My Essentials for a Stress-Free Night

Hey hey. First off, how was everyone’s weekend? Mine was pretty good. 

I stayed in on Friday night watched a few episodes of Blindspot. I’m still on season 1, but is anyone else watching? It’s definitely one of my favorite shows at the moment, and it takes precedence over the Bachelor. Ugh, the Bachelor this season. Don’t even get me started on that one. Anyway… on Saturday, Bryan and I visited our friend in Columbia, Maryland. It took us a while to get down there because of traffic, but it was definitely worth it. By the time Sunday rolled around, I was exhausted. I went to yoga and to the grocery store in the morning, and then came home and watched a little bit of the Super Bowl. No wild parties here. 

Okay, now that we’ve done a quick recap let’s get into today’s post. 

Coasters | Instant Happy Journal | Peppermint Tea (c/o) | Yoga Mat Towel (c/o)

Last year, I read Marie Kondo’s book, “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.” Her main principle is to only fill your space with items that bring you joy. Since reading the book, I’ve implemented that principle every time I clean my apartment. I keep things around only if they make me happy, and I trash anything that doesn’t.

I recently overheard someone at work talking about Kondo’s book and how getting rid of clutter helped with her stress. It got me thinking… “What things in my life not only spark joy, but also help me relieve stress?” We all know that yoga is one of those things {FREAKING OBSESSED}, but that’s not the only way I’m chilling out after a long day. There are three other essentials that I wanted to share with you today that have been really helping to calm my mind and put me in a good mood. 

Instant Happy Journal

I write on my blog almost every day, but I like putting more personal things down in writing too. Writing helps me clear my mind and get any negative {and positive} thoughts or emotions out. 

So, the first item on this list is the Instant Happy Journal. After seeing this journal on numerous Instagram posts, I decided to finally buy one for myself. I bought it full price at Barnes and Noble, but save yourself some money and get it on Amazon!

The journal has a writing prompt for each day, including motivational quotes and thought-provoking questions. Some days I’m uninspired and just don’t know what to write about, so the prompts are a must-have. You feel me? 

Dean and Deluca Peppermint Tea

As a blogger, I try probably a dozen new products a month. It’s just part of the job. Out of all of those, I end up only loving maybe 1 or 2. Those are the things I share here with all of you. If I don’t 100% love something, I’m not going to tell you guys to go out and buy it. Not my style. 

One of the things I’ve been loving lately is the POPSUGAR Must Have Box. I’ve told a few friends about it and shared photos on social media, but I don’t think I mentioned it on the blog.

Let me back up a moment. I’ve always been a bit skeptical with subscription boxes. A lot of the ones that I’ve seen on Instagram don’t look like they would be worth the price, so I never signed up for any. So when POPSUGAR reached out to me last fall to try out their Must Have Box for a few months, I was very hesitant. I ended up saying yes, but knew that I would only share it with you if I really enjoyed the products. Worst case scenario, I would pass the products off to my sister – who loves trying new things. Long story short, I ended up loving the boxes.

The January box was my favorite one yet, because I feel like it was made specifically for me. One of the products in the box was Dean and Deluca’s Peppermint Tea. It’s so incredibly delicious and hits the spot after dinner, when I’m looking for something a bit sweet… and don’t want to eat 3 bowls of cereal. Peppermint tea helps calm me down, relieves sinus congestion, reduces inflammation, and helps with digestion. So many benefits! 

Manduka Equa Yoga Mat Towel

Another item from the Must Have Box is the Equa Yoga Mat Towel by Manduka. Yes, I know that I said this list would be things other than yoga, but this is technically a yoga ACCESSORY.

If you’ve ever practiced yoga, you know that sometimes your mat can get a bit slippery. While it doesn’t bother some people, I personally hate this because while I’m slipping on my mat and trying to get stable, it distracts me from focusing on my breath. My new Lululemon yoga mat is pretty slip-resistant, but every once in a while I need that extra grip. This mat from Manduka helps so much. 

Basically, you just place the towel on top of your mat to create a slip-resistant surface. The towel is absorbent and quick drying, which is perfect for power yoga! I’ve used it a few times during my home practice and I’m thinking about buying another one to use at the studio. 

// Well friends, those are my three essentials for a stress-free night. What things do you use to relax?