Sanity Savers

This time of year is stressful, so I wanted to take a minute to share a tip that has saved my sanity time after time.  It’s really simple, I keep a list on my phone of all of the things that I love to do when I need some “me time.” Things are all things that help me unwind and relax a little. I pull out the list on tough days and pick one of those activities to help myself unwind.

The key to this particular list is that I’m very specific about including activities that help me unwind that my budget can handle. I also make sure to include activities that require differing amounts of time – so on days when I’m slightly irritated I can take 30 minutes to wander Target and on days when I am at the end of my rope and really need a pick me up, I’ll spend over an hour getting a pedicure.

The other important thing about this list is that it has to be completely personal. All of these activities have to truly be things that you find relaxing, or they won’t work. I’ll share my list so that you can get the idea, but then it’s up to you to dig down deep and come up with your own list of sure-fire stress relievers.

My stress-relief activities:

1. Buying new nail polish and giving myself a manicure
2. Wandering around target and checking out the clearance aisles
3. Reading a book
4. Stopping at Starbucks for coffee in the evening
5. Driving a hour to shop at my favorite store
6. Watching the sunset with a glass of wine
7. Working on a quilt
8. Baking cookies
9. Organizing my closet
10. Eating ice cream for lunch