Monday Blues, Rock, or Whatever

My parents were music lovers.  Married in the 1940s, they were fans of the Big Bands.  Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey are among the bands I grew up listening to.  They also had collections of Classical music and Country/Western.  I even had a thing for Opera for a while in grade school.  I've never been to an opera. *grin*

I love music!

I've lost count of the number of songs on my playlist, probably because my taste in music is very eclectic and I listen to a lot of different types.  Of course I prefer some music over others, and I haven't been listening to very much of the current crop of hits.  I'm too busy enjoying what I know and already have.

Music, even the weepy songs, lift me up out of the doldrums and bad moods or helps with de-stressing during "one of those days."  It helps me relax and go to sleep at night.  I use it while writing and, yes, have made playlists for each book.  Those playlists sometimes have duplicate songs, here and there, but usually the music has something to do with the characters or the story.  An especially snappy tune will get me on my feet.  I love to dance, too, so the two go hand in hand.

A year-and-a-half ago, when I walked two miles each morning, I took my Mp3 player that included "walking" music.  Fast tempo stuff that forbade a leisurely stroll.  Was it the walking or the music that made me start my day on a better note than if I didn't walk?

I played piano, flute, and even taught myself to play a guitar (badly).  I sang in Glee Club and Mixed Chorus and have a 1st place gold medal from a music contest when I was part of an octet in high school.  I can't carry a tune in a bucket these days, but singing along with a little Simon and Garfunkel isn't out of the question for me.  Or the Beatles or Beach Boys or the Carpenters or...  It's impossible to keep from tapping my foot to bit of music...even a TV commercial that includes music with a good beat.

The speakers in my car are dying a painful death, so listening while I drive isn't done often.  But if I find myself feeling down, I'll turn it on, in spite of the crackling from one side or the other.  Music rarely intrudes on my thoughts.  It adds to them.  Makes them better, makes them clearer.  Whether the music has lyrics or is strictly instrumental doesn't really matter.  It makes the heart sing.

There's no such thing in my life as a favorite song.  There's far too many to choose from.  I'd have to pick 3 from column A, a dozen from B, and a few from C.  No, it can't be done.

Do you have a favorite song?  Or favorite type of music to listen to?  Or are you eclectic, like me?  Give a shout out!  But shout loud, because I'll probably be wearing my earphones. :)

Music in the soul can be heard by the universe. ~ Lao Tzu

'Tis the Season of Madness

It really doesn't change, this holiday madness time of year.  Some years it isn't too bad, but others make us want to crawl in bed and not climb out again until spring.

With Christmas only a week away, gasp...choke...faint and back to back deadlines looming into late February, the idea of crawling into a cave--hopefully a warm one--and staying there until sanity returns is whispering in the back of my mind.

Yes, life can be stressful, and holidays even more so.  There's never enough time.  There's never enough money.  There's never enough parking spots.  At the same time there's an abundance...of lists, chores, deadlines, wants and needs.  And yet we manage to do it, year after year, and actually survive.

If holiday stress is taking its toll on you this year, below are some quick, online tips to help lend a calming holiday for you and yours.  Simply taking time out to read them might help a little.  Giving thought to them might help even more.

So here they are, those tips to get you through the most stressful time of the year.  Click on the links to read more about each tip.

From Psychology Today...
10 Tools for Dealing with Holiday Stress and Depression

1. Keep your expectations balanced.
2. Don't try to do too much.
3. Don't isolate.
4. Don't overspend.
5. Mourning is appropriate at times.
6. Treat depression wisely
7. Watch your diet and get some exercise.
8. Be aware of the Post Holiday Syndrome.
9. Plan Ahead.
10. Learn forgiveness and acceptance.

Read more here.

5 Practical Tips To Deal With Holiday Stress: The RELAX Paradigm

1. Remember what the holidays are truly about.
2. Exercise.
3. Listen to music that you love.
4. Ask for help.
5. eXtricate yourself from unnecessary socializing.

Read more here.

from Psych Central...

Coping with the Holidays: Eight Ideas for De-Stressing the Holidays

1. Remember the spirits of the season.
2. Be a friend.
3. Remember the family members who are no longer present.
4. Discuss the issue of presents with your family.
5. Practice moderation in preparing holiday meals and consuming holiday goodies.
6. Plan enough time for shopping.
7. Understand that others may be stressed out.
8. Be grateful.

