Posts by clutterconversions:
Christmas – Stress Free Tips
The holidays are a time to spend with family and friends while enjoying food and drink, comforting surroundings. So why are so many of us stressed, depressed and exhausted? It’s really hard to not get caught up in the trappings of the holidays and, before you know it, you feel stressed-out. Here are some suggestions to help you enjoy the season!
- Whatever holiday you celebrate, maintain a realistic notion about what that holiday should be; don’t get so caught up in the planning that you forget to enjoy the season. Remember, less than perfect is perfectly okay.
- Shop early for presents, party supplies, and decorations. Buy multiples of gift tags, tape and wrappings; you can always use the leftovers next year. Keep a stash of “one-size-fits-all” gifts like wine and candy on hand in case you need a last-minute present.
- Avoid crowds by shopping local and supporting your local businesses. If you must go to the mall go at off times (dinner hour, weekdays) and leave the kids at home. Or shop from mail-order catalogs and the Internet or give gift certificates.
- Choose only two wrapping paper designs, one for adults and one for kids. Or just use gift bags or decorative boxes.
- Take advantage if a store offers free gift-wrapping or seek out charity gift-wrapping services; you’ll be contributing to a worthy cause.
- Make a budget and stick to it! Catalog/online shopping can help; you won’t be seduced at the local mall by a million choices staring you in the face.
- If you really want to guarantee you will stay within your budget, use CASH!
- Skip holiday cards to anyone you haven’t seen or heard from in over a year, or just send New Year’s cards in January. You can spend more time on personal messages and recipients will have more time to read them.
- Know when to politely say no to invitations. Decide which gatherings you must attend and which can be skipped without guilt. Only say yes to meaningful events.
- Decorate only as much as your time and energy allows then be happy with the results! Only decorate rooms you use most often.
- Keep a special notebook of holiday recipes you would like to make year after year. This will save a lot of time searching through cookbooks.
- Do not forget about you!! Set aside special “you time”. Unwind with a friend, get a manicure, go to a matinee, or spend an afternoon alone.
- Finally, give to the less fortunate as part of your holiday tradition. Volunteer for a homeless shelter, visit a retirement center or participate in a food, toy or clothing drive. Encourage kids to give away toys they no longer use.
Dealing With Stressors in the Modern World
by Predicting what your week will be like- if you plan your meals for the week, decide which day you need to do laundry, and what day you need to clean what room, you give yourself the Perception of Control that allows you to focus on the other events in the week that really do need attention. Successful Prediction, or planning ahead, will give you the Perception of Control that you need to navigate through any week with less stress.
Learning time-management and organizational skills are great ways to reduce unnecessary stress, because repetition of using Prediction and Perception of Control techniques actually shortens our stress response pattern over time. When practiced over and over the very skills and methods we use to prevent stress also help us cope better with unexpected stressful situations in general.
Major Emergency Preparedness – 5 Important Questions
You have just lost everything; you’re drained mentally and physically. Life is extremely difficult at the moment, are you going to be in the right state of mind to think of all your possessions and come up with a value? It’s hard enough to do before a loss; think of how it would be after a loss. Be proactive and inventory your home. When your life has just been turned upside down it will be one less thing to worry about.”
Seminar: It’s All about my Kitchen
Learn how a kitchen should be organized, the various zones and meal planning to take the stress out of cooking and entertaining. We will also prepare enough menus and to last you through two months and the grocery list for each one. You must bring a list of your family’s favorite meals or a couple [...]
Seminar: Where Did the Time Go?
Always in a rush and never enough time for you? Are you always in a hurry to be somewhere, doing something for someone else or rushing to get ready in the mornings? This class is designed to teach you basic time management skills to get you through the day, week or year and to help [...]
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Kathryn McMillan
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clutterconversions@yahoo.com
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