My active efforts in wellness began in 2015, after attending the W.E.L.L. Summit (W.E.L.L. stands for wellness, empowerment, learning, and luxury). Although I haven’t yet had adequate time to absorb all the benefits of W.E.L.L. Summit 2016 in NYC ( I promise to report back here when I have, but here was my first post), I did have a little epiphany or two – one of which was to create a Wellness Tray.

What is a Wellness Tray?

It is a designated spot which houses any or all items which make you feel cared for, nourished, peaceful, refreshed, relaxed and able to sort through and process anything, emotionally or physically that you need to.

I would add that what I recommend is having a designated space to relax and collect yourself – a meditative corner, a special chair, a patch of sunlight that you like to go to, a quiet shaded corner, your yoga mat. Any of these are lovely options as well. I like the idea of a Tray because sometimes you might want to take some special favorite items with you to a different spot that feels right, and a tray makes things portable, but not permanent, but also brings adequate definition to the practice of going to your Wellness spot. Particularly in small spaces in city living, it becomes harder to designate distinct spaces for living, sleeping, eating, so it is helpful to have a grounding, defined spot with a tray that lets you know you’re in a specific, created space ready for relaxing and wellness to relax you, one sensory experience at a time.

The beauty of this is that the Wellness Tray can and will likely evolve throughout the seasons, literally, and metaphorically, that you experience.

I’m going to show you what is on my Wellness Tray at the moment. I’m extremely excited to do so because it allows me to also share with you the creations of some special wellness-minded folks and small makers who are passionate about what they do. Their energy has inspired me, and I hope that you will feel encouraged and empowered this season to make one of your own.

I love repurposing almost everything and giving it a new life, so adding this new Wellness Tray into my self-care routine is a small but beautiful investment. It is shareable too – I think it would make a fantastic gift to wrap up a tray with a few starter items and gift someone you love a Wellness Tray. It is like a luxurious version of a gift basket :)!

My Wellness Tray

nourish night balm and peacefull body butter

Over the next week, I will share with you a short story about some of the awesome makers featured on my tray (and that will also mean some special goodies for you! Hurray!) so come back each day for more wonderful wellness inspiration. I hope you can tell just HOW excited I am about this series, because I truly love each of these makers, their stories, and their products and they come together beautifully in this loving, beautiful Wellness Tray.

Today I’ll start with the centerpiece. The tray I chose is the ‘Ardesia Tray’ c/o 222 Fifth‘s home decor line. It is a dark slate grey with smooth wooden handles that are easy to hold, super light, beautifully made, and it is surprisingly affordable – it is $24.99, but for BlueBootsGo readers, you get an additional 15% off of anything on the 222 Fifth shop when you use the code BLUEBOOTSGO at checkout. Want one of these trays for yourself or for a holiday gift? Order by December 15 to get it by Christmas! You can also use it as a beautiful serving tray for food or to serve breakfast in bed, display coffee table items like books, plants, candles. 222 Fifth is a company (located at that address in NYC, 222, Fifth Avenue) that draws its design inspiration from Europe, the Americas, and Asia and they’re devoted to blending functionality, value, and beauty into their pieces. This philosophy fits with what I look for in adding few quality pieces to my (small) space, as I want something that is unique but sturdy and lasting.

Here are some other ideas of what you could have on the tray:

–fresh flowers

–a journal+a pen – to write – that act of writing by hand can be therapeutic to flow things out, quietly.

–essential oils – in a relaxing scent that you prefer (lavender, peppermint, vanilla)

–a source of calming sounds – a meditation audio track, nature sounds, white noise, calming music

–a tasty treat – doesn’t have to be chocolate. A little bowl of luxury.

–hydration/refreshment – make your own spa water (I can share some favorite and super easy options to prep once and leave in your fridge, in another post!), or have tea or wine (the more giftable options)

So, take your awesome, personalized, rejuvenating Wellness Tray to a floor cushion, to the bath, to your yoga mat, to a rug, next to your beloved cuddly pet, on the porch, to the park – anywhere you feel safe and loved.

Did this post spark some ideas of what special items make you feel relaxed and cared for?

Please do share (either in the comments, or take a snapshot of your Wellness Tray send me an email at wherethebluebootsgo (at) gmail.com). I really feel like wellness is both a personal and community activity, so please do share – make one and send me a photo and I will be happy to feature it :).

Over on Instagram @bluebootsgo and Facebook, I’m also encouraging sharing with wellness, so use #mywellnessadventure and #bluebootsgo so I can see and cheer you on! <3