Mammogram Confusion

Should women in 40’s get routine mammograms? It can reduce the death rate by 40%. Decrease in deaths was highest for women at the age of 40s. With such a policy in place, insurance companies will  stop paying women in 40s for coverage of breast screening mammograms.

One view is women in 40s are not at risk for breast cancer unless they are of high risk category and have a family history. For them it is recommended to get recommendation from doctor before getting mammograms because it is found that many examinations lead to false results, biopsies and increase burden on health care. Other point of view is that such a proposal will lead poor women in 40s with no insurance or facility for examinations and make them vulnerable to this deadly disease i.e. breast cancer which could be avoided.

Here is an excerpt from Anderson Coopers 360 blog : There’s confusion and outrage over the new recommendations from a government task force regarding mammograms.

The United States Preventive Service Task Force announced Monday that most women don’t need mammograms in their 40s and instead should wait until they are 50 to get one every two years. They also suggest that self-breast exams do no good and women should not be taught how to do them.

This is a major reversal and it’s being challenged by the American Cancer Society and others.

“We’re going to encourage women to continue to have mammography every year and we hope they will continue to have it into their 70s,” said Dr. Peter Pressman, a surgeon and co-author of “Breast Cancer: The Complete Guide”, who works with the American Cancer Society. Click here to read more on this topic.

All you need to know about fitness

Summary of the article: Personal trainer advice on how to get a great workout without leaving home, and nutritionist with tips on how to indulge sensibly. Also, workout fashions from Lululemon and Nike.

Who doesn’t want to be fit? We all try different ways to workout and gyms to stay fit.

To stay fit, we don’t need a gym we only need to know the exercises we need to do.

Our bodies are made to lunge and rotate so make it a part of your training.
I am someone who says it works for me if I can work out but also eat the cake.
High protein, low calorie, etc enough of that. Body runs on carbohydrates, we cannot go only high protein it clogs you and some people loose hair. It is also not sustainable. We slow down our metabolic system. Any dietary program that  makes you loose more than 1000 calories a day is not good. If body thinks it is starving, it stores fats. By combining  good food with hormonal balance (eating all three fats, protein and carbohydrates) we can do it. Create a dietary program that works for you. Weight loss program is less calories in and more calories out. Your body says I need something anti inflammatory, high energy…. You can eat healthy sin foods.  Low calorie, low glycemic index – lasagna (wit low fat cottage cheese), skinny tuna sandwiches, sweet potato martini’s. For a mother food preparation should be quick and easy. Visit drjoey.com for more ideas on healthy eating.
To reshape your body you need to work out.
The only way to keep weight off in the long run is to work out.

You need to look comfortable and fashionable as well. Put on the right fitness gear that gets you in the mood. Gone are the days when people wore loose t-shirts which loose focus of body shape. Tight reversible pants in black, lycra fabric, tank tops with built-in bras to conceal the nipple or gives you more shape are some of the top of the line fitness clothes. Keep the fashion with the organics. You don’t want to worry about clothes when you are working out. When you have lycra in the clothes it sifts the sweat away, which doesn’t linger on you. You keep dry. You should wear a good fitness bra for working out or it could be uncomfortable.

Some exercises you can do at home:
Cardio work out without exercise machines.  Get yourself a non-bouncing  metal ball. YOur heart rate goes up. A minute is enough for this.

For flat stomach – you need to get abdominal exercises. Push ups great do abs.
Spiderman crawl
Use Dumbbells
Toe touching (100 to 300 times)
rotating moves (20 times)
Cross toe touch

The core idea is to challenge the body with progressive resistance.
http://www.bootycampfitness.com/is a website we can go to for workout tips, it is like a personal trainer for a week.

Fighting the Flu – Will we wait till the neighbor is sick approach.

Fighting the Flu – Will we wait till the neighbor is sick approach.

Swine flu pandemic is spreading so fast and worldwide, it is creating a scare because people dont know how serious the problem is? Flu being a infectious disease and calls for immediate measures by one and all. Some literacy on how serious it is and how to deal with the situation if we happen to be close to a person with this illness would go a long way to subdue the panic.

