my close friends, was being affected by the stress and demands of a modern day busy life.

Other offenders? Poor sleep, stress, low energy and mood swings. This kick-started my own wellbeing journey and inspired me to train as an aromatherapist and nutritionist. This was a big part of launching Neom Organics because I found that essential oils can be a massive help for me and my wellbeing. I went on to create our blend called Real Luxury, which I specifically made for the purpose of relaxation and calm.

I place a high priority on taking care of myself and I really think women need to stop feeling guilty for taking that time for themselves. After all, we need to be healthy and happy ourselves to be able to take care of others. I try to take a little time out for myself each day, whether that’s a quick run in the morning, or a relaxing bath in the evening, just having that time to switch off from being a mum/wife/boss is super important for me.

At Neom our mantra is ‘Small Steps Big Difference’ – if you can do just one small thing each day, it can make a huge difference to your wellbeing in the long term. It’s quite simply about looking after yourself in a real way.

Wellbeing shouldn’t be about perfect green smoothies and crazy exercise/dieting, it can be a walk round the park with your kids, a glass of wine with your friends that boosts your mood, grabbing a deeply relaxing bath that works hard to prepare you for a perfect night’s sleep, lighting up a candle at home and creating a calm zone, or it might be a yoga class or a long run – whatever your version of wellbeing is, is cool, but let’s keep it real!

My small steps to calm…

  1. Move your body – find what works best for you. Yoga? A walk – I like to run outdoors – a double whammy if you can get fresh air (and Vitamin D) at the same time.
  2. Meditate –  (I like the Calm App). This can be tricky for me, but something little each day works a treat for busy/overloaded minds.
  3. Essential oils and breathe – I use the Neom Real Luxury essential oil blend (24 different essential oils that work hard together to help banish stress) – I created this back in 2005. This time of year is perfect for the Real Luxury Intensive Skin Treatment Candle. A candle that is made of the most delicious skin-living oils – you just light, inhale the essential oils and then drizzle the warming oils over your skin and cocoon yourself in calm.Neom Real Luxury Candle
  4. Unplug – it’s not the device itself as much as that ‘always on’ feeling it creates. Ping! Oh is that my boss? Ping! What’s the matter now? Ping! They might need me immediately… you get the gist, it’s just a relentless ‘turned on’ feeling that just needs turning OFF for a few hours.
  5. Baths – in 10 mins I can create a calm zone in my bathroom and I honestly emerge feeling like I’ve done a personal reboot. I use the Real Luxury Candle and Bath Foam as a minimum – the oils get to work fast!

 

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