I don’t know about you, but I find that during the holiday season, the closer it gets and the busier everyone gets, the more stressed out and short-tempered I get. There always seems to be somewhere to be, something that has to be done, and someone who wants a piece of my time. And I don’t have a big family!

It’s especially important for women to make sure that we take the time to take care of ourselves while we’re being pulled in ninety different directions every day. Even if you can only spare fifteen minutes, for yourself, there are lots of things you can do to let off a little stress. Here are fifteen of my favorite stress relief quickies:

1. Go for a walk
2. Meditate
3. Write in your journal
4. Find a friend to vent to if you need it
5. Take a bubble bath
6. Get a foot massage
7. Have a short nap
8. Get outside and take some nature pics (my favorite!)
9. Take a daily multivitamin
10. Go out for a coffee with a friend

Try one of these the next time you’re feeling like you need a break. And let me know in the comments how they work out for you, or if you have any stress relievers you’d like to share. I’m always open to new ideas.

I was out shopping today and it really hit me how unhappy everyone in the store was. No one smiled, and every person that I saw was looking like they’d rather be anywhere else. I, of course, was acting like my usual childlike self smiling at the snow, singing along with the Christmas music, and smiling away. No one smiled back, and when I marvelled at that to my son, he said that Christmas is not a happy time, it’s a stressful time so no one’s happy about it.

It’s probably a sign of how far I’ve grown, but I just don’t get it. Either that or I’m extremely naive, and while I may act like a big kid, I’m pretty sure I’ve been around the block enough times to know what’s what. And I still don’t get it… How can you not be happy when everything’s covered in a fresh blanket of white, you’re out with your family, and you’ve got money to spend or at least enough of a balance on the ol’ plastic to give your kids a Christmas?

That trip really got me thinking about what it takes to be happy, and how do we go about finding happiness in our lives.

I think that too many people have forgotten that happiness has to come from within. It’s not about how much money we have or how many cars are in the driveway or whether you’ve got a 42 inch plasma screen on the wall. Sure those things are nice to have, but they can’t make you happy in and of themselves.

I read something the other day, and for the life of me I can’t remember where, but it was that maybe we should be searching for inner peace and a sense of contentment with life as it is now, instead of that all-to-elusive happiness. And that really resonated with me. (If anyone knows who wrote this, please leave a note in the comments with a link. I know it was on a blog but I can’t remember whose it was and I’m really sorry for that.)

So how do we find that sense of contentment?

Well, we can always start with decluttering. Give away the crap that we’ve bought to make us happy, that really doesn’t even come close. Or sell it on ebay and pay down the balance on the plastic with the extra cash.

Another thing that can make us happy is doing something nice for someone else. But think hard before you do a random act of kindness for a stranger. Gretchen over at The Happiness Project has a really good post on why you shouldn’t be doing random acts of kindness, and it’s generating a lot of discussion.

Finally, you can, and should, find something to do that you love and can totally throw your energy into. And if you need more ideas, Marelisa at the Abundance Blog has a great post on tips for being joyously happy.

Oh, one more thing… Go ahead and smile! Your face won’t break, and you might actually like it.

Your comments and feedback make me happy. Please leave one and tell me what makes you happy. Go on… I dare ya