Swine flu is a national emergency, declares Obama. Calling the emergency declaration “an important tool in our kit going forward,” one administration official called Obama’s action a “proactive measure that’s not in response to any new development.”

Obama: “Potential exists for the pandemic to overburden health care resources”  46 states are now reporting wide spread flu activity. However, the onslaught of information about H1N1 — be it playground rumors, employer signs telling you to cover your cough, memos from your kids’ school, or scary-sounding news reports – is making it pretty hard to figure out what you should be doing right now.

Some guidelines to what we can do right now to fight the flu:

Look up local flu outbreaks- Keep abreast of flue situation in your area
Don’t panic. For most people, an H1N1 infection is generally mild and can be cured with time, bed rest, and fluids. The virus is serious, though — particularly for those in high-risk groups. So far this year, 28 pregnant women have died of H1N1, and 76 children died in the spring. High-risk people, whether adults or children, tend to have chronic heart or lung conditions (including asthma), weakened immune systems due to disease or chemotherapy treatment, or diabetes.

That said, H1N1 will feel like seasonal flu for most people. “I’d say at the present time the swine flu looks no more serious than the routine seasonal influenza,” says Litman.

Wash hands

Stay at home - better chance to recover and not spread the infection. Are you sick right now? Say, with flu-like symptoms such as fever, aches, stuffy nose, and chills? Sorry, but it’s quite possible you already have swine flu. Experts say that flu activity is higher-than-normal for this time of year and almost all of it is due to H1N1. If you (or your child) are not in a high-risk group, it’s best to stay put.

If a child is 2 or older “and has no risk factors for complications and has fever, runny nose, or cough, the best thing to do is to stay home,” says Litman. “Plenty of fluids, Tylenol, Motrin, or Advil for fever, and it should run its course on its own.”

Understand the risks.

While the symptoms of H1N1 may be no different from seasonal flu, there are some key differences. H1N1 may be easier to catch than regular flu, and younger people may be more likely to come down with it than older people.

Get a pneumonia vaccine.

Get a flu shot
Don’t stock up on face masks or Tamiflu.

Swine flu is bringing about boom for one industry i.e. hand sanitizers. Demand for hand sanitizer has gone through the roof since the first cases of swine flu broke out earlier this year, and some makers of the germ-fighting gels are scrambling to keep up.

Market research firm Panjiva recently estimated that 3 million kilograms of hand sanitizer were shipped in the third quarter, compared with 1 million kilograms in the same quarter last year.

Josh Green, chief executive of Panjiva, said concern about the H1N1 virus, also known as the swine flu, is the “most likely explanation” for the surge in volume.

And demand is only expected to rise given the outlook for an exceptionally bad flu season.

In response, the companies that make and distribute Purell, the most popular name-brand hand sanitizer, are ramping up production and urging customers to not hoard the product.

Heavy demand

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ, Fortune 500), which makes Purell and distributes it to retailers, does not provide figures on sales or shipments of items such as hand sanitizer. But the company said demand for Purell has been “heavy” since the first cases of swine flu broke.

“Due to the influenza A (H1N1) virus outbreak this past spring and resurgence this fall, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies Inc. has experienced heavy demand on supplies of Purell,” said J&J spokesman Marc Boston in a statement.

The company is working to increase production for the remainder of the year and the beginning of 2010, but Boston acknowledged that supplies may be limited in some areas.

“Because of this increase in demand, consumers may currently find limited supplies of Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer at certain retailers,” he said.

