At the end of a long and trying day, unwinding can often be difficult to achieve. Sometimes the problem at the root of your stress does not hold an easy solution and so in the interim, winding down becomes about surrounding yourself with positivity as a means of highlighting the more fabulous parts of life.

By having in mind a few simple ideas that allow you much needed moments of luxury (that don't require you to drop a weeks wages or plan far in advance), you are enabling yourself the ability to end your day on a cool, calm & collected note - ready to face the next with greater enthusiasm and renewed faith in the universe & it's uncanny ability to bring on the good stuff when you least expect.

Here are four great ways to alleviate stress and bring on the fabulous:

beauty girl in towel with rose after shower
Originally uploaded by signsden

Bubble bath: turn the taps on and pop the plug in, pour in a nice long trickle of bubble mixture and watch the bubbles appear.... pop on your favourite CD and hit play, undress and throw the clothes laden with dirt from the day into the wash basket, let your hair down, step into the tub and slowly lower your body down, sinking all the way into the warm mess of bubbly relief. Now lay there relaxing and only get out when the water is cold & your skin resembles that of a prune. If you don't have a tub at the ready, enjoy a hot shower: take the time to wash your hair and scrub your body with a gentle & sweet smelling exfoliating gel, when you're done, step out into your nicely steamed up bathroom to towel dry, sprinkle yourself with baby powder, pluck your eyebrows and moisturise your face, brush your hair & teeth, now take yourself to bed and give your feet some attention, slather in moisturiser and massage in before switching off your lamp for an early nights sleep - awaken come morning smelling gorgeous & feeling fresh.

Fresh Crepes
Originally uploaded by Baha'i Views / Flitzy Phoebie

Eat something delicious: dip into that tub of chocolate ice-cream in the freezer; lick Nutella off of a spoon; stuff some huge portabello mushrooms with onions & cheese; cut up fresh strawberries & sprinkle with sugar; whip up some crepes, top with a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkling of sugar; top water crackers with brie and semi-dried tomatoes; fill a wine glass with rich & decadent hot chocolate dusting the top with cocoa powder.

Clean & Tidy: the act of organisation can be very therapeutic. Allowing yourself an hour to work your way around your home, putting things back where they belong: dirty laundry in the basket, CD's back into cases, crockery & cutlery into cupboards, towels hung on racks, clothes in the wardrobe not the floordrobe ;) Next give your place a quick once over: clean the loo, spray & wipe down the kitchen benches and give those hard too reach spots a quick dust with an old rag, spritz some air freshener and perfume & you're work is done. Organisation and cleaning allows you to feel greater control and as such leaves you feeling less inclined to collapse into an overwhelmed shell of your usually fabulous self.

DSCN0569
Originally uploaded by treslola

Trash-time: surf Perez Hilton for the latest from La-La Land; flick through the gossip pages of those free newspapers that were thrust upon you on your commute home; tune into the evening soapies; settle in with a romantic comedy. Allow yourself time to escape to that fantasy world where the drama is not your own.








What's your favourite way to bring on the positive vibes when it's just been one of those days?