Read more here.

There are more tips, lists and articles at Psych Central's Coping with the Holidays.

Check the Mayo Clinic suggestions.

Stress, depression and the holidays: Tips for coping from the Mayo Clinic

1. Acknowledge your feelings.
2. Reach out.
3. Be realistic.
4. Set aside differences.
5. Stick to a budget.
6. Plan ahead.
7. Learn to say no.
8. Don't abandon healthy habits.
9. Take a breather.
10. Seek professional help if you need it. 

Read more here.

Wishing you and yours Seasons Greetings, a very Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays!

Christmas... is not an external event at all, but a piece of one's home that one carries in one's heart. ~ Freya Stark 

Crash & Burn

The past week as been...  Well, exhausting would be a good description.  A week ago today, I did a final polish on To Love a Cowboy (working title) and sent it off to my editor and agent.  One major thing crossed off a very long To Do list.

The funeral of my friend Mickie (see blog post below) was held on Thursday.  A sad day, brightened only by getting to see (and hug!) old high school friends, then a chance to spend some time with one of my BFFs.  Plans went awry, and I hurried back to the city to pick up the youngest  granddaughter and, later, the daily chore of picking up the other four g-kids from two schools.  After getting out of bed and hour earlier than usual to take oldest granddaughter to school, Friday was spent catching up on little details, then running through the usual pick-up-the-g-kids and the normal catch-up with other things, such as websites, email, Facebook...

By the weekend, I was ready to do as little as possible, but a request from my youngest daughter late in the day to run a shopping errand for Christmas things too precedence.  Then supper at oldest daughter's and off to bed.  Sunday turned out to be a sleep-in day, then hurrying to catch up on the time spent sleeping.

Somewhere, exhaustion set in, which dribbled into Monday and lasted through the day and a too-late night.  Then yesterday, momentum picked up.  Catching up with laundry and cleaning a bedroom took up the day and early evening.  At least the clean bedroom provided a catalyst to get up and move.

Now I'm back to Wednesday again, with all but one thing left to get done of the dozen on the To Do list.  The plan had been to take the week to do much-needed cleaning.  While the bedroom isn't completely finished, my office disaster, thanks to deadlines since July, needs immediate attention.  I'm still trying to find out how the belongings of others find their way into a room that should be exclusively mine.  Okay, mine, the cats' and the dog's.  Oh, and Johnny Depth, the Beta fish.

At least the center of my desk is relatively clear.  That's a good thing, because tomorrow I'll be working on AFS (Art Fact Sheets) for the book coming out next August.  What's an AFS?  It's information about and photos of the main characters of the book, with three scene descriptions and a short and sassy thirty-word teaser about the book.  All for the cover.  But that's for tomorrow and the weekend, if necessary.

If the old saying, "No rest for the wicked" is true, I rank right up there with the Wicked Witch of the West.  But even she crashed and burned.  Okay, she melted.  And that's how I'd been feeling for the past week, until, as in the Broadway play and book, Wicked, by Gregory Maguire, Elphaba rose again.  (For those who haven't seen or read Wicked, that's all I'm going to say. ::wink:: )

November is coming to a close in only a week and a half.  And then the crazy month of December descends on us.  We shall overcome!  Or at least I will.  Determination at its best.

Friday's blog topic?  Writing tips...but which one?

 Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward. ~ Kurt Vonnegut  

Stress Reduction

FACT: Stress is one of those things we all deal with.  (Yes, I ended the sentence with a preposition.)

The past two weeks have proven to be one of the more stressful times of this year for me.  And there's another one to follow next week.  Not only am I starting a new book with a deadline for the proposal (first 3 chapters and full synopsis) next month, but one of my daughters is getting married a week from Saturday.  Any woman who has been involved with a wedding knows how that is.  Factor in the usual get-grandkids-to-school and back (3 schools, 5 kids ranging from Pre-K to middle school), which normally is handled with a minimum of teeth gnashing.  Not so, over the past two weeks.  It gets worse.  Thanks to three half-days for the three grade-schoolers and three days off for the pre-k'er, last week, my normal schedule (and body/brain rhythm) has taken a beating.  This week is was the middle-schooler with two early-outs, and all of them out for today and tomorrow.  Next week...well, there's that wedding and all the last minute details.