Read food labels for low sodium and high potassium

They say we are what we eat. If this is the case then shouldn’t we scruntinise every thing we ingest very closely. Yes, knoweldge of nutrients is cruicial for making right food choices which gives our lives a good balance and an energetic and vibrant start to our day. The topic for dicussion here is the importance of potassium in our diet versus reduction of sodium. Sodium is something we eat too much as it is in salt or sodium chloride. Sodium is associated with high blood pressure, a number one reasons for heart problems, stroke and other cardio vascular diseases. Not only this but sodium also minimises the effectivity of blood pressure medications
This knowledge was an eye opener for me being a lover of salt. So when ever possible I aviod thsi white poison called salt. Also most of our sodium comes from sources like fast foods, restaurant foods, take out, canned and packaged foods as also condiments like ketchup, soy sauce, beef sauce.  Sodium is also present in salty foods like pretzels, smoked seafood and meats, frozen dinners and chips. It is also hidden in bread and bakery products, as well as soups and sauces that may not taste salty! I noticed breads have sodium content written in bold in its packaging.

Apart from avioding salt and processed food, there are other ways to maximise potassioum and reduce sodium:
Eat fresh: Fruits like banana, apple, papaya are rich sources of potassium and are an easy way to reduce sodium.
Use condiments: Ginger, curry, cumin, pepper, dill, garlic, onions, rosemary and thyme are an easy way to add flavour to food without adding salt.
Make your own sauces and dressings: Store bouight sauces and dressings are high in sodium so we can benefit highly by making home made tomato sauce, salsa, etc. For example half cup of canned tomato sauce can have about 470mg of sodium but making your own reduces our intake to only 25 mg. One table spoon of balsamic vinegar has about 250 mg but your own homemade oil and balsamic vinegar can have none.
Rinse: Wash canned vegetables or fish thoroughly with cold water. This can considerably reduce sodium intake.
Read food labels: Seemingly healthy food like tomato soup or cottage cheese can contain as much as 430 mg to 700 mg of sodium. So it makes sense to read food labels and make conscious decisions about the sodium intake and compare and choose low sodium products.
Adequate intakes of sodium per day:
1,500 mg for people aged 9-50
1,300 mg for people aged 50-70
1,200 mg for seniors over 70 years of age

Another interesting fact is

• 1 level teaspoon of salt contains just over 6 grams of salt.
• 6 grams of salt contains about 2,300 mg of sodium approximately double of our recommened intake.

Some of the facts presented here have been borrowed from sodium101.ca website.

Peer Pressure

Presssure:

Defining Peer Pressure
decisions on your own is hard enough, but when other people get involved and try to pressure you one way or another it can be even harder. People who are your age, like your classmates, are called peers. When they try to influence how you act, to get you to do something, it’s called peer pressure. It’s something everyone has to deal with – even adults. Let’s talk about how to handle it.

Peers influence your life, even if you don’t realize it, just by spending time with you. You learn from them, and they learn from you. It’s only human nature to listen to and learn from other people in your age group.

Peers can have a positive influence on each other.
Examples of how peers positively influence each other:
Talking or teaching about a cool trick on effective blogging.
Teaching a cool trick say computer short cuts that make your daily work easier.
You might admire a colleagues good PR skills and try to be more like him.
Maybe you got others excited about your new favorite book, and now everyone’s reading it. These are examples of how peers positively influence each other every day.

Sometimes peers influence each other in negative ways.
For example, a few peers can back bite about another colleague so you can get him / her into trouble.
your work friend might try to convince you to be mean to another colleagues and do their best to bring her down, show her in bad light to the management. Never let her function normally by secluding him, passing mean remarks, cutting her off from group invites.

Why Do People give in to Peer Pressure?
Some kids give in to peer pressure because they want to be liked,
to fit in,
or because they worry that they would be ridiculed if they don’t go along with the group.
Others may go along because they are curious to try something new that others are doing. The idea that “everyone’s doing it” may influence some to leave their better judgment, or their common sense, behind.

How to Walk Away From Peer Pressure
It is tough to be the only one who says “no” to peer pressure, but you can do it. Paying attention to your own feelings and beliefs about what is right and wrong can help you know the right thing to do. Inner strength and self-confidence can help you stand firm, walk away, and resist doing something when you know better.

