The Nest at 53, 53 Green End, Little Staughton (2025)

03/09/2025

💛 For the carers, the givers, the ones who keep going… 💛

Caring for someone you love through illness is one of the most selfless acts there is. It’s also one of the heaviest. The long days, the emotional weight, the constant “being there” — it’s no wonder burnout creeps in quietly.

Please remember looking after yourself isn’t selfish. It’s essential. Your well-being matters, too.

Aromatherapy massage can be a gentle way to release tension, soften anxiety, and give your body and mind a moment to breathe. It’s not just a treatment — it’s a safe space where you can lay down the weight for a little while.

🌿 You give so much. Let yourself receive, too. 🌿

📍 Based in Little Staughton on the Bedfordshire/ Cambridgeshire border I offer Specialist in palliative care support through Aromatherapy massage by appointment. Just head on over to the booking page on the website to book https://www.thenestat53.com/book-online or please do message me if you’d like to talk through your needs before booking

Julia xx

01/09/2025

Hello, September 🌿 As we approach the final days of summer, take a little time to think about what this season has brought into your life. Whether it’s been good, tough, or somewhere in between, all experiences are valuable.

Change is a gentle reminder that new beginnings are on the horizon, and a quite nudge to take the chance to pause, reassess, take stock, and maybe tweak a few things as we move into the next season.

There’s still 22 days of summer left so embrace the last bits of warmth and sunshine as we notice the subtle shifts within ourselves.

Here's to a smooth transition and a new season to embrace.

30/08/2025

Grief changes everything. Some days feel heavy, some feel numb, and some take all your strength just to get through. There’s no right way to grieve — only your way.

In the midst of it all, your body holds the weight of your emotions. Shoulders tighten. Breathing feels shallow. Sleep doesn’t come easily.

Aromatherapy massage offers a quiet, compassionate space to rest. Gentle touch and calming scents can help ease physical tension, soften anxiety, and give your heart a moment’s peace — without needing to say a word.

🌿 You don’t have to carry it all alone. 🌿

I offer Gentle grief support though Aromatherapy massage, by appointment in Little Staughton on the Bedfordshire/ Cambridgeshire border. Please do message me if you’d like to talk through your needs before booking or just head on over to the booking page on the website https://www.thenestat53.com/book-online

Julia xx

28/08/2025

🌿 You don’t have to earn rest. You are allowed to slow down. 🌿

Life moves fast. Work, family, endless to-do lists… it’s easy to forget that rest isn’t a reward — it’s a need. Your body and mind deserve care simply because you deserve care.

Here at The Nest at 53, I create a calm, nurturing space where you can pause, breathe, and let the world wait for a while. Through soothing aromatherapy massage, I help ease tension, restore balance, and remind you what it feels like to truly relax.

✨ You don’t need a reason. You just need a moment for you.

📍 Based in Little Staughton on the Bedfordshire/ Cambridgeshire border I offer Aromatherapy massage support by appointment. Just head on over to the booking page on the website to book https://www.thenestat53.com/book-online or please do message me if you’d like to talk through your needs before booking.

Julia xx

26/08/2025

🌿 Lavender: More Than Just a Calming Scent—It Influences ours brain's emotional centre

Lavender isn't just a pleasant fragrance; it's a powerful ally in emotional regulation. Scientific research reveals that lavender essential oil can positively affect the limbic system—the brain's emotional hub.

🧠 How Lavender Impacts the Limbic System

The limbic system, including structures like the amygdala and hippocampus, plays a crucial role in processing emotions and stress responses. Lavender's active compounds, such as linalool, interact with neurotransmitter systems to modulate these emotional centres.

🔬 Scientific Insights

• EEG Studies: Lavender aromatherapy has been shown to increase alpha brain wave activity, indicating a relaxed state. This suggests that lavender can help shift the brain into a more balanced, calm state.

• Neurotransmitter Interaction: Linalool in lavender has an inhibitory effect on GABA-A receptors, which are involved in calming neural activity. This interaction can help reduce anxiety and promote relaxation.

• Clinical Applications: Lavender essential oil has demonstrated efficacy in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, particularly in older adults. Its calming effects are linked to the suppression of sympathetic nervous system activity.