Yes, I want to bang my head on my desk.  Most of my writing has been done on a yellow pad, while I sit and wait for school to be out--at whatever the particular time.  I finally finished the first scene last night, after several days of writing.  It's hard to get into the heads of characters, while running here and there, jotting notes--when paper & pen are available, and finding more than fifteen minutes of uninterrupted time.

And today is my youngest daughter's birthday.

Such is life.

Or for those who are into French, c'est la vie.

Why have I not offed myself or emptied my bank account for a one-way ticket to a private island?  Well, other than not owning a private island or knowing someone who does, the offing part doesn't thrill me, and the bank account might pay for gas to the airport.

There are ways to beat stress and keep the pounding headache, suicidal thoughts, and need to escape the here-and-now at bay.  I've used several of them.

Walking

I did this last year in the morning.  Early morning, although definitely after the sun came up.  There's a small park nearby, with a walking track.  Five times around netted me two miles a day.  Two miles and over a half hour of a brain and body workout.  My Mp3 player is loaded with upbeat music, excellent for starting the day.  I could think...or not.  And even when I didn't think, things floated through my mind without bidding.  Good things.  Like the opening of the book I just finished writing that will be winging its way to my editor within the hour.

Music

I'm not sure what I would do without music.  It's been a part of my life for as long as I remember.  Just a few notes can take me back to good times in the past.  I skip the ones that take me back to bad times.  A lively song has the power to get me on my feet, and I start moving.  A slower song can often lift my spirits.  Music also drowns out the sounds of children. ;)

Deep Breathing

It's hard to be tense when blowing out a deep breath.  Use it when those tense-filled times happen, and stress can be nipped in the bud.  Breathe in through the nose, and blow out through the mouth.  Do it slowly.  Focus on what you're doing, instead of whatever is causing  the tension.  It works great in the midst of an argument.  If that doesn't work, walk away and take a walk, while listening to your favorite music.  Don't choose something to listen to that will bring you down.

Meditation

I know, I know.  Who has time?  That's exactly what I thought...until I tried it.  I may not be proficient at it, but as it is with everything, practice helps.  Carve out ten to twenty minutes a day, morning or night, and you'll find yourself thinking more clearly, sleeping more soundly, and all the big things that are driving you crazy will become smaller.  I've found that guided meditation works best for me...at least for now.  Deepak Chopra is my favorite and often offers 21-day guided meditations online for free.  Other options are available online at no charge.  Find something you like, whether it be guided our on your own.  Because mornings can be hectic here, no matter how early I crawl out of bed, I've been doing my meditations at night.  Instead of lying awake in bed, until the wee hours of the morning, I'm falling asleep quickly and don't often deal with waking during the night.  I'm sure my blood pressure has lowered, too.

Yoga

This one didn't work for me, probably because my body doesn't want to bend in the shapes needed.  Weak wrists that don't hold me up are my downfall.  And I do mean down fall.  But I know people who swear to it, and if it didn't require twisting myself into shapes, I'd try it again.  There's a plus.  Yoga and meditation can go hand in hand.

Mini-Vacations

This is the most difficult.  Sometimes there aren't two or three days available to put ourselves in a new and different environment.  Sometimes all it takes is a day with friends, shopping, talking, seeing a movie, or even checking into a local hotel to read a book, catch up on sleep or maybe even take a swim.  I lucked out when a friend offered me a mini-vacation at her home.  We spent the evening watching movies, talking, and imbibing in some spirits...the drinking kind, not the ghostly ones.  After a restful night of sleep, I was grateful for the few hours of getaway.  I've spent weekends with another friend, who was one of BFFs in high school.  Sometimes just getting away from our usual environment can make a big difference.

Exercise

Some people swear by a regular exercise schedule.  It's something I tell myself that I should be doing.  But, alas, it hasn't happened.  Whether done at a gym, in your bedroom, or in front of your TV, it's one of the best forms of killing stress.  Then there's that added benefit of losing weight or toning your body, in addiction to stress reduction.  A win-win situation.

