We all have favorite scents and memories tied to different smells. Cinnamon might remind you of your grandmother’s family-famous apple pie, while the scent of fresh-cut grass takes you back to good times at summer camp. Just as those scents can evoke powerful thoughts and memories, aromatherapy with essential oils is thought to be able to impact your body and mind — energizing you, calming you, and altering your mood.

Self-care means something different to everyone, but one thing most of us can relate to is the idea of coming home from a long day and turning on the TV. We watch shows that make us laugh, shows that make us cry, shows that scare us, shows that fire us up so much we can’t fall asleep, and shows that say all the things we’re too afraid to say ourselves.

Ever have those nights when you can’t fall asleep because your mind is racing? Can you remember the last time you woke up with a great idea, only to forget it before you had your morning coffee? One tiny change can help you free up your mind and keep track of all your important thoughts—just keep a notebook on your nightstand.

Texting may seem impersonal at times, but for many of us it’s the easiest way to stay in touch with the people we care about most of the time. And if you’re part of a tight-knit group of friends, being a part of a group text from time to time is pretty much inevitable. Those group texts don’t have to be for specific events (like planning a party for someone) — actually, being in a long-term, no-reason group chat with your friends can have some awesome benefits.

The words “bullet journaling” usually elicit one of three reactions from people: One: “What’s that?,” Two: “How does anyone have time for that?,” or Three: whatever the dialogue version of the heart-eyes emoji is. A bullet journal, if you’re unfamiliar, is an organizational system that combines your diary, sketchbook, to-do list and more all into one.

It seems like every year, droves of new holiday albums come out—so many that it’s hard to keep track of them all. Sometimes the best Christmas songs are right under our noses, we just have no idea because there’s too much to choose from.

Maybe it’s not that you hate all holiday music; it’s just that you’re sick of hearing the same peppy-on-the-verge-of-cheesy songs with the same message year after year. You’re tired of hearing “Jingle Bell Rock” at every single Christmas party (and really, everywhere you turn) and getting “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” stuck in your head for weeks on end.

If you had asked me how I felt about crop tops two years ago, I probably would’ve said something like, “They’re super cute, but I could never pull them off.” (A few months later I’d be eating my words, but we’ll get to that later.

Have you ever browsed the Instagram Explore page to find cool accounts to follow, only to fall totally head over heels for one? Some Instagrammers—be they bloggers or brands—are just so good you can’t help but double tap on every single beautiful, creative photo they post. Here are 14 Instagram accounts the Apartment Therapy editors are totally crushing on this Valentine’s Day. (Seriously, these are the ultimate in aesthetic goals, and you should go follow them all.

At the end of a long, stressful day, what do you most look forward to? Everyone has a different way of unwinding—for some people it’s plopping down on the couch to watch their favorite show on Netflix, for others, it’s going to the gym or taking a long hot shower. There’s pretty much no limit to how you can relax and de-stress.

So you want to fit more fitness time into your day, but you also value your TV time and don’t want to miss out on your favorite shows. Rather than sacrifice your relationship with Netflix, why not incorporate some exercise into your watch schedule? Try swapping out the couch (and by swapping out, we mean more like sliding the coffee table out of the way to make room) and watching from your yoga mat instead.

If you’re anything like me, you probably continually promise yourself that tonight’s the night you’re finally going to start going to bed earlier, and then midnight rolls around and you’re still wide awake, intently reading some article you saw on Twitter (or watching “okay, just one more!” episode of your new favorite Netflix show and suddenly it’s 2 AM).

Say you woke up with flu symptoms this morning—fever, aches, a bad case of the sniffles and a cough that won’t quit. Would you call out sick from work so you could have a day to rest and help yourself feel better? We often take sick days when we’re feeling under the weather, but what about when we’re otherwise exhausted and drained or have been super stressed out lately?

When your alarm goes off in the morning, how do you feel? If the answer is “dreadful,” you’re not alone—a new study from Sleep Junkie found that more than half (53.86 percent!) of people feel the same way upon hearing their alarm. In addition, 27.12 percent of people feel anxious when they’re alarm goes off, while only 11.24 percent feel energized, 2.32 percent feel excited, and a mere 0.

Whether you read your horoscope every day or you don’t fully buy into the idea of astrology, it’s interesting to see what your sign says about your personality. And those traits may also be the key to a healthier, happier life. Progress happens one step at a time. You need to start with something super doable — something so “you” that it becomes part of your new routine without even trying.

Are you familiar with the 50/20/30 rule?

Think about your morning routine—you probably get up out of bed (possibly after pressing snooze a few times), brush your teeth, maybe make breakfast or coffee, and start getting ready for work. If that sounds about right, there’s one thing you might be leaving out: stretching. For those of you who aren’t serial stretchers, the whole practice might seem pointless, but there are actually quite a few benefits you can get out of incorporating an AM stretch session into your day.

Everyone needs a nap now and again, but if you’re feeling sleepy and you’ve got things to do, you definitely want to maximize your time, right? Naps work in different ways, and the truth is, it’s all about timing and understanding how the body’s sleep cycles work. Before you doze off for 45 minutes and hope for the best, you should know how they work and what kinds there are—here’s what you need to know.

Want to be more mindful of your screen time and lead a more active lifestyle? There’s one simple formula to remember that can help you achieve both, and it’s called the 2/30 rule. It’s simple, really—the goal is to limit yourself to 2 hours of TV watching time per day, and to also get at least 30 minutes of exercise every day. It’s about spending less time sitting in front of a screen and spending a little more time working on your fitness.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work at IKEA? With stores that resemble mazes and tons of products everywhere you turn, it’s sure to be just as much of an experience working there as it is shopping there. And of course, those who do work there just may be able to give us IKEA civilians a little helpful shopping advice.

Here’s the thing: I used to be a very productive person in the morning. I used to be a wake up early, make myself breakfast, get out the door and make it into the office before everyone else kind of person, but lately I’ve fallen into a very slow and tired routine. My recent mornings have been kind of a struggle, so I decided to try something new to get me out of my AM slump: getting up and going for a walk outside before doing anything else.

Being more mindful of your health doesn’t necessarily mean overhauling your entire diet or hitting the gym for an hour every day—there are a lot of little things you can do to help you feel like your happiest, healthiest self. Things like staying hydrated, getting in extra steps, trying new things and taking breaks are all important, and it all starts with challenging yourself to pay attention to them.

I don’t know about you, but I am so tired of hearing about “man caves” and “she sheds” all the time. Don’t get me wrong—I’m totally here for people carving out their own spaces in their homes (personally I would love a separate room where I could just hang out and do crafts and practice my guitar and have alone time whenever I want it). But… why do we need to gender rooms? And why do they need to be so binary?

You may be ready for a relationship, but what about your apartment? If dating is on your mind more than ever, it may be a good time to make some home improvements. You don’t need to do much to turn your home into a date-friendly abode; a few simple changes can make a huge difference. From bedding upgrades to organizational changes, here’s how to make your apartment more relationship-ready.

As magical as the holidays are, this time of year can also be a bit stressful—between handling a barrage of party invites, planning your own get-togethers, wrapping up the year, visiting family and getting all your holiday shopping done… well, it’s a lot. And then there’s the whole spending money thing. Shopping and celebrating add up, but it doesn’t have to be quite so painful.

The driving force in how you decorate your home—and really just how you live in it—is dictated most often by your personality. Who you are as a person impacts what art you hang, how you set up your rooms, how often you host people, your cleaning tendencies, and how you unwind at home.