Showing posts with label stress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stress. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Holiday Cheer When You’re Out of Work—Keeping It Simple



The holidays put many people in a frenzy of decorating, shopping, wrapping, cooking, eating and reveling. For some, it’s a time of reflection, and for others, a time to party. Whatever your usual approach to December’s holidays, when you are out of work your perspective changes.
Instead of buying new decorations, you bring out your old favorites. Rather than shopping and spending in your usual fashion, you may make some gifts in your kitchen—or if you are crafts minded—by hand, improvising from what you already own. You may decorate your homemade gifts with recycled paper and ribbons. Holiday gatherings can take on a festive air with music and games that draw everyone into the fun.

Another way to spend part of the holidays is helping others who are less fortunate than you are, contributing your time and energy to feed and help the homeless. Bringing cheer and warmth to others by sharing your holiday can instill the same feelings in you.

By keeping your holiday plans simple, you can find the peace that is the essence of the season. By focusing on simple pleasures, like being with friends and family or helping others, you can do a lot more than “get through” an otherwise often stressful December. You can find joy.

I wish you much joy and peace.

Monday, August 24, 2009

No Job, Little Sleep, Getting Frazzled?

A lot has been written about the stress associated with job loss. What are you doing to maintain your equilibrium in light of your own dilemma?

If you are getting down or finding it difficult to get to sleep or stay asleep, leaving you short on energy in the morning, it is time to take some measures for change. There are steps you can take that don’t add cost to your budget but should help:

1. Get some exercise every day. Walk, run, bike…whatever suits you best.
2. Breathe some fresh air. Enjoy a local park’s gardens and natural vistas or tend to your own yard. When the weather is nice enough, find a place to sit outside and eat your lunch.
3. Cook simple, healthy meals. Stay away from sugary or fatty “comfort foods,” sodas, caffeine and excessive alcohol, especially in the evening. Nourish your body and brain with important nutrients.
4. Minimize your before-bed stimuli. Take some time to slow down before you lie down. Have a cup of chamomile tea, read a magazine or listen to quiet music. Television and intense reading can activate your brain instead of putting it to sleep.

Here are some online articles and websites that offer more tips:
Job Losses Carry High 'Stress Tag'
Advice from U.C. Berkeley
Dealing with Job Loss, from CareerOneStop
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Agency
Overcoming Job Loss Depression from eHow.com
Tips on Budget Eating & Job Loss
USDA Food Pyramid