It can really help to have at least one other peer, who is willing to say “no,” too. This takes a lot of the power out of peer pressure and makes it much easier to resist. It’s great to have friends with values similar to yours who will back you up when you don’t want to do something.

There is a popular adage “choose your friends wisely.” Peer pressure is a big reason why they say this. If you choose friends who doesnt use politics, back stab, has unhealthy habits, or lies, then you probably won’t do these things either, even if others do. Try to help a friend who’s having trouble resisting peer pressure. It can be powerful for one kid to join another by simply saying, “I’m with you – let’s go.”

Even if you’re faced with peer pressure while you’re alone, there are still things you can do. You can simply stay away from peers who pressure you to do stuff you know is wrong. You can tell them “no” and walk away. Better yet, find other colleagues to pal around with.

If you continue to face peer pressure and you’re finding it difficult to handle, talk to someone you trust. Don’t feel guilty if you’ve made a mistake or two. Talking to a mentor, or counselor can help you feel much better and prepare you for the next time you face peer pressure.

Learn to Deal With Pressure
Dealing with pressures and stress can be hard sometimes. The pressure to make friends, earn good PMM scores, deal with crammed schedules, establish and maintain relationships, and navigate an occasionally difficult home life can feel overwhelming at times. Dealing with all of this can mess with your self-esteem, outlook on life, mood, and health. The next thing you know, you’re feeling stressed, or worse.

What is Stress?
When you are stressed, your body reacts to enhance your senses and ability to meet a challenge like taking a test, building the courage to ask someone out on a date, scoring a goal, or swerving to avoid a car crash. Your body releases hormones called adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream, which increases your heart rate, elevates your blood pressure, boosts energy supplies by increasing glucose (blood sugar) in the bloodstream, and increases the availability of substances that repair tissues.1 All of these things happen to prepare you to handle anything that comes your way, whether it’s running away from a bad mouthing colleague or staying up late to finish a paper.
Mild stress may cause changes in our brains and bodies that are useful, but if stress is constant or prolonged, the changes that it produces can be harmful.
Some people think they can deal with stress by taking drugs. They think if they are unhappy, drugs will make them feel better. And some people say they think that taking drugs might help them to cope with stress in their lives. But drugs don’t fix the problems that are causing the stress in the first place, and they don’t stop the feelings themselves. Drug use can actually worsen the situation and lead to even more stress, anxiety, or even depression.
It is important to remember that everyone feels stressed sometimes and everyone goes through hard times. It might not seem like it now, but most things get better with time, especially if you confront the problems and work through them. Dealing with your problems directly might be difficult at first, but it will make you happier in the long run. For example, you may have to lessen your work load or talk with a mentor, or other professional about something that is bothering you. But if you find your feelings do not improve, you could also be suffering from depression, which can be caused by unbalanced chemicals in the brain – and is not your fault.

7 Habits of Happy People

 

A happy person is the one whose life is dominated by good feelings. Life is like a balance sheet when days with good feelings out weigh the days with bad feelings you are a happy person. Happiness is often linked with an inner sense of well being

A state of well being that enables you to profit from highest thoughts, wisdom, intelligence, common sense, emotions, health and spiritual values of life.

Happiness is contagious, it is like a perfume which you cannot pour on others without getting some drops on yourself. Happiness is not usually a product of some thought / action but is a by-product.  For instance, when I completed my course in web development it created a sense of achievement, which led to a feeling of inner well –being, or happiness.  Also happy endings usually creates an overall happy experience. The Magic of happy endings is remarkable.

 
Self-actualisation and to use the resources (intellectual and emotional) we have, brings contentment that is price less. At the same time, it is well known that people with inordinately high expectations are usually unhappy, as they are discontentment.  In a survey it was found that people of Bangladesh were the happiest in the world even though they belong to poor country, as they are content.

Also use nature / joy of simple pleasures to bring bursts of happiness in your life. Nature is bountiful and giving hence a source of joy / happiness. Pursuit of happiness can lead to unhappiness. Happiness is associated with giving it is not in having, taking, self-gratification. Hence reach out, Smile, and Hug.

