Stress Free Holidays: Don't Forget to Treat Yourself!

Welcome to my Stress Free Holidays series, I will be sharing some tips to reduce the amount of stress this time of year puts on all of us.  Some are ones I have used, some are ones I will be instituting this year, and some I will be using in the future.  If you have any great ways to reduce the amount of stress please feel free to share them with us!

This is something I have really struggled with in the past, taking a bit of time for yourself to rest, recover and recharge.  I have been doing a little better this year, maybe because I am more organized and on top of things but I am able to take a bit of time each day to treat myself.  It doesn't have to be something huge, maybe it is a quick nap on a weekend day to prepare for a long night of gift wrapping, or maybe a relaxing hot bath at then end of a long shopping day. Maybe stop at your favorite coffee shop for a cup of hot chocolate and just people watch for 15 minutes.  Whatever it is you enjoy, take a minute and do it for yourself!  

This year I have set up my own little advent calendar. I had bought one from David's Tea last year (but honestly didn't like most of the tea, it was all chocolate and nuts mostly), but I saved the calendar and tins and back in early November I started putting together one for this year.  I picked a variety of teas in my own stash that I may have not had in a while, as well as a few new ones.  I also added in a few bonus gifts to myself, like a cozy blanket and a travel mug from Society6 and I found some great blind date with a book and tea sets on Etsy (CraftingKates and Becca's Little Boutique).  So even though it is something small, I know each day there is something just for me to enjoy.