Tuesday December 8, 2009
Do you ever get the feeling that your life is too complicated? That you have too many things to do, in too little time, in too many areas of your life? That if one thing goes wrong, there's a cascade of other things that go wrong because you've packed your schedule too full of activities? That...well, you get the idea.
Many, if not most, of us today are living lives overflowing with activity, and often feeling too busy, or at times wondering, 'How did my life get so complicated?' But when we look at what we would cut out of our lives, everything looks important. Cutting things out is difficult! But creating a more simple life is worth the effort in terms of the stress relief it would bring. The trick is to cut out the right things, in the right way.
It may seem obvious, but it's a good idea to cut out things that drain us. Surprisingly, not everyone knows how to do this. We don't want to disappoint people! We don't want to give up important-feeling positions we've worked to attain, or make major changes in our lives. We feel obligated. Or we're so busy, we put off really examining our schedules and making changes until we feel we have the time. Ironically, we won't have the time unless we take the time to create the time in our schedules!
Today, I invite you to make a change, small or big, that will bring greater simplicity and stress relief to your life. Small changes can lead to big results, and even more positive change until you're living the life you feel you were meant to live. The below resources can help you with these changes.
Making Healthy Changes
Monday December 7, 2009
If you find yourself dreading Mondays (and even Sunday nights, a little), looking forward to Fridays a little too much, and watching the clock intently during the weekdays, I'm guessing you're one of the many people out there who are not particularly fond of their jobs. 'Hate' is not too strong of a word for many people. It's a sadly common stressor that overshadows many people's lives.
In the current economy, however, most people are reluctant to leave their jobs, even hated jobs, because finding something better may be less likely than finding oneself unemployed, which is worse than working an unloved job. What's a stressed worker to do?
Read my thoughts on this frequently asked question about stress, the "I hate my job, now what?" question--and leave your own solutions (if you have found some solutions to this too-common dilemma) at the bottom.
Additional Job Stress Resources
Tuesday December 1, 2009
Now that December is here, the holiday season is in full swing! This means different things to different people, but generally we all have our traditions that seem to define the holiday season. Unfortunately, many of these traditions are time-consuming, and as they add up, the holiday season seems to be defined by stress as well! In the past, I've been as guilty of holiday over-scheduling and "tradition perfectionism" as anyone else, perhaps even more so: I'd hand-craft 6 scrapbooks detailing our activities from the past year and tailoring them to various people to give as gifts; I'd send cards that included a photo (specially taken), a card with a personalized and handwritten message, and a newsy letter printed on holiday stationery; I'd bake cookies for all friends and family; we'd take a night to view holiday lights; we'd go to parties; I'd make ornaments by hand to commemorate each year; we'd have a new advent calendar for each year; we'd have special meals; and I'd spend too much on holiday gifts for everyone in our family--all in a quest to have a special and memorable holiday season. After a while, I got stressed and overwhelmed by the whole process, and looked for ways to pare down.
In the process of simplifying, I discovered that I could do many of these things, but to a lesser degree. Or, I could go all-out in some areas, and take shortcuts in others: I could do a simplified version of the holiday card, but still make the scrapbooks, or I could just give framed photos or email slideshows and put more attention into holiday cards. I could focus more energy on specific areas that were most important to my family that year. Letting go of my holiday overdoing was liberating!
If you find that your holidays get a little overloaded with holiday overdoing, here are some holiday shortcuts that you can use to create more time and relieve holiday stress.
Holiday Shortcuts:
Holiday Card Shortcuts
Simple Holiday Meals
How To Simplify Your Holiday Party
Reduce Holiday Shopping Stress
Holiday Stress Relief
What are your best holiday shortcuts? Leave them in the comments section of this blog--we'd love to hear them!
Monday November 30, 2009
I've always thought that
Black Friday was both a blessing and a curse. Being the biggest shopping day of the year, those who can brave the insane crowds are rewarded with amazing deals--it seemed like an even trade for those who could handle the stress. But now, with Cyber Monday (that's today!), those who want to stay in the comfort of their own homes (or offices? I won't tell!) are
also rewarded with amazing deals at
Amazon and virtually all other online retailers; this is expected to be a huge shopping day for those who want to get their holiday shopping done early and enjoy the rest of the season. I've already gotten most of our gifts (I'm determined to enjoy the season in a relaxed manner this year!), but the remaining ones will probably be Cyber Monday finds.
While you're online, you may want to pick up some gifts that are specially geared toward stress relief--while you're already gifting, why not give the gift of relaxation, right? Below are some of my best picks for stress-relieving gifts. I'll be publishing more lists of ideas, but for now, these should bring some inspiration! (Note: The first one on the list provides the top-rated gifts that polls say people are hoping for!)
Holiday Gift Ideas
