Two, and three.

At 3:30 p.m. today my vacation starts. A wonderful week and a half of relaxation time. We're not going anywhere, we're just going to be . And I decided something, totally spur-of-the-moment. I am freezing my brain. No more perusing blogs for the latest skin tips or ways to equalize hormones (I feel like I'm a teenager again). No more worrying that I'll never have clear skin again or be able to tolerate gluten. I shall be free of the internet (for the most part). I will continue to use my Dr. Bronner's tea tree oil soap, lavender witch hazel and jojoba oil. I will continue to eat gluten-free. I will cut out chocolate to see if that helps and continue to avoid dairy. I will joyfully exercise. I will sit on the couch. A lot. I will play in the sunshine with my kids. We will inventory our Christmas supplies (oh yes, we're thinking about it). I might organize a room or two. Watch a t.v. series. Re-watch LOTR. Re-read Harry Potter. It will be epic. Hopefully I...

It's amazing how much work it takes to de-stress oneself. You have to remind yourself to relax, to take deep breaths, that you can't spend hours agonizing over those details and that you need to think calming thoughts. I don't typically have calming thoughts. I think about running or lifting weights or the latest science fiction book I'm reading or how to improve my productivity at work or how to maximize my kid-time. Not exactly calming thoughts. BUT I have taken steps. And I stuck to my de-stressing plan  all day  today. I only had two cups of coffee. Two . I drank decaffeinated green tea the rest of the day. I passed up a diet soda. I bought a relaxing tea and drank that in the evening (I'm a yoga-loving tea-drinking hippy now. Sigh.). I have also purchased probiotics and diatomaceous earth. The earth stuff tastes nasty, by the way, in case you were wondering, but it's supposed to be beneficial in clearing up skin and digestive issues so I figured I'd g...