Reading

This is one thing I wish I had more time to do, but when I start reading, I can't stop.  And reading until 3 a.m. causes drowsiness and fatigue when I have to get up at 7 a.m., quickly leading to more stress.  But it is something I try to do when I'm not working on a writing or web designing deadline.  I've filled my Kindle with books to read, but the chance to read doesn't come often.  Still, I'll grab it in a nano-second when the opportunity presents itself.  Reading is an escape, and all it takes is to banish stress, at least for a while is to finish a good book.

Those are only a few suggestions.  Some people choose hobbies to take them away from "the real world."  Try different things and see what works best for you.  And if you've found something not listed above, please share!

Stress can kill, if not our bodies, our minds and our creative spirit.

Take time for yourself.  Demand it, if necessary.  Steal it, if nothing else works.

The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another. ~ William James

It's Friday?

Holidays do this to me.  My inner calendar is off. Not that it doesn't happen all on its own and far too often, without the benefit of a holiday.  Don't take me wrong.  I LOVE three-day weekends, especially when they're the more "official" ones, as Memorial Day was this week.  Why?  Ah, because those official ones are days I don't hear the pitter-patter (and blood-curdling screams) from the younger set.  Their mothers get to hear it. ☺

Just to catch up anyone who wondered if I made that 40 page goal by last Sunday, the answer is yes. Total count was 78 pages for the week from Sunday through Sunday.  Yeah, I was amazed.  And that Monday-holiday wasn't even in the count!  *patting self on back*  One scene of about 8 pages and a short epilogue to write, and this baby will be done.  Well, except for the editing.  But I'll be putting this project away for a week or so and move onto something else.  Writing every day, if possible, kicks in the after-burners and makes writing easier.  Let a chunk of time go by with no writing, and it's hard to get back into it.

Now back to today being Friday...

Today is the kick-off for our city's annual River Festival.  This evening will include the Sundown Parade, followed soon after by my favorite event--the Twilight Pops Concert, featuring the local and excellent symphony orchestra on the banks of the river and ending with Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture complete with cannon fire and fireworks.  That's followed by more fireworks with coordinated  music.

There's more to the 9-day festival, although we don't go to as many events as we did, long ago.  And I do mean long ago.  We've surpassed 40 years.  The festival began as a centennial celebration in 1972, then grew into an annual celebration.  Back in the '80s, the only time my daughters and I missed the Sundown Parade was when it rained.  Imagine trying to corral four girls, one a baby in a stroller, through a crowd of many thousands.  It was a trick to keep track of them, but we managed.  "We" being me.

One year, I ran in the River Run.  Okay, I mostly walked the 2-miles, but I finished.  Another year I was part of a tug-of-war team, held on the sandy shore of the river in one of the parks.  I've hunted for the medallion, watched hot-air balloons launch, gone to concerts--the best being the 5th Dimension, who I'd seen when I was much younger--and sat through more men's softball tournaments than I care to remember.  They've discontinued another favorite, the bathtub race, and I miss it the most of the activities and events that have been left behind.  But there's still plenty to do for everyone, with Children's Theater productions for the little ones, rides, and recently a zip-line across the river for older ones and grown-ups has been added.  Not my cup of tea, but it's fun to watch.  These days, runs and tug-of-wars are behind me, too, but it's nice to sit on the sloping, grassy riverbank and just relax, waiting for the concert as the banks along both sides fill with people of all ages.

This is my vacation.  One or two days of walking and walking and watching fireworks.  If it rains tonight, I'll be disappointed.  I look forward to the Twilight Pops and firework from year to year.  But if rain or wind should ruin the night, I'll be found amid the chaos of my office or maybe watch a little TV.  It's going to be my Friday Off, and I intend on making it a good one.

Kick your weekend off with a bang and ENJOY something close to your heart!

Life is like a roller coaster, live it, be happy, enjoy life. - Avril Lavigne 

Life is Full of...Stuff

It's raining.  Not that it matters.  At least it isn't snowing, as it did this past Tuesday night.  Not just a few flakes, but at least half an inch.  In April.  Late April.  Not December or even January or February.  April.  And this after the 20+ inches from the big snow in March.  Yeah, I'll take the rain.  We need it badly...if the snow and freezing temps didn't kill off every living green thing around.

Tuesday night was the first time I had a chance to kick back and not think about anything.  I watched a movie on HBO, then another on Wednesday night.  I think that's a record.  Movie/TV watching has been at a minimum this year.  Especially the past two weeks.

