holiday de-stressing

Let's face it: this month is a stressful time. As much as we all love the holidays, there's a lot of pressure involved in the five weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's. Traveling, entertaining houseguests, attending and throwing parties, finding the perfect gifts, making plans for New Year's Eve and so many more things that we all love doing, but that create hectic, crazy weeks and packed weekends!

But at the same time, it's so important to take a few peaceful moments over the holiday season and take stock of the year. So I thought I'd share a picture from a place that I (surprisingly) find very comforting: my home office. This was one of the last rooms to come together in our house, and I knew I'd be spending a lot of time in here, so I wanted to make it as cozy and comforting as I could. And for me, that meant lots of bright bold colors, a cozy place to curl up with coffee or tea, and, of course, a comfy place for the dogs to hang out when I'm working from home.

And in case you're feeling a little frazzled lately, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite ways to de-stress, especially during the craziest month of the year!

Relax

My favorite, by far, is to take a warm bubble bath! In law school, I used to buy vanilla-scented bubble bath foam from CVS by the GALLON -- between the freezing cold New York winters and the stress of cramming for exams, bubble baths were a nightly ritual at this time of the year. I'd put on some music, get the bath all ready, and just zone out for fifteen or twenty minutes -- and wind up feeling so incredibly relaxed and recharged. (And an amazing tip I wish I'd known then? Right after a warm bath, your pores are wide open and it's the perfect time to moisturize! Now I keep my Simple Skincare Replenishing Rich Moisturizer right next to the tub!)

Recharge

My second favorite de-stressing technique is easy and free -- going for a walk! In New York, whenever I needed to gather my thoughts and reflect, I'd grab a pair of flats and do my two-mile commute on foot. Again, I'd just kind of zone out and watch the passing buildings and people, or else I'd think hard about whatever was bothering me at the time. Inevitably, forty minutes later, I'd feel a hundred times better and ready to tackle the problem head on! In Texas, I'm lucky that my real office (not the home one) is within walking distance of our house, and I almost always walk back and forth. It takes a little more time, but adds huge benefits for my mind and body! (Of course, be sure to use SPF before long walks outside -- I use Simple Skincare Protecting Light Moisturizer with SPF 15!)

Replenish

And my third (you guys knew this was coming): Cooking! There's nothing I love more than taking a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and spending it in the kitchen -- whipping up a favorite recipe or trying a technique I haven't quite mastered! I love the ritual of cooking -- the excitement of creating something delicious and beautiful, and all the chopping and measuring and stirring that goes into it. It's hard to be stressed about anything when I'm in the kitchen, making something wonderful.

What are your favorite ways to de-stress -- at this time of the year or anytime?