It is a well-known saying your attitude determines your altitude. A happy person is not usually a product of certain set of circumstances but a certain set of attitudes. Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile but sometimes it is your smile that becomes a source of joy. Reflect on the good. We should positively reflect on our successes. We see people surround themselves with pictures of their friends and family and certificates of accomplishment to create a perception of well being and success. Perception then becomes a reality. It is important to mindfully reflect on the good while striving diligently to correct the bad. 

The single most important thing that gives me the maximum happiness is when my time and thoughts are shared with my family and friends. That is the actual index of happiness – i.e. the number of strong personal relationships and frequency of interactions. 

To be a part of something you believe in for example I want to belong to a blogging community. It helps me add passion in my career and engage in something that I strongly believe in. This engagement brings happiness and contentment into our lives. 

An average person is usually astonished when they a physically handicap person show signs of emotional happiness. The answer rests in how they use the resources they do have. Stevie Wonder couldn’t see, so he exploited his sense of hearing into a passion for music and he now has 25 Grammy Awards to prove it. 

Thus if we populate the balance sheet of daily life with these 7 valuable assets we could be happy people.  

Choosing an eyeglass frame

Eye frames are one of the most important accessories that one possesses. If face is the index of your personality then eye frames form an important part of it. Thus it is important to conduct a well informed research before investing around $300 on one such pair.

You should consider three main points when choosing an eyeglass frame for your face shape, according to Vision Council of America (VCA):
• Eyewear should repeat your personal best feature (such as a blue frame to match blue eyes).
• The frame shape should contrast with the face shape.
• The frame size should be in scale with the face size.
Choosing eye glasses frames that are right for your face is important if you want to look great in your glasses. It is important to take into consideration your face shape, eye brow shape and your coloring before choosing eyeglasses frames.
There are about seven different face shapes. They are round, oval, and oblong, base down triangle, base up triangle, diamond, and square.

• The round face is free of angles and the width and length are of the same proportions. Choosing eye glasses frames with an angular shape will help to give definition to the face. Narrow frames will help to lengthen the face.

• The oval face is said to be the perfect face shape and finding hairstyles and glasses that look great on this shape face is easy. Choosing eye glasses frames that are wider than the widest part of the face will look great on oval shaped faces.

• The oblong face is longer than it is wide and sometimes comes with a long nose. Oblong face shapes need frames with a depth that goes from top to bottom. Choosing eye glasses frames with a low bridge will help to lengthen the nose. Decoration around the temple area will draw the eye outward thereby making the face seem wider.

• The base-down triangular face is narrower at the top than the bottom. Choosing eye glasses frames with a cat eye shape or more decorated frames will draw the eye upward and make the face seem more balanced.

• The base up triangular face needs frames that are lighter in color, probably even rimless so that the eye is not drawn to the widest area of the face. Choosing eye glasses frames that don’t draw the eye to the upper part of the face will balance the width of the top and bottom of the face.

• The diamond shaped face is narrow at the eye and jaw line. Not many people have this face shape. Choosing eye glasses frames that are rimless, oval or cat eye shaped are great for this face shape.

• The square face shape has a strong jaw line with a wide forehead. Choosing eye glasses frames that are narrow and are wider than they are long are best for the square face shape.

It is important to also have a recent prescription before going for this expensive but essential accessory. Eye health is as important as any other health issue.It is a good opportunity to know where our vision is headed and any advance signals of any new issue cropping up.

Exercise of the brain

Exercise of the brain is as important as exercise of the muscles. As
we grow older, it’s important to keep mentally alert. If you don’t use
it, you lose it! Below is a very private way to test your loss or
non-loss of intelligence.
Take the test presented here to determine if you’re losing it or not.
The large spaces below are so you don’t see the answers until you’ve
made your answer.
OK, relax, clear your mind and begin.

1. What do you put in a toaster?

Answer: “bread.” If you said “toast,” give up now and go do something
else. Try not to hurt yourself. If you said, bread, go to Question 2.

