Reducing Stress in Difficult Times

News about the economy is troubling and it's likely to get a lot worse before it gets better. Here are some tips for reducing stress during these difficult times.

1) Limit your exposure to news - While it's important to stay informed, you will go crazy with stress and worry if you tune into the news multiple times during the day. Get the headlines and get on with your life.

2) Take what is said with a grain of salt - Remember that the line between the news and entertainment divisions has blurred in recent years. Ratings rule the day and the more "dramatic" the news, the more the ratings increase. Don't believe everything you hear. Be an informed viewer and draw your own conclusions from the verifiable facts presented.

3) Be grateful for the good things in your life - Do you have good health? A happy family? Great friends? Make a list of all the things you are grateful for and you will feel a tremendous sense of contentment.

4) Focus on others - No matter how bad things get, someone always has it worse than you do. We when focus on others and how we can make their burdens lighter, it makes our lives better too.

5) Appreciate the little things - A pretty flower, the deep blue of the ocean, a baby giggling, a beautiful sunset. All these things make you feel better and ease your worries; maybe it's just for a moment, but all these moments add up to an improved sense of well-being.

6) Get out and move around - Exercise is a wonderful remedy for stress. It helps to release any pent up nerves or anxiety and it's good for your overall health too. It's a definite win-win!

Keeping It All Straight and Stress-Free

Every home with children needs an information center - some sort of system for keeping track of all the appointments, lessons, practices, etc.

At our house, we have a combination white board/bulletin board where we keep track of everyone's whereabouts. The bulletin board holds fliers, permission slips and anything else we need to keep track of. The white board has a line for every day of the week, Sunday through Saturday, listing all the events for that week. I use a different colored marker for each person, so one quick glance tells me where everyone is. Next to the white board I keep a calendar and the boys' sports schedules for a quick reference.

Some people use chalk boards, poster boards, monthly, weekly or daily schedules. Find a method that works for you and stick with it. That way you won't miss out on any important events, and your life will feel more organized and far less stressful.