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Tips For Less Holiday Stress


Holiday Stress? Some Tips For Having Less

We all dream of having wonderful holidays. We start each day full of the spirit of the season. We look at the lovely fresh fallen snow, and marvel at the beauty of the world. But lets face it - life can be stressful. By the time we get the kids up, dressed, and fed, referee a few morning scuffles, find lost homework, binkies, and keys, field a few phone calls, dig out the car, make our way through morning traffic, and try to get some Christmas shopping done at the local Target, the good feeling is... well, gone. The joy and magic of the season can easily be overshadowed by obligations, responsibilities, credit card spending gone mad, and, of course, relatives. If any of this is sounding familiar, you might be asking yourself - How could we end the madness? Well, here are some tips to make the season a little jollier - or at least less cranky.

* Adjust your outlook: Your perspective is the looking glass through which you see the world. It is central to how you experience emotions, situations, and life in general. By shifting your perspective you can, in effect, change you experience. This is your life - put a positive spin on things - what have you got to loose but the blues!

* Simplify your life: Get organized, try to cut down on clutter, and prioritize your tasks. Many dreaded obligations are self-imposed. Remember you really don't have to do everything.

* Practice extreme self care: Make time to do what you love - take in a movie, go to a museum, curl up with a book or take a long hot bubble bath. Pamper yourself! This is your life - enjoy it! Don't worry - the dishes aren't going to pack up and leave town. Get plenty of sleep - exhaustion is a main factor in stress - and don't over indulge. Enjoy all the holiday goodies, but do so in moderation. Add some moderate exercise and you'll be healthier and have more energy.

* Be thankful for the little things: Practice loving the simple things in life; playing games with your children, taking a walk on a snowy winter morning, or cuddling with your honey after everyone's in bed. When we open our hearts to happiness, we often find that it's all around us.

* Make peace with flexibility: Celebrate you successes and let the rest slide. Learn to go with the flow. Take a breath, relax. Don't sweat the small stuff.

* Embrace the spirit of the holidays: Greet each day with the holiday spirit and fill your life with kindness, compassion, gratefulness and love.

Yes, there will still be hectic moments and stressful events, but you control the extent to which you respond to them. Open yourself to the possibility that the holidays can be joyous, and you might just find yourself whistling along with some of those Christmas carols.

Deborah Martin is a mother, writer, life coach, and co-founder of The Woman Project. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her partner & son.

About The Author

Deborah Martin is a mother, writer, life coach, and co-founder of The Woman Project. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her partner & son.

www.rightpathcoaching.com; dm@rightpathcoaching.com


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Kansas City Star

Shofars will ring in Hebrew holiday
Newberg Graphic
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Recession prompts synagogues to lower high costs of High HolidaysKansas City Star
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Willits News -The Jewish Week -Ultimate Pearland (blog)
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Kansas City Star

Millions expected to hit the road for Labor Day
msnbc.com
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Labor Day travel forecastWink News
Labor Day travel to rise by 9.9 percentAltoona Mirror
UK Today News -ThatsFamous (blog) -Brandon Valley Challenger
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WHMI

AAA Says Labor Day Holiday Weekend Travel Forecast to be Up 10%
WDEF News 12
The Automobile Association of America says says travel is forecast to be up for the Labor Day holiday weekend. The organization expects 34.4 million people ...
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Gas prices up this Labor Day over lastAlton Telegraph
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Glenbrooke News

Recognize Labor Day locally
Oneonta Daily Star
"Labor Day differs in every essential way from the other holidays of the year in any country. All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with ...
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Recommended: Top 10 events shaping the midterm seasonmsnbc.com (blog)
Co.Design -Gainesville Sun
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The State

State agencies promote safe, sensible holiday weekend
Chillicothe Gazette
According to the patrol, the Labor Day holiday weekend is traditionally one of the deadliest holidays on state roads. Last year during the holiday reporting ...
FHP Labor Day Crackdown Helps Keep You AliveCBS 4
Troopers out in full force: Highway patrol prepares for Labor Day weekend ...The Morning Journal
Extra troopers on the road for Labor Day weekend looking for impaired driversSun-Sentinel
The Commercial Dispatch
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Guest Column: High Holidays right on time
Cuyahoga Falls News Press
Almost every Jewish person I talk with mentions that the High Holidays seem so early this year. ...
Broadcast new yearWinnipeg Free Press

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Reminder: Post Offices Observe Labor Day Holiday
WGCL Atlanta
ATLANTA -- Atlanta-area Post Offices will be closed on Monday, September 6, in observance of the Labor Day holiday. There will be no regular mail delivery, ...
Most Denver city offices closed Friday, MondayDenver Business Journal

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Bus schedules altered for Labor Day holiday
Las Vegas Sun
The Regional Transportation Commission said buses will use a Sunday schedule on Monday for the Labor Day holiday, when there are typically fewer riders and ...

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The Star-Ledger - NJ.com (blog)

Overlooking a holiday; 'Poopgate' in Newark; The name game
The Star-Ledger - NJ.com (blog)
If they had, they'd have noticed it's the second day of Rosh Hashana — one of Judaism's high holidays. And that, oy vey, means some people with a huge ...



US Retail Sales Top Estimates on Tax Holidays, Discounts
Bloomberg
Photographer: Jack Plunkett/Bloomberg US retailers reported August sales that beat analysts' estimates as back-to-school discounts and tax holidays lured ...

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