2. Say “silk” five times. Now spell “silk.” What do cows drink?

Answer: Cows drink water. If you said “milk,” don’t attempt the next
question. Your brain is over-stressed and may even overheat. Content
yourself with reading a more appropriate literature such as Auto
World. However, if you said “water”, proceed to question 3.

3. If a red house is made from red bricks and a blue house is made
from blue bricks and a pink house is made from pink bricks and a black
house is made from black bricks, what is a green house made from?

Answer: Greenhouses are made from glass. If you said “green bricks,”
why are you still reading these???
If you said “glass,” go on to Question 4.

4. It’s twenty years ago, and a plane is flying at 20,000 feet over
Germany (If you will recall, Germany at the time was politically
divided into West Germany and East Germany .) Anyway, during the
flight, TWO engines fail. The pilot, realizing that the last remaining
engine is also failing, decides on a crash landing procedure.
Unfortunately the engine fails before he can do so and the plane
fatally crashes smack-dab in the middle of “no man’s land” between
East Germany and West Germany . “Where would you bury the survivors?
East Germany, West Germany, or no man’s land”?

Answer: You don’t bury survivors.

If you said ANYTHING else, you’re a dunce and you must stop NOW! If
you said, “You don’t bury survivors”, proceed to the next question.

5. Without using a calculator – You are driving a bus from London to
Milford Haven in Wales … In London , 17 people get on the bus; In
Reading , six people get off the bus and nine people get on… In
Sweden , two people get off and four get on… InCardiff , 11 people
get off and 16 people get on… In Swansea, three people get off and
five people get on… In Carmarthen, six people get off and three get
on… You then arrive at Milford Haven. What was the name of the bus
driver?

Answer: “Oh, for crying out loud!”

Don’t you remember your own name? It was YOU!!

52 PROVEN STRESS REDUCERS

52 PROVEN STRESS REDUCERS

1.Get up fifteen minutes earlier in the morning. The inevitable morning mishaps will be less stressful.

2. Prepare for the morning the evening before. Set the breakfast table. Make lunches. Put out the clothes you plan to wear, etc.

3. Don’t rely on your memory. Write down appointment times, when to pick up the laundry, when library books are due, etc. (”The palest ink is better than the most retentive memory.”- Old Chinese Proverb)

4. Do nothing you have to lie about later.

5. Make copies of all keys. Bury a house key in a secret spot in the garden. Carry a duplicate car key in your wallet, apart from your key ring.

6. Practice preventive maintenance. Your car, appliances, home and relationships will be less likely to break down “at the worst possible moment.”

7. Be prepared to wait. A paperback book can make a wait in a post office line almost pleasant.

8. Procrastination is stressful. Whatever you want to do tomorrow, do today; whatever you want to do today, do it now.

9. Plan ahead. Don’t let the gas tank get below onequarter full, keep a well- stocked “emergency shelf” of home staples, don’t wait until you’re down to your last bus token or postage stamp to buy more, etc.

10. Don’t put up with something that doesn’t work right. If your alarm clock wallet, shoe laces, windshield wipers-whatever-are a constant aggravation, get them fixed or get new ones.

11. Allow 15 minutes of extra time to get to appointments. Plan to arrive at an airport one hour before domestic departures.

12. Eliminate (or restrict) the amount of caffeine in your diet.

13. Always set up contingency plans, “just in case.” (”If for some reason either of us is delayed, here’s what we’ll do…” Or, “If we get split up in the shopping center, here’s where we’ll meet.”)

14. Relax your standards. The world will not end if the grass doesn’t get mowed this weekend.

15. Pollyanna-Power! For every one thing that goes wrong, there are probably 10 or 50 or 100 blessings. Count ‘em!

16. Ask questions. Taking a few moments to repeat back the directions that someone expects of you, etc., can save hours. (The old “the hurrieder I go, the behinder I get” idea.)

17. Say “No!” Saying no to extra projects, social activities and invitations you know you don’t have the time or energy for takes practice, self-respect and a belief that everyone, everyday, needs quiet time to relax and to be alone.

