Devote a Day to Relaxing and Pampering Yourself at Home

Everyone needs a day off once in a while. But this is a treat- don't do it every week!

Get out that bubble bath and the radio. Draw a bath, of course with extra bubbles. Tune the radio to a relaxing station, light some candles or incense, and just relax! Don't clean, just soak your troubles away. Then wash your body with a refreshing-smelling body soap. Whenever you are done soaking, get out, dry off, and get dressed in sweats and a T shirt, or whatever makes you feel comfy. Maybe lounge pants, floods or shorts.
Pull your hair back into a bun, and put on a headband. You want to make sure your hair is out of our face for these next few steps. Rinse and pat your face dry. Apply a facial mask. If you don't have one, make one (1/2 mashed up banana with 2 tbs. honey. Leave on for 10-20 minutes.) Then rinse. While you're waiting, read a good magazine. Rinse the facial and pat your face dry. Now wash with a great toner (Neutrogena Acne Face Wash, $7 drugstores). Rinse well and pat dry. Now, it's time for the nails. Remove any old nail polish from your finger nails and toe nails.Rent or watch on TV a good chick flick. Paint your nails and eat yummy popcorn while doing this.Get a tub of your favorite ice cream plus cookies and enjoy. After the movie, read a good book for as long as you'd like. After you've read, go to sleep, or, take a nice nap.

Meditation: Try meditating, or resting quietly with the goal of completely clearing your mind. You will inevitably start to think about something, just notice that, acknowledge it, and gently bring yourself back to a silent mind. Whatever you were thinking of will still be there when you leave this state, but putting it down for a moment, 5 minutes, or an hour, will re-energize your mind and help you to deal with any task. Yoga: Some simple stretching of the body can do wonders to relax muscle tension as well as mental tension.

Spray on your favorite perfume/body spray all over your body and clothes.Tell everyone in the house that you're doing this, so they don't disturb you.
If you don't like popcorn or ice cream, make a hot hot chocolate with whipped cream on top. Don't feel like renting a movie? Check to see if any good movies are on TV, or watch a favorite movie that you own! You can replace these clothes items with anything you want, as long as it's comfortable. Pajamas work fine too, if you're doing this later in the day. If you have a CD player near your bathroom, put the CD in there, and turn it up so you can hear it. This may be safer than actually having it in your bathroom.

If you don't have bubble bath, shower/bath gel or bar soap work great too.Snack types can vary, so if you prefer veggies and dip, over chips and popcorn, go for it! This is your day, after all!If you want, invite a few friends over for watching the movie, so you can have fun together. Try doing this on the weekend (Saturday or Sunday), or in the evening. If you don't like to read talk on the phone or take a calming walk! This guide was intended for women, because men may not find it very relaxing to watch a chick-flick (boring yes, relaxing, no) or use bubble bath. But, if you're a man and find these things relaxing, these steps will probably work for you, too. If you don't unplug your phone, pager, etc. you will be interrupted'. Make sure everyone knows where you are and not to bother you, so you won't have to tell them while you're in the tub or something.

Take the Time to Pamper Yourself

Everyone needs quality time for themselves. Women, especially, need that time to pamper themselves a little after that busy day. As that old saying goes, men may work from sun to sun, but a woman's work is never done. That saying certainly stands true; a little time set aside for yourself isn't too much to ask. It doesn't matter if it is late evening, nighttime, or early morning. Take the time and the steps to pamper yourself. Remember that you as a whole are what you are stuck with for life. So treat yourself well and like yourself. Here are some things that can make you feel pampered.

Take a foot soak. Use a small pan or tub and fill it with warm water and add baby oil with vitamin E to soak your feet in.Scrub your feet. Have on hand your favorite foot scrub and scrub your feet after your warm foot soaking. Sea salt works great, too.Delight in bubbles. Consider taking a full bubble bath, and add a face mask. Caress your feet with softness. Have some Footsies or socks ready to put on after applying some cream or Vaseline. Cut the toes out of old socks to sleep in to allow the cream to soak in overnight. Soothe the hands. Take care of your hands the same as you would your face by applying hand lotion or even your face cream, especially at night.Spritz the face. Keep a small spray bottle filled with spring water to mist your face during the day and at night.

Deep cleanse the face. Using a clay facial mask (such as the avocado, kaolin and rosemary) on your hands works great and leaves hands soft. Give all the skin a treat. Don't forget to add lotion to the rest of your body and pay attention to the neck area. Add moisture to your hair. Keep a spray bottle filled with tap water to mist your hair. This works great on fine hair that is layered.Use scent to lift your mood. Using vanilla or lilac body sprays will add that special touch after a nice shower or bath. Treat the legs. Don't forget to put cream on your legs - cocoa butter works great. Jazz up the teeth. Get in the habit of taking care of your teeth, and don't forget to floss. Eat well. Prepare yourself a generous meal, relax and really taste the food.Chill down for the night. Rent yourself a good movie, kick your feet up, and relax. Spend a little time at night to yourself.

No matter if you decide to pamper yourself daily or weekly, take the time. Everyone deserves to be pampered sometimes. There is nothing vain or wrong about thinking of yourself. Sometimes we tend to put ourselves last - and doing so all the time is not a healthy way of living. We were pampered as babies, but now that we are grown we have to do it ourselves. If you run out of your favorite facial scrub, a tiny bit of baking soda mixed with a little water works great. For exfoliating your skin, there are many great inexpensive soaps out there that have oatmeal and other ingredients in them. Drink lots of water. Exercise in moderation and eat the same way.Use a white nail pencil underneath your nail tips if you're wearing clear nail polish. Save up money so you can go shopping and treat yourself to a few gifts.