🌸 Incorporating Lavender into Your Routine

To harness lavender's benefits:

• Aromatherapy: Diffuse lavender essential oil in your living space.

• Topical Application: Dilute lavender oil with a carrier oil and apply to pulse points - use a concentration of no more than 5 drops of essential oil in 10ml of your chosen carrier oil if you are fit and healthy (just add 2 drops if you are pregnant or frail)

• Bath Soak: Add a few drops of lavender oil to a cup of milk and add into your bath for a soothing experience (the milk helps to disperse the oil into the water and stop it clumping and reacting with your skin).

Remember to consult with a professional before starting any new wellness regimen, especially if you have underlying health conditions.

https://www.thenestat53.com/book-online

24/08/2025

🌿 Safe & Healing Touch: Consent, Pacing & Nervous System Awareness in Aromatherapy Massage

At The Nest at 53 I believe that touch is most healing when it’s safe, consensual, and attuned to your body and nervous system. How do I honour this?

Consent First

• Every massage begins with clear communication about touch preferences, pressure, and areas to avoid.
• You’re in control—anything can be adjusted or stopped at any time.

Pacing Matters

• We work at a comfortable pace, allowing your body and nervous system to relax gradually.
• Slow, gentle transitions let you sink into the experience instead of feeling rushed.

Supporting Your Nervous System

• Aromatherapy and gentle touch are tools to help your nervous system settle, not trigger stress.
• I observe cues like tension, flinches, or changes in breathing and adapt accordingly.
• Grounding techniques, pauses, or mindful breathing are offered when needed to enhance relaxation and safety.

💚 My promise to you: Every single massage is a space of trust, safety, and mindful care, honouring your body and your boundaries.

https://www.thenestat53.com/book-online

22/08/2025

🌈 National Rainbow Baby Day 🌈
Trigger Warning: Infant loss, miscarriage

Today, we pause to honour both the unimaginable loss and the quiet hope that many families carry.

A Rainbow Baby is a baby born after the loss of a previous pregnancy or infant — whether through miscarriage, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy, or neonatal death. The term symbolises beauty and light after the storm. But even in joy, the road can still be paved with complex and painful emotions.

I want to acknowledge this journey with love, empathy, and respect. However parenthood has unfolded for you, please know that you're always welcome here — with all your story, your grief, your healing, and your joy. 💜

If you or someone you know needs support around pregnancy or infant loss, here are some wonderful organisations offering help:

🕊️ Tommy’s Baby Loss Support
🕊️ Sands (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Support)
🕊️ Bliss – for babies born premature or sick
🕊️ The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust
🕊️ The Miscarriage Association

With gentle thoughts and open arms,
Julia x

20/08/2025

🌿Can massage help with anxiety?

🤩 Yes — and here’s how science explains it:

Massage therapy has been shown to lower cortisol by about 31%, while increasing the “feel-good” neurotransmitters serotonin (≈28%) and dopamine (≈31%) — helping deeply reduce stress and elevate mood.

Physiologically, it promotes a parasympathetic shift, calming your heart rate and blood pressure and allowing your body to truly relax.

By also using aromatherapy we can further enhance the effects. Oils like sweet orange have been proven to reduce anxiety and cortisol levels—especially in stressful situations like dental visits.

Essential oil diffusion has also been linked to improved sleep, reduced heart rate, and lower anxiety in clinical environments such as Intensive care units or surgery waiting rooms.

While massage isn’t a sole solution for anxiety, it’s a gentle, scientifically supported method to soothe both the body and mind.

References:
1. Field, T., Hernandez-Reif, M., Diego, M., Schanberg, S., & Kuhn, C. (2005). Cortisol decreases and serotonin and dopamine increase following massage therapy. International Journal of Neuroscience, 115(10), 1397–1413. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207450590956459
2. Lehrner, J., Eckersberger, C., Walla, P., Pötsch, G., & Deecke, L. (2000). Ambient odor of orange in a dental office reduces anxiety and improves mood in female patients. Physiology & Behavior, 71(1-2), 83–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9384(00)00308-5
3. Jafardazeh, S., & Mohammadi, R. (2013). The effect of aromatherapy on anxiety in patients. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, 18(5), 482–485. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3870405/
4. Koulivand, P. H., Khaleghi Ghadiri, M., & Gorji, A. (2013). Lavender and the nervous system. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2013, Article ID 681304. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/681304