18. Unplug your phone. Want to take a long bath, meditate, sleep or read without interruption? Drum up the courage to temporarily disconnect.

(The possibility of there being a terrible emergency in the next hour or so is almost nil.)

19. Turn “needs” into preferences. Our basic physical needs translate into food, water, and keeping warm. Everything else is a preference. Don’t get attached to preferences.

20. Simplify, simplify, simplify.

21. Make friends with nonworriers. Chronic worrywarts are contagious.

22. Take many stretch breaks when you sit a lot.

23. If you can’t find quiet at home, wear earplugs.

24. Get enough sleep. Set your alarm for bedtime.

25. Organize! A place for everything and everything in its place. Losing things is stressful.

26. Monitor your body for stress signs. If your stomach muscles are knotted and your breathing is shallow, relax your muscles and take some deep, slow breaths.

27. Write your thoughts and feelings down on paper. It can help you clarify and give you a renewed perspective.

28. Do this yoga exercise when you need to relax: Inhale through your nose to the count of eight. Pucker your lips and exhale slowly to the count of 16. Concentrate on the long sighing sound and feel the tension dissolve. Repeat 10 times.

29. Visualize success before any experience you fear. Take time to go over every part of the event in your mind. Imagine how great you will look, and how well you will present yourself.

30. If the stress of deadlines gets in the way of doing a job, use diversion. Take your mind off the task and you will focus better when you’re on task.

31. Talk out your problems with a friend. It helps to relieve confusion.

32. Avoid people and places that don’t fit your personal needs and desires. If you hate politics, don’t spend time with politically excited people.

33. Learn to live one day at a time.

34. Everyday, do something you really enjoy.

35. Add an ounce of love to everything you do.

36. Take a bath or shower to relieve tension.

37. Do a favor for someone every day.

38. Focus on understanding rather than on being under stood, on loving rather than on being loved.

39. Looking good makes you feel better.

40. Take more time between tasks to relax. Schedule a realistic day.

41. Be flexible. Some things are not worth perfection.

42. Stop negative self-talk: “I’m too fat, too old, etc…”

43. Change pace on weekends. If your week was slow, be active. If you felt nothing was accomplished during the week, do a weekend project.

44. “Worry about the pennies, and the dollars will take care of themselves.” Pay attention to the details in front of you.

45. Do one thing at a time. When you are working on one thing, don’t think about everything else you have to do.

46. Allow time every day for privacy, quiet and thinking.

47. Do unpleasant tasks early and enjoy the rest of the day.

48. Delegate responsibility to capable people.

49. Take lunch breaks. Get away from your work in body and in mind.

50. Count to 1,000, not 10, before you say something that could make matters worse.

51. Forgive people and events. Accept that we live in an imperfect world.

52. Have an optimistic view of the world. Most people do the best they can.

Feeling Stressed – check out the following stressbusters!

So you think that you are stressed?  Running out of energy??  Nothing seems to go right??

1. Get up fifteen minutes earlier in the morning. The inevitable morning mishaps will be less stressful.

2. Prepare for the morning the evening before. Set the breakfast table. Make lunches. Put out the clothes you plan to wear, etc.

3. Don’t rely on your memory. Write down appointment times, when to pick up the laundry, when library books are due, etc. (”The palest ink is better than the most retentive memory.”- Old Chinese Proverb)

4. Do nothing you have to lie about later.

5. Make copies of all keys. Bury a house key in a secret spot in the garden. Carry a duplicate car key in your wallet, apart from your key ring.

6. Practice preventive maintenance. Your car, appliances, home and relationships will be less likely to break down “at the worst possible moment.”

7. Be prepared to wait. A paperback book can make a wait in a post office line almost pleasant.

8. Procrastination is stressful. Whatever you want to do tomorrow, do today; whatever you want to do today, do it now.

9. Plan ahead. Don’t let the gas tank get below onequarter full, keep a well- stocked “emergency shelf” of home staples, don’t wait until you’re down to your last bus token or postage stamp to buy more, etc.

