Ease Your Stress … Change Your Life!
"Not-enough-time" Syndrome
Letting go of Perfection for the Holidays
Helpful Holiday Hints
1 Minute to Relaxation
Finding Balance

Ease Your Stress … Change Your Life!
By: Lori Woodhouse, MSW, CPCC, Life Coach

Feeling Stressed? Who isn't!! In today's society, feeling "stressed out," overwhelmed and exhausted is the norm. However, moderate day-to-day stress takes its toll on our minds and bodies. Our constant doing, over-working, running errands, rushing here and there, and care-taking can lead to anxiety, depression, sleep disorders/insomnia, high blood pressure and diabetes.

There is good news … reducing stress is in your control. According to Yoga Journal's article "This is your Body on Stress," there are 3 main ways to reduce stress including: changing your situation, changing your attitude, and taking good care of yourself.

First, you can change your situation by taking action to:

• improve your job/career
• cut back on activities and obligations
• improve your relationships
• lose the weight you've been wanting to
• bring balance into your life

• Look at your challenge from the perspective of someone you admire (a teacher, mentor, best friend, Lassie).
• Choose to let go of perfectionism today. Ask your spouse for help with the laundry or with the holiday shopping, invite your children to help with gift wrapping, or simply let go of the need to "do it all" this week.
• Create and recite positive affirmations to begin to fill your mind, body and spirit with positive words and intentions. (Read Louise Hay's book "You can Heal your Life" to learn about positive affirmations.)
• Focus on what's right in your life and express gratitude for all of the beauty and abundance in your life. Start a "Gratitude Journal" and write a list of things you're grateful for each day.

"Not-enough-time" Syndrome
By: Lori Woodhouse, MSW, CPCC, Life Coach

I always take time each day for myself - Choose   1    2    3    4   (1=always/4=never)

If you are like most people, you have chosen #4. We find time in our active lives to take care of loved ones, drive our children to after-school activities, volunteer at church/school, cook meals, fold the laundry … but somehow we don't have enough time to take care of ourselves.

There's a saying "You can't give to others, what you don't give to yourself." How can we nurture, care for, and be patient with others, if we can't do these things for ourselves? Finding time to nurture ourselves improves both our mental and physical health, which in turn, enhances our relationships and overall enjoyment in our professional and personal lives.

You are not powerless. You can make time for yourself. One way is to wake up a half hour earlier in the morning, preferably while everyone else in the house is asleep (or go to sleep a half hour later than usual, if that works for you). Although you may initially "groan" at this idea (yes, I heard a few of you out there), the benefits are great. Take time to meditate, breathe, drink a cup of tea, exercise, stretch, journal, read … or simply sit in silence. You will find that you actually have more energy, and you will feel more grounded, peaceful and balanced throughout your day. Give it a try for one week, and see the difference!

"One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words." ~Goethe

This piece is created by Lori Woodhouse, MSW, CPCC, Life Coach, who can be reached at Lori@LoriWoodhouse.com or visited at www.loriwoodhouse.com. The content of this article may be forwarded in full, with copyright, contact and creation information intact, without specific permission, when used in a not-for-profit context. For other uses, permission in writing from Lori Woodhouse is required.

Download Article

Letting go of Perfection for the Holidays
By: Lori Woodhouse, MSW, CPCC, Life Coach

Do you spend the holidays trying to cook the perfect meal, bake the perfect cookies, buy the perfect gifts (& wrap them perfectly, too), and create the perfect day? The interesting fact is that in our pursuit of the perfect holiday, we become exhausted, sick, cranky, stressed, tense - and not exactly a pleasure to be around! In addition, many people work so hard for the holidays that they can't even wait for them to be over!

