8 months in and 4 more to close the year. Where do you Stand?
As the summer days are slowly coming to an end and we're getting ready to send
the kids back to school, look out for the changing colors of the trees, going to
the fall fairs and not to mention the holiday season only 4 months away.months
away! I begin to wonder where this year has gone. As we grow older, it seems as
if the days roll into one, we need to savor every moment. I find that we spend
most of our time running around trying to get everything squeezed into one day,
and yet our own needs are at the bottom of the totem pole.
My friends, I know that the economy has been a big-put down on some of you. We
can continue to use that as an excuse, but what we really need to do is move on.
We say things like “I have so much on my plate: trying to find a job, paying the
bills, taking care of the kids, putting food on the table, and doing the
laundry. The list is a mile long.” Our schedules are over packed and we’re so
stressed that we don't even have time to go to the gym. Our eating habits are
out of control, and we question ourselves as to how we ended up gaining the
extra weight. I'm going to reveal to you some simple strategies to ease the
stress and keep your calendars from spiraling out of control.
Here are some tips:
1. Be sure to have a calendar and set a specific time for each task. Everything
should be time sensitive. Each category should have a different color (i.e. Kids
orange, work green so on and so forth).
2. Schedule 1/2hr of "me time” to read a book, go for a walk, take a bath, or do
whatever you need to relax. It makes life less stressful when you schedule time
to decompress. Everyone around you will be happier as well because it will put
you in a better mood.
3. Know that regardless of how bad things get, always look at the glass half
full and be thankful for what you do have.
4. Take baby steps to accomplish your goals. Rome wasn't built in a day. Reward
yourself for what you have been able to do.
5. Take credit for what you can do instead of dwelling on what you can't do.
Focus on your strengths not your weaknesses.
6. If you’re married with children you need to schedule the following. Even if
you don't have kids, this applies as well:
A) Date night once a week.
B) Quality time with the kids. Try doing something like game night or a picnic
in the park.
C) Schedule time to have the kids help you around the house. This will not only
help you, but it will teach them responsibility.
7. Create a budget. Having a budget and knowing where your money is going will
save a lot of time and stress. Set up online pay so you know your payments won't
be late and you don't have to worry about it. This is a time saving tip that
will add more time to your schedule things you like doing.
8. Meal plan for the week so you know what you’re having. Prepare things like
cutting up veggies or marinating the meat in advance. Have recipes planed out
ahead of time. If you don't have the specific ingredients in the house,
improvise with something similar. Just because you don't have it, that doesn't
mean you should go to the store. You doing that will waste gas, time, and money.
9. Grow your own veggie and fruit garden. It doesn't have to be anything big
and if you don’t have a green thumb, then research how. Herbs are always easy to
grow. This saves a lot of money and trips to the store. Make it a fun family
thing to do.
10. Eat leftovers or create new meals from them. We tend to throw out so much
food and that is money down the drain. Go online for recipes, Rachel ray teaches
you how to create new meals from left overs. Be creative.
These 10 tips will help you stay young, fresh and revitalized. Apply them today
so you can start to feel stress free.