10. Don’t put up with something that doesn’t work right. If your alarm clock wallet, shoe laces, windshield wipers-whatever-are a constant aggravation, get them fixed or get new ones.

11. Allow 15 minutes of extra time to get to appointments. Plan to arrive at an airport one hour before domestic departures.

12. Eliminate (or restrict) the amount of caffeine in your diet.

13. Always set up contingency plans, “just in case.” (”If for some reason either of us is delayed, here’s what we’ll do…” Or, “If we get split up in the shopping center, here’s where we’ll meet.”)

14. Relax your standards. The world will not end if the grass doesn’t get mowed this weekend.

15. Pollyanna-Power! For every one thing that goes wrong, there are probably 10 or 50 or 100 blessings. Count ‘em!

16. Ask questions. Taking a few moments to repeat back the directions that someone expects of you, etc., can save hours. (The old “the hurrieder I go, the behinder I get” idea.)

17. Say “No!” Saying no to extra projects, social activities and invitations you know you don’t have the time or energy for takes practice, self-respect and a belief that everyone, everyday, needs quiet time to relax and to be alone.

18. Unplug your phone. Want to take a long bath, meditate, sleep or read without interruption? Drum up the courage to temporarily disconnect.

(The possibility of there being a terrible emergency in the next hour or so is almost nil.)

19. Turn “needs” into preferences. Our basic physical needs translate into food, water, and keeping warm. Everything else is a preference. Don’t get attached to preferences.

20. Simplify, simplify, simplify.

21. Make friends with nonworriers. Chronic worrywarts are contagious.

22. Take many stretch breaks when you sit a lot.

23. If you can’t find quiet at home, wear earplugs.

24. Get enough sleep. Set your alarm for bedtime.

25. Organize! A place for everything and everything in its place. Losing things is stressful.

26. Monitor your body for stress signs. If your stomach muscles are knotted and your breathing is shallow, relax your muscles and take some deep, slow breaths.

27. Write your thoughts and feelings down on paper. It can help you clarify and give you a renewed perspective.

28. Do this yoga exercise when you need to relax: Inhale through your nose to the count of eight. Pucker your lips and exhale slowly to the count of 16. Concentrate on the long sighing sound and feel the tension dissolve. Repeat 10 times.

29. Visualize success before any experience you fear. Take time to go over every part of the event in your mind. Imagine how great you will look, and how well you will present yourself.

30. If the stress of deadlines gets in the way of doing a job, use diversion. Take your mind off the task and you will focus better when you’re on task.

31. Talk out your problems with a friend. It helps to relieve confusion.

32. Avoid people and places that don’t fit your personal needs and desires. If you hate politics, don’t spend time with politically excited people.

33. Learn to live one day at a time.

34. Everyday, do something you really enjoy.

35. Add an ounce of love to everything you do.

36. Take a bath or shower to relieve tension.

37. Do a favor for someone every day.

38. Focus on understanding rather than on being under stood, on loving rather than on being loved.

39. Looking good makes you feel better.

40. Take more time between tasks to relax. Schedule a realistic day.

41. Be flexible. Some things are not worth perfection.

42. Stop negative self-talk: “I’m too fat, too old, etc…”

43. Change pace on weekends. If your week was slow, be active. If you felt nothing was accomplished during the week, do a weekend project.

44. “Worry about the pennies, and the dollars will take care of themselves.” Pay attention to the details in front of you.

45. Do one thing at a time. When you are working on one thing, don’t think about everything else you have to do.

46. Allow time every day for privacy, quiet and thinking.

47. Do unpleasant tasks early and enjoy the rest of the day.

48. Delegate responsibility to capable people.

49. Take lunch breaks. Get away from your work in body and in mind.

50. Count to 1,000, not 10, before you say something that could make matters worse.

51. Forgive people and events. Accept that we live in an imperfect world.

52. Have an optimistic view of the world. Most people do the best they can.

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