The middle of those two weeks were spent on writing three chapters and two synopses.  Something like 71 pages, plus plotting-in-a-rush.  Plus a daughter with a shattered back car window.  Tape was needed to keep a little rain out, so I went to the store and bought some for her.  Then half of Monday was spent picking kids up to take to school, a granddaughter who needed a ride to school, another granddaughter to an appointment, then to school, and topped off by a call from the school nurse, who'd run out of meds for oldest grandson.  I decided I needed a vacation.  Or an award.  Or at least one day of rest.

Rest doesn't come when needed.  Not ever.  Not even on weekends.  With three website jobs waiting, I'm still at the computer with no extra time.  Oh, okay.  I took a 3-hour nap yesterday evening.  It was that or get knocked out by my head hitting the desk.  With my luck, that kind of thing would give me a concussion.

Facebook, Twitter, Linkdin, Pinterest and all the rest have taken a backseat to bigger priorities.  In a couple of weeks, the current priorities will be finished and new will have arrived.  In another month, there'll be five kids between the ages of 3 and almost 12 to watch over, keep fed, and above all, keep safe.  We'll see how well that works.

Very few people have a life--or even consecutive days--of nothing to do.  Well, kids, do.  We know that because by the second week of summer vacation, we hear a continuous chorus of "I'm bored.  I don't have anything to do-o-o-o."  Anyone with children...or who have been one in the long ago past...can remember those days.  But we aren't kids.  We have responsibilities, jobs, families, and rarely enough time to do all of those things well.

So what do we do when life is full of stuff?  We schedule.  But what happens when the schedule becomes too full, leaving us with no extra time to simply kick back and relax?  Scheduling fun seems a bit forced, but if the time comes that it has to happen, when the body is near the point of collapse and the mind is too full of "musts" and "have-tos," when we stay up later to get things done and deprive ourselves of needed R&R, we really don't have a choice.

In Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, taking one day a week for an "artist's date" is strongly encouraged.  Mandatory, even.  One day to get away (as if that's going to happen in my life) to enjoy the things around us.  Get out, take a walk, visit a museum a park or a mall, or simply sit in the backyard/on the patio/the deck/the balcony/the beach, and do nothing.  If sitting and doing nothing is difficult--it is for me--read or watch a movie, especially a favorite.  Sleep, if needed.  Let yourself go, at least for a little while, and refill the well of not only creativity, but of life.  Good things will happen.

It's definitely time to take my own words of advice.

The great omission in American life is solitude; not loneliness, for this is an alienation that thrives most in the midst of crowds, but that zone of time and space, free from the outside pressures, which is the incubator of the spirit.  ~Marya Mannes

Time Off

THE WRITING LIFE

The time came for me to keep a running To Do list.  I kept forgetting to do things, then rushing to get them done when I realized they needed attention.  My list never seems to be finished.  Each day I add something new, in spite of marking off at least one or two items that were already there.

Sometimes we simply need to take a break.

In addition to writing, I design author websites and provide childcare for my grandkids.  All but one of the five (a step-grand makes it six) is in school.  (Hear my hallelujah?)  So last week, still in the throes of not having my taxes filed yet, website work to do, and a proposal that needs some changes and polishing, my youngest daughter decides we need to take the youngest grand (her niece) to the zoo.  One more thing to add to the list.  But I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Okay, if you really want to."  After all, there's a special admission price this month on Wednesdays, making it less painful on the pocketbook.

With a backpack stuffed with sandwiches, and my camera in hand, we went to the zoo.  It's been a while since we've gone.  In fact, Payton (above with the bears) has never been to our zoo.  She wasn't exactly wild about the idea at first, but once there, when told, "Come on, we have to go," after looking over an animal, she cried.  Yeah, I think she liked it. :)

We have a wonderful zoo here, much better than the tiny (free) one in a park that I visited as a child.  Not that I've never seen better than that old one.  I've been to some of the best, including the Chicago Zoo and the San Diego Zoo.  But I have to say that ours now ranks among the best.  While there are some of the more common animals (lions and tigers and bears and, of course, elephants, and Michael Jackson once bought a baby giraffe from our zoo), we include the more uncommon from all over the world.  The best part is that the animals are shown in their natural habitat, not sleeping or pacing in cages.

