Alright, I know there’s not much snow outside, but let’s imagine there is to set the scene: It’s a freezing winter night, one that’s enveloping us with blinding flurries, and you’re driving behind a long line of traffic over black ice that’s camouflaged by fresh snow. The absence of both the sun’s blazing rays and the moon’s dim light are why it’s so dark outside despite the time just ticking past 5 p.m. Condensation fogs up your windshield as you’re barely inching your way home. Annoyed yet? You might be if you’re not a winter person — although I’d find it hard to imagine anybody being fond of driving on slippery roads. The only thing to do after a long day like this, which I can almost promise you will come very soon, is to take it easy and decompress!

I found that the year zoomed by quickly — too quickly, as if each month was obscured by some sort of motion blur — to the point where I wish I could find more time to enjoy the little cozy things in life, and more importantly, to not avoid the need to relax. But you know the saying: There’s no time like the present. In this post, I’ll be assembling a range of recommendations and activities about different topics that I find relaxing, ones that I hope you can also quietly revel in to unwind — before we’re eventually, and too quickly, catapulted into the new year. I don’t think we should feel guilty about occasionally having a lazy day; dedicating some time to doing a whole lot of nothing is a great way to recharge your batteries! Let’s think of it as athletes having a rest day, shall we?