Keep the Stress out of Thanksgiving--Be Grateful

Thanksgiving will be here in a couple of weeks. It's a good time to remember to take care of ourselves and keep stress to a minimum. Here are some stress-reducing tips:

• Be grateful for what you have. At the beginning of each day, reflect on your blessings and the people who complete your life.
• Don't let little aggravations overshadow the important ones.
• Count the things that are going right in your life, not those going wrong.
• Take a break when you feel yourself getting stressed. Don't wait until you are overwhelmed.
• Keep close to family and friends during this and other holidays.
• Burn a candle with one of the wonderful stress-reducing fragrances like lavender or vanilla.
• Take a mini vacation in your mind.
• Enjoy yourself.

Remember Thanksgiving is about being thankful. What are you giving thanks for 

Balance Your Personal and Professional Life

Take time this Easter to enjoy family and friends and to renew yourself spiritually. Living a balanced personal and professional life is crucial to your successful well-being. Too much attention to your professional life to the exclusion of your personal life will cause you to miss out on important "self" time. Too much attention to your personal life and not enough on your professional life will cause career stagnation. Develop a routine that personally fits your life plans and make corrections when it is out of balance.Take steps to maintain a healthy physical and mental balance.

• Practice good time and stress management.


• Get and stay organized.


• Maintain a positive attitude.

When you think of balance, consider all areas of your life, including work, family, friends, health, finance, spiritual, hobbies, and everything else that fits into your life. Balance in all areas of life is a key to contentment

Keep the Stress out of Thanksgiving--Be Grateful

Thanksgiving will be here in a couple of weeks. It's a good time to remember to take care of ourselves and keep stress to a minimum. Here are some stress-reducing tips:

• Be grateful for what you have. At the beginning of each day, reflect on your blessings and the people who complete your life.


• Don't let little aggravations overshadow the important ones.


• Count the things that are going right in your life, not those going wrong.


• Take a break when you feel yourself getting stressed. Don't wait until you are overwhelmed.


• Keep close to family and friends during this and other holidays.


• Burn a candle with one of the wonderful stress-reducing fragrances like lavender or vanilla.


• Take a mini vacation in your mind.


• Enjoy yourself.

Remember Thanksgiving is about being thankful.

Keep Your Life in Balance

Another holiday weekend provides us with another chance to balance our professional life and personal life through rest and relaxation. Here are some tips to keep your life in balance not only during a holiday weekend, but also throughout the year.

• Develop a routine that allows just the right mix between time spent on your personal life and professional life. Too much time or too little time spent on either can upset the balance needed to live your best life.


• Create a daily plan.


• Focus on the tasks you absolutely have to do and downgrade the rest according to how necessary it is to complete them.


• Forget about things you cannot change. Banish irrational and pointless worry.


• When problems arise, step back and look for solutions. Do not let problems paralyze you.


• Ask for help when you need it.


• Keep work and ambitions in check--balance them with family, friends, hobbies, and interests.


• Take a breather. Sit quietly and focus on your breathing for several minutes.


• Keep company with people who lift you up, not those who tear you down.


• Do your part in taking care of your health by eating right and exercising.


• Let go of anger and grudges that erode your peace of mind.

Never lose sight of what is most important to you. Take time to relax and enjoy family and friends this Fourth of July. And remember the servicemen and servicewomen who sacrifice for us.

Refresh Yourself and Cut Stress

Last weekend I did a TV interview near Philadelphia for my book Job Hunting After 50. Afterwards, I spend a couple of days at the ocean--relaxing--de-stressing. I believe everyone should see the ocean at least once a year. It's such a wonderful way to renew one's spirit. If that is not possible, though, there are some things you can do close to home to refresh and renew your mind, body, and spirit. Consider the following:

• Take a day trip to some place you have been meaning to visit. Research your state's website or check out some back issues of regional magazines. There are all kinds of interesting sites tucked away in out-of-the-way places--sometimes close to your own backyard. Many are free to visit and enjoy.


• Get personal with nature. Just being outside can, in many cases, help you de-stress. For the creative ones among us, nature can expand our creativity.


• Plant a garden. Gardening is a great stress reliever. If you plant vegetables and herbs, you can enjoy their freshness at mealtime. If you prefer to plant flowers, you can enjoy their beauty indoors and outside. For the smaller space, use pots and containers. Planting flowers, shrubs, and trees will also help beautify and benefit our stressed environment.


• Visit your local library, zoo, museum, science center, planetarium, conservatory, amusement park, or other entertaining site. On a tight budget? Check newspapers and websites for discount coupons or else visit a free park, playground, or lake.


• Invite friends over for a backyard barbeque or pack up the cars and picnic at a local park or lake.


• Build a backyard habitat for small animals, butterflies, or birds.


• Sit on your deck or porch or in your favorite chair and make a gratitude list.


• Join or create a book club that meets in person to discuss favorite readings.

Hopefully, this list will give you some ideas that will get you started on a relaxing summer.

Happy Mother's Day and Stress Management Tips

Mother's Day is tomorrow, which should have all of us reflecting on our mothers and the sacrifices they made for us.

Many sons and daughters today have elderly parents to care for as well as their own children. Here are some stress management tips for them and everyone feeling stressed these days:

• Take stock of your activities to be sure you are living a balanced life. If not, make changes. When one area of your life is out of balance, you will not be able to do yourself or anyone else any good.


• Establish priorities and stick to them.


• Start a gratitude journal and make a few entries every day.


• Strike negative words from your vocabulary. Let go of worries.


• Skip the news and read a good book.


• Eat healthy.


• Learn something new--exercise your mind.


• Keep in touch with friends and relatives who add joy and fun to your life. Share with them.


• Meditate.


• Take it one day at a time.


• Keep up your sense of humor. Watch comedies and uplifting movies.


• Enjoy the outdoors. Take walks, work in the garden, tend to the flowers--get in touch with nature. (Take Mom with you.)


• Clean up clutter around your home. Clutter adds stress.


• Create a workable budget and stick to it.