18/08/2025

🌿 Understanding Stress — and How Aromatherapy Massage Can Help
Stress is a natural response to the challenges life throws at us, but when it becomes chronic, it can build and affect our health in many unseen ways:

🧠 Mind: anxiety, difficulty concentrating, poor sleep

💪 Body: muscle pain, digestive issues, lowered immunity

💜 Emotions: feeling irritable, flat, or disconnected

Some of life’s experiences can make stress even more complex:
• Trauma can leave the body in a constant “alert” state, even long after events have passed.
• Pregnancy brings not only physical changes but shifts in emotional demands that can heighten stress.
• Palliative care situations involve deep emotional, physical, and spiritual strain — for both the person and their loved ones.

Aromatherapy massage combines

✨ Slow, intentional massage that calms the body and activates the parasympathetic nervous system – “You’re safe now, you can exhale, you don’t have to be on high alert.”

✨ Essential oils (like lavender, frankincense, or neroli) don’t just smell nice. They interact with the limbic system—the brain’s emotional centre—helping to regulate mood, ease anxiety, and bring a sense of grounding or uplift.

✨ Together, scent + touch work as a holistic, sensory experience that supports deep relaxation, emotional release, and reconnection with the body

✨ This then encourages better sleep and rest, reduces muscle pain, anxiety, digestive issues, boosts immunity and improves emotions

✨ Providing a sense of safety, comfort, and connection

When tailored to individual needs — whether for stress relief, trauma recovery, pregnancy support, or end-of-life care — aromatherapy massage is a gentle yet powerful way to nurture both the body and mind and meets you where you are.

Always seek a qualified therapist who understands your unique needs, especially during pregnancy, after trauma, or when receiving palliative care.

https://www.thenestat53.com/book-online

15/08/2025

Hi, I’m Julia, the heart and hands behind The Nest at 53.

I created this space because I believe in the quiet power of touch and scent to support healing—especially for those carrying stress, trauma, pregnancy or navigating palliative care.

My journey into aromatherapy massage began when I witnessed how deeply the body holds tension, emotion, and memory. I saw how something as simple as a gentle, intentional massage—paired with therapeutic oils—could shift someone from survival mode into a place of rest, softness, and reconnection.

This work isn’t about “fixing” people.
It’s about holding space.
It’s about slowing down.
It’s about offering a moment of calm, safety, and dignity in a world that often moves too fast.

Whether you're looking for relief from anxiety, support through grief, or a comforting presence during life's most tender moments—this space is for you. 💛

🌿 Based in Little Staughton, my peaceful home treatment room is the perfect place to let go.

https://www.thenestat53.com/book-online

14/08/2025

What Is Aromatherapy Massage?

Aromatherapy massage is more than just a relaxing treatment—it’s a powerful support tool for the nervous system, especially for those navigating stress, trauma, or emotional fatigue.

Here’s how it works:

🌿 The Power of Touch
Slow, intentional massage calms the body and activates the parasympathetic nervous system—the part of us responsible for rest, digestion, and healing.

It tells your body:

🫶 “You’re safe now.”
🫁 “You can exhale.”
🧠 “You don’t have to be on high alert.”

💧 The Power of Scent

Essential oils (like lavender, frankincense, or neroli) don’t just smell nice. They interact with the limbic system—the brain’s emotional center—helping to regulate mood, ease anxiety, and bring a sense of grounding or uplift.

💛 Together, scent + touch work as a holistic, sensory experience that supports deep relaxation, emotional release, and reconnection with the body—especially helpful for those healing from trauma, burnout, grief, or chronic stress.

This work is gentle.

It’s consent-based.

And it meets you where you are.

🌱 Curious if aromatherapy massage is right for you? I’d love to talk so just send me a DM 💛

Based in Little Staughton on the Bedfordshire / Cambridgeshire borders

Booking via https://www.thenestat53.com/book-online

02/08/2025

Happy Saturday! 🥳

All ready for a fabulous full day of Saturday treatments.

Why not book your treatment today? If your hoping for a Saturday they fill up fast so grab your appointment soon 🥰

Julia xx

https://www.thenestat53.com/book-online

The Nest at 53

03/09/2025

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