With the rush of the holiday season coming up, many of us find our lives seemingly rolling out of control.  There are often major work projects to finish before the end of the year, so there’s professional stress.  Then there’s the gift-buying stress that the holidays bring.  If you’re in charge of hosting one of the family gatherings over the next two months, there’s even more stress—you’ve got to clean, possibly make some last-minute home repairs, and then cook.  Ugh, so much stress!  So this holiday season, don’t forget to take a moment or two and pamper yourself.  After all, you certainly deserve it.

Pampering yourself can take many different forms, from the large to the small.  As a florist, one of the small things we know makes people feel better is getting flowers.  Buy yourself a beautiful arrangement of flowers.  Pick your favorites—these are for you, after all, and they’re supposed to make you smile.  Beautify up your desk at work or place them in a prominent spot in your home where you’ll see them often.

If you want to do a bit more, plan a relaxing evening.  Order in some pizza or have your significant other do all the cooking for the night.  Then curl up in front of the TV with a favorite old movie or a new title you’ve wanted to see.  If movies aren’t your thing, get in bed and read a book.  Maybe you’d like a warm, relaxing bath with a glass of wine and some soft music playing.  No matter what you do, make the evening all about you.  If you have children, you might even consider letting them have a night away from home with their grandparents or other trusted sitter.

Now if an evening doesn’t sound like enough, plan a weekend.  Make an appointment at a local spa for a treatment, or get a nice massage.  If that’s not an option, just go for a pedicure.  If you want to save money, you can always just spend a relaxing weekend at home.  With all the holiday rush coming up, it might seem like you’re going out every single weekend, so a nice time at home can be a great breather.

But what if there are no free weekends between now and the end of the year?  If your calendar is already booked full, you can always do the ultimate in pampering yourself: take a mental health day from work!  Use a vacation day or a personal day if you have one and enjoy a nice day with nothing scheduled.  Sleep in late, take yourself out to a nice lunch, and enjoy yourself.  You deserve it!