If you are expecting a tax return, your mind instantly fills with all the wants, desires and dreams you have waited to buy for yourself or your family all year. Maybe that cruise you’ve been considering, or maybe a beach vacation to help you de-stress, or a down payment on that luxury car when your economy sedan won’t do anymore.

Before you fill your head with fantasy-like scenarios of how your life will improve if you only drove that luxury car, or how de-stressing a beach vacation would be, perhaps you should consider another scenario. Sometimes taking a step back to determine what is really causing your stress or pain is the best first step.

Although vacations away from the usual can be great for the mind, body and soul, the benefits are typically not sustainable. Once back in a routine, back to the same creaking bed, or floppy pillow, the stress returns.

Sometimes, the simplest of things that you tweak could make all the difference in your life.

Stay-cations can prove to be the best alternative to pricey beach vacations if you are looking to de-stress. If you consider beautifying, updating, upgrading, renovating your home and accessories, think about how many years you will be enjoying and de-stressing in the luxury of your own home. Talk about sustained benefits!

If you control that urge to buy the first ticket out, think about how better spent your hard-earned return would be if you created an oasis in your own home. Happiness sometimes comes from a fresh coat of paint, a few new accessories and perhaps most importantly an upgraded mattress.

Sleeping on a mattress that feels like it was custom-made for you and pillows that mold just the way you your head moves while you sleep….well there is no vacation that could give you that. Imagine, for at least the next 10 years you will feel like you are on vacation every night with that perfect upgrade.

Investing in what makes you and your family feel better both physically and mentally over the long term, is the best investment you can make. When your physical and mental health are taken care of on a regular basis, vacations are less-likely to be a requirement but more a pleasurable alternative to the routine.

Make a vacation a fun, exciting and perhaps educational activity, rather than a necessity to regain balance in your life and that of your family’s. When you secure all that you need at home, in your oasis, your castle, stress may become a less frequent occurrence requiring an escape. Invest in you!

Angela, Your Sleep Expert