Stork

The zoo is divided into sections, including areas of the world.  There's the Children's Farms that include an Asian Farm, American Farm, and African Farm.  Our new Penguin Cove opened a few years ago, and there's an indoor Amphibian & Reptile building, that begins with three large, and very old, tortoises and ends with the snakes (shiver).  Since seeing Harry Potter, I have images still in my mind of how the glass disappeared when I stand in front of the Anaconda exhibit.

Inside the Jungle

The Jungle building is one of the most popular and includes not only a real waterfall, but fruit bats flying freely and vampire bats in a dark, glassed in area.  Plants are everywhere, and the birds are free to fly and roam...and make a lot of noise.  There's the North American area, with bears and buffaloes and more, the Gorilla Forest that's so much fun to watch.  Africa and Asia, which includes the Tiger Trek, moves on to Australia and South America.  Most of the animals from those last two regions were unavailable, thanks to our colder weather here, but we'll catch them the next time.

Gorilla playing with a sheet

The exhibits are all well-marked as is the way to each area, and the information shared on each animal is fascinating.  School children from the city and surrounding school districts take trips to the zoo every year and learn new things.  And, yes, I do read those information signs.  Flamingos get their pink/orange color from eating greens that contain iodine.  I remember the flamingos at Cyprus Gardens in Florida when I was child, but I never knew until yesterday that the underside of a flamingos wings are black, thanks to them taking low flight from the shore to the pond yesterday.

While it wasn't the beautiful day forecasted, and the sun refused to come out from behind thick clouds, with a stiff breeze and 10 degrees cooler than expected, we still had a wonderful time!  Proof, once again, that time off is needed by everyone, and it doesn't take much to make some of those times memorable.

“Sometimes it's important to work for that pot of gold. But other times it's essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow.” ~ Douglas Pagels

Countdown to Christmas

MOTIVATION MONDAYS

It doesn't seem possible, but two weeks from today is Christmas Day.  I don't know about the rest of you, but this year has flown by so fast, my head spins just thinking about it.  The reason for that could be that in February I put my head down to write two new books.  The second of those was finished three weeks ago, complete with the usual revisions.  But didn't stop there.  I'd already done some work on a follow-up book, so with deadlines met, I pulled out that new story, made some changes and finished the synopsis to go with the first three chapters.  That was accompanied by a four-page synopsis for a second book.  Both were sent to my agent last Wednesday.

Motivation hasn't been something I've had to hunt for over the past couple of months.  Deadlines will do that.  So will new characters begging to have their stories told.

But it's nearly time for Christmas, and I'm ready to sit back and enjoy the holidays.  As much as possible, anyway.  Most of my shopping, except some online purchases, is done.  My daughter put the tree up Saturday evening, while I put some lights in the windows.  I can't say we're decorated to the hilt--far from it--but at least we've done something.  For a while, we didn't do even that much.  Small grandchildren don't work well with decorations.

What I'd really like is some time to be like that cat in the picture above.

It seems motivation is taking a holiday.  And that's okay.  In addition to myself, I know many, many writers who have worked through holidays, sometimes year after year.  It can be done, although it obviously isn't the most popular way to spend "the most wonderful time of the year."  On the other hand, bills must be paid, so deadlines must be met.  For some, it wouldn't be Christmas without them.  Literally.

But deadlines, whether writing or holiday ones, we each need to remember to spend some quiet time with family, friends, and even ourselves.  Especially the latter, because if family is around, we'll forget that we need some time to ourselves, if only for a few minutes to catch our breath.  Deadlines and holidays are both stressful, so below are some links to some de-stressing tips.

• 10 Ways to De-Sress During the Holidays from the Charlestown Patch, Boston MA
• 12 Ways to Destress Amidst Holiday Madness Woman's Day Magazine - Destress tips that can be done 15 minutes, 10 minutes, 5 minutes, or 1 one minute segments
• 3 Easy Says to De-Stress Over the Holidays Shape Magazine 

Need more ideas?  Simply google/search using *tips to destress during the holidays* for many more.

'Tis the season to remind ourselves to take a break and relax.

“Just breathing can be such a luxury sometimes.” ― Walter Kirn, Up in the Air