How I Thrive takes an inside look at founders, entrepreneurs and leaders and the behind-the-scenes self-care work they do to in order to live balanced, happy lives. Today's edition is with The Village Rock Shop founder Xenia Mateiu, who believes in twice daily stretching, regular breathwork, and the occasional spa day.
Age: 34
City: Carlsbad, California
Company: The Village Rock Shop, a shop that carries a carefully selected collection of crystals, the best quality raw, rough, tumbled, faceted, polished gemstones along with a wide variety of spiritual gifts.
Morning routine:
I like to wake up early in the morning because I find I'm a lot more productive throughout the day than if I sleep in. I also want to have enough time to do my mourning routine.
I usually start my day with a meditation with my crystals. Depending on how I'm feeling, I choose the ones that resonate with me the most. Sometimes I also light a scented candle. After my meditation, I do some physical exercises, which consist of stretches to get my energy flowing properly. Then I make my plan for the day. I think about my tasks and try to organize them throughout the day, but I still leave some room for spontaneity, and I'm open to changes that may occur. After I finish making a little "plan" for the day, I get on to my chores, and then head over to my shop.
The first thing I do after work:
Dinner ritual:
I usually eat my dinner no later than 8 p.m., and I like to cook for myself rather than order in. To me, cooking is a form of self-care! I believe what I eat greatly influences my body and my energy, short and long-term, and I feel like preparing myself a healthy meal, cooked with love is truly an act of self-care.
Nighttime routine:
Before bed I do a little meditation and breathwork to unwind and let go of any stress from the day. I do some stretches in bed, more for the legs and hips, and I massage my feet.
Self-care guilty pleasure:
I like to go to the spa once in a while!
Workday self-care hack:
Breath. I always return to the breath to regain balance throughout the day. Even just a few deep breaths sometimes do wonders.
How do you define self-care?
Anything you do with the purpose of keeping your body and mind healthy and helping you evolve. Self-care is a way to release negative energy and welcome positivity.
Favorite childhood toy or hobby:
It's not hard to guess how I spent my time as a child. I loved rocks for as long as I've known myself. When I was a kid I used to have a pretty impressive collection of rocks. I would love to hang around somewhere in nature, especially by the ocean's side where I'd look for hours in the sea of rocks for the one's that I felt drawn to. This love for stones later developed in my love for crystals and ultimately became a great part of my life.
State of your (email) inbox:
I read and respond to every email I get.
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