How often do you feel stressed? Research shows that the average UK adult feels stressed for around eight days per month.
Being a beauty professional may be what earns you money, but it is also your passion and should have a positive impact on your wellbeing. So how can wellness be promoted while you work?
Scratch chats to Caroline Flynn and Amanda Murdoch, co-founders of Bedfordshire co-working wellness hub, Creative Hub Studio, and Isabella Gilmartin, founder of Koncept Studio, a hub for independent creative talent in Leeds, to source their tips.
Caroline Flynn & Amanda Murdoch
Isabella Gilmartin
1. There’s no place like home
Home comforts are key to creating a comfortable environment for yourself and clients. Caroline suggests placing candles around the workplace to create a relaxed, homely aroma.
FACT FILE: Floral fragrances, in particular jasmine, are the most mood-boosting scents as they trigger the brain to release more positive thoughts.
2. Music to your ears
Isabella works with the pros housed in Koncept Studio to curate playlists for the space, ensuring that they enhance both the creative and client experience, while fitting the treatment being carried out.
FACT FILE: Early results of studies conducted in lockdown show that music helped us to relax, elevated our mood, kept us company and improved our satisfaction with life.
3. Get green-fingered
Caroline and Amanda recommend bringing the outside inside. Creative Hub Studio partners with Green Salon Collective, an authority on salon sustainability in the UK and Ireland, which advises hair salons to put hair cut off clients into plant pots to provide extra nutrients.
FACT FILE: Being around plants decreases anxiety levels by promoting feelings of calm, and improves memory and attention span.
4. Smell the roses
Isabella ensures that scents are strong throughout Koncept Studio, personalised to achieve different aims in different parts of the space. For example, citrus essential oils in the Studio’s social hub promote uplifting and energised feelings.
FACT FILE: In one study, inhaling citrus essential oils just before a stressful test helped participants to feel less anxious during and after the exam.
5. Find your tribe
Amanda stresses the importance of sharing time with other professionals, particularly in-person. “Organise a coffee morning or go for a walk with people in your area,” she suggests. “We all need a team room where we can talk about our businesses, ask ‘what do you think to this’ or ‘how do you deal with that’, and share knowledge.”
FACT FILE: There is strong evidence to show that feeling close to and valued by others is a fundamental human need and is critical for wellbeing.
6. Colour yourself happy
Isabella explains that Koncept Studio’s aesthetic is heavily inspired by art galleries: spaces that embody wellbeing to her. She invites local artists and designers to use the space as their canvas, showcasing their work on its walls.
FACT FILE: There is a correlation between participating in cultural activities, like attending art galleries, and feeling more satisfied and less anxious and depressed.
7. Work smart, not harder
Particularly for freelance pros, Caroline advises managing your time well so that you are able to take time out for yourself.
FACT FILE: Downtime replenishes attention and motivation, plus improves productivity, creativity and mood.