relax

Why your self-care cannot be optional

August 23, 2018 By Heidi Rabbach Leave a Comment

If self-care is something you only get to do when everything else is done, then you might make your life more difficult than necessary. In this article, I’m going to show you how to use self-care for stress prevention and stress relief.

Just the other day it happened again… I was unhappy with myself without knowing exactly why. I felt uncomfortable in my favorite outfit and didn’t like what I saw in the mirror. Cycle-related hormones went crazy and left me feeling all over the place. I was hungry all day but nothing really appealed to me.

Grumpy and easily annoyed I snapped at the people I love the most. Exhausted by the end of the day, I battled down my hunger and frustration with generous helpings of jelly beans and chocolates while watching “Friends”. Late in the evening I got stuck aimlessly browsing Facebook and had difficulty falling asleep in the bedroom at more than 30°C. (That was before I found out about this cooling body spray!)

This sorry state of affairs dragged on for a few days until I realized what happened. I’d had a really stressful week before I started to feel off – but could this be the main culprit?

…

DIY gift ideas: Spirit of Christmas in a jar

August 13, 2018 By Heidi Rabbach Leave a Comment

Last updated on November 15th, 2018

Watch this short video for a quick overview of how to make the 15 minutes Christmas in a jar gift.

Looking for small, yet thoughtful DIY gift ideas for Christmas? Then you’ll love my Spirit of Christmas in a jar! It’s inexpensive and easy to make with tons of ways to personalize your gift in a jar. And best of all: You’re giving someone 15 minutes of Christmas peace.

Never did I try to cram so much into the weeks leading up to Christmas as I do now as a mom. There is a never-ending list of things I have to do, want to do, should be doing. Writing Christmas cards. Getting thoughtful gifts lined up and perfectly packed. Tastefully decorating our home. Baking Christmas cookies. Attending Christmas gatherings. Making little DIY gifts for teachers, neighbors, acquaintances. Singing with the kids. Taking a walk through the brightly lit neighborhood. Enjoying Christmas time.

Now that’s already quite a list for just a few weeks. But, it’s not like we’re on a full-board, Buttler-assisted, luxury holiday during those weeks. Laundry still needs to be done. Dinners need to be cooked. Groceries must be gotten. School lunches should be packed. Ideally, even the house would get cleaned… some – not a lot.

…

How to prepare Christmas cookies in September

August 7, 2018 By Heidi Rabbach Leave a Comment

One way to reduce the mental and physical load during the Christmas season is preparing Christmas cookies in September. In this post, I’ll show you how to prepare Christmas cookies in September for more calm in December.

Trying to bake Christmas cookies has been quite a source of stress for me. Frankly, I can’t handle the never-ending bits of dough which have to be rolled out over and over and still only offer enough room to cut another 2½ cookies… So, for a few years, I skipped it altogether, but not without a pinch of regret, I might add.

Because who doesn’t dream of blissful cookie baking with the kids, while merrily singing Christmas songs with a sprinkle of picturesque snow in the background. While this dream might be unattainable in its perfection, there are ways to bake cookies in time for Christmas without getting stressed.

…