August is National Wellness Month and as summer draws to an end, here are some things you can maintain or introduce to your life as a vegan to make wellness and relaxation a priority.
The reassurance of a vegan certification
According to a recent survey we conducted, 80.7% of vegans in the UK and US are likely or highly likely to pay more for visible vegan certification. The Vegan Trademark is the most trusted and recognised vegan certification standard in the UK. Not having the products you're consuming clearly labelled so you can make easy and conscious choices can make everyday tasks much more stressful and time consuming.
It can be particularly tricky knowing what's authentically vegan when it comes to beauty and body care products for example, with terms like 'vegan-friendly', 'vegan' and 'cruelty-free' being used without a binding legal definition, not to mention long and unfamiliar ingredients lists which often require additional research. But there's a simple way to put your mind at rest. 
The Vegan Society's Vegan Trademark is the oldest vegan labelling scheme and the gold standard. Our team of experts ensure that a product registered with the Vegan Trademark does not contain animal-derived ingredients and has not been tested on animals by the company or on its behalf. All you have to do is look for the Vegan Trademark on packaging or on the website of the brand or wherever you're purchasing from. Certification with our Trademark eliminates all those extra steps so you can shop with ease and peace of mind that we have done all the hard work checking ingredients, testing and manufacture processes against our strict standards.
Get outdoors
Incorporating nature into your daily life (no matter the season) and spending time outside in green spaces can benefit both your physical and mental wellness. Whether it's going for long walks, doing yoga or exercising outdoors, visiting or volunteering your free time at a sanctuary to connect with and nurture animals, picnics in the park with loved ones or small mindful moments pottering about in your garden, these activities can help you relax and have positive effects on your mood, stress levels and even confidence.
Here are some Vegan Trademark certified products to help you bring more nature into your daily life:
Vegan sun safety
While the sun's benefits and being outdoors in nature are plenty, it can also be harmful for your skin so make sure you're protected with regular applications of sunscreen and follow with a vegan after sun if needed. Take a look at these after sun options by Green People, all Vegan Trademark certified. Check out our recent blog on Vegan Skincare for Summer for sun safety tips, as well as sunscreen recommendations for summer and beyond.
Vegan Trademark picnic picks
Need some inspiration for putting together a vegan picnic? Check out our picnic blog for lots of fun vegan product suggestions. Of course, if you wanted it to be a completely easy breezy affair so you can truly relax, you could order off Wagamama's vegan menu featuring a great range of Vegan Trademark certified options and enjoy out in the garden or local park with your pals.
Vegan gardening and plant care to aid your self care
Gardening and plant care can be gentle ways to stay active as well as relax. We know the sun is good for us (while staying protected with SPF) but gardening specifically also has great benefits to our physical and mental health. If you've got the gardening bug but don't know what vegan products to get started with when growing your own food and flowers, check out our blog on vegan gardening essentials from compost and fertilisers to hand and house plant care.
Things to grow in August:
There is still plenty of food you can sow in August if you haven't got started yet, including winter lettuce, cabbage, carrots, chard, radishes, turnips, beetroot, spring onions and even summer planting potato varieties ready to harvest and prepare for your vegan Christmas feast!
If you want to grow flowers, winter-flowering pansies can be sown now for colour in the cooler months. You can also sow hardy annual seeds like poppies, California poppies, cornflowers, calendula and larkspur to provide earlier flowers next year.
Of course, you don't have to go all out, and you don't even have to grow food and flowers. Spending even 20 minutes gardening a day or simply keeping your lawn healthy, and your existing plants pruned, deadheaded and watered can be hugely beneficial to your relaxation and wellness – as well as keeping your garden looking lovely for you to relax in more often.
Scenting your spaces (and you)
Let’s jump from landscaping to scentscaping! Whether that’s scenting your home with a few drops of Tisserand essential oil in a diffuser, a Langtree Botanics scented candle or with Upcircle’s new Home Mist (made with upcycled grapefruit water!) for a soothing and serene atmosphere, to scenting your body with AMNIENS' roller ball scented oils in Nebbia all'alba to calm you and Colpo dell'onda to lift your mood, fragrances can really elevate your relaxation and wellness routine.
Take up an artistic hobby
Why not take up a new (or fall back in love with an old) hobby in aid of nourishing your mental health? If you decided to grow flowers this spring and summer, why not try your hand at flower arranging with the flowers you grew? Using your hands for a slow and mindful activity in the evenings can really help you unwind. If you love knitting and crocheting or would love to learn but don’t know where to find vegan wool and cottons, Wool and The Gang offer Vegan Trademark certified cotton, yarn and raffia for you to explore and get started with.
Cooking mindfully
What you put in your body is so important for both your physical and mental wellbeing. Try to carve out time to dedicate to planning and cooking some nutritious vegan meals. This can look like starting with one meal a week to cook from scratch, meal prepping your lunches or making easy overnight oats for the morning.
Making cooking an event can also take the stress out of it if you struggle with decision paralysis and managing your time. Cook with your partner or invite a friend over to make it a nice bonding activity, or treat it as you time to get creative and enjoy cooking with no distractions (parents – this probably sounds like heaven!) and The Vegan Society’s latest podcast episode for company.
Why not give our vegan fish swap recipes a try or elevate your salads with these tips and product suggestions. We also share recipes on our Vegan Trademark Instagram so make sure you're following for more inspiration and visual guides.
Take your vitamins
Alongside a balanced vegan diet, nourish your body with The Vegan Society's multivitamin, VEG 1. It’s available in Orange and Blackcurrant flavours and comes packaged in sustainable, plastic-free tins.
Sleep
Sleep starts before you climb into your bed. As well as nourishing your body with nutritious vegan food, getting outdoors and staying active, you can prepare your sleep space, and you, with pillow sprays like Tisserand's Sleep Better Pillow Mist, pampering yourself with a soothing bath/shower and skincare routine to help you unwind and, of course, investing in comfortable, vegan bedding to help you sleep with a clear conscience.
We hope we've provided plenty of food for thought to help you on your vegan wellness journey. Make sure you stay connected with us on Instagram, X and TikTok for more vegan reminders and tips.
By Vegan Society Digital Content Officer, Nishat Rahman
The views expressed by our bloggers are not necessarily the views of The Vegan Society.