I must confess, I was one of these people in the past. I remember trying to create the perfect holiday, including buying the perfect gifts. Sure enough, every single year by Christmas, I would have walking pneumonia, bronchitis or some other kind of "itis." Then, something changed. A few years ago, everyone in our house was sick on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We weren't able to attend the candle light service and we had to cancel our Christmas dinner with our family. On the 26th of December, we were all still laying around the family room, exhausted and ailing, when my daughter said, "Mommy … this has been the best Christmas ever." "REALLY?????" I said. "Tell me how THIS was the best Christmas ever." She said "Because the holiday was just about our little family being together. You weren't busy cooking and running around. We did nothing but be together. And that's what holidays are all about." From the mouths of babes.

The moral of the story is to remember what the holidays are all about. Take a few moments to create your intention for the holiday. What does it truly mean to you? How do you want to live this holiday season? Then, take steps to live this intention. The best way to have a peaceful and joyous holiday is to drop the perfectionism (you really will never find that perfect gift for some of your relatives, or cook the moistest turkey ever), and live the holiday with genuineness, ease, joy and peace. That will be a gift to everyone.

This piece is created by Lori Woodhouse, MSW, CPCC, Life Coach, who can be reached at Lori@LoriWoodhouse.com or visited at www.loriwoodhouse.com. The content of this article may be forwarded in full, with copyright, contact and creation information intact, without specific permission, when used in a not-for-profit context. For other uses, permission in writing from Lori Woodhouse is required.

Download Article

Helpful Holiday Hints
By: Lori Woodhouse, MSW, CPCC, Life Coach

Although the holidays can be quite beautiful, they can also be quite stressful. To help you to live the holidays with a little more grace and ease, I am offering you a few Helpful Holiday Hints.

1. Let go of the need for perfection (see article "Letting Go of Perfection for the Holidays").
2. Say "no" to unnecessary events and tasks. Make a list of the events/tasks that are most important to you at this time of year. When someone asks you to do something else, not on this list, simply thank them for asking, but say "no thank you." It really is that easy. I recently heard someone state that - "when you say no to something, you are saying yes to something else." Saying "no" to volunteering on your 3rd committee this season, is saying "yes" to a more peaceful holiday with your family.
3. Ask your children (or other family members) to help wrap gifts. Children may not wrap them as "perfectly" as you do, but we're letting go of perfectionism this year, remember? Think of how happy Aunt Sue will be when she sees that little Joey has wrapped her gift all by himself (including creating a name tag). Think of how proud he'll be to have done it all by himself, and how much time was saved by having your children help with the wrapping, rather than doing it all yourself!
4. Bring flowers or a poinsettia for a hostess gift rather than a home baked good. If you have time for baking - great - but if not, any thoughtful token is appreciated. It does not have to be homemade.
5. Give a gift certificate to that "hard to buy for" relative rather than spending hours trying to find the "perfect gift." They will appreciate your thoughtfulness and will enjoy treating themselves to something they really want or need.

1 Minute to Relaxation
By: Lori Woodhouse, MSW, CPCC, Life Coach

Relaxation Breathing, also known as belly breathing, reduces stress and anxiety symptoms by 63%.

How to relax in 1 minute: You can practice this technique right now, as you're sitting at your computer. Simply breathe in through your nose, allowing the breath to travel through the chest and downward into the abdomen. You don't need to take deep breaths, or manipulate the breath in any way … simply allow the breath to move into the belly. Breathing in and out … for 1 minute. When your mind wanders into the past or future, let the thought go (there's no need to engage in the thought in this moment), and return again and again to the breath.

To remember to practice Relaxation Breathing, put a sign on your desk, day-timer or refrigerator that says "Breathe".

This piece is created by Lori Woodhouse, MSW, CPCC, Life Coach, who can be reached at Lori@LoriWoodhouse.com or visited at www.loriwoodhouse.com. The content of this article may be forwarded in full, with copyright, contact and creation information intact, without specific permission, when used in a not-for-profit context. For other uses, permission in writing from Lori Woodhouse is required.

Download Article

Mindful Living Newsletter - click here
Complimentary Coaching Session - click here