I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Christmas isn’t about the big presents and the fancy decorations. It also isn’t about cramming in as many holiday activities and festivities during the month of December as you possibly can. It isn’t about having the biggest Christmas party, or the biggest tree. Instead, Christmas […]
Christmas is More than Big Presents and Fancy Decorations Read More »
Have you thought about simplifying Christmas? What I mean is to have a holiday season without the stress, without going all out on decorations, events, and gifts. Consider celebrating a much simpler Christmas this year. By scaling back and focusing on the more spiritual side of this holiday, you just might find more joy this
A Case for a Simple Christmas Read More »
Life comes in seasons. Some years are wonderful with few worries and plenty of everything. Others are leaner, more troublesome, and just plain sad. In the good years, the holidays are a lot of fun, but during the sad times, we may not enjoy Christmas all that much, and that’s ok. There’s a lot of
Sometimes Christmas Sucks. That’s OK Read More »
Between the school’s holiday play, work obligations, Christmas parties, and gift shopping, the weeks leading up to Christmas can be a very busy and stressful time. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and rush through your busy days. When you push hard to get it all done and keep up with the Jones’s, you may find
Finding Joy During a Stressful Holiday Season Read More »
As our families get more complicated, so do the holidays. Today’s families no longer consist of Mom, Dad, 2.5 kids, and one or two adoring grandparents. Instead, you’re dealing with ex-spouses, their new partners, and a mix of children, step-children, along with various half-brothers and sisters. With that comes a lot of complications to your
Complicated Families Can Make For Holiday Complications Read More »
Families can be a wonderful blessing, or they can be a major pain during the holidays. Let’s be honest, they can be both at the same time. The stress of the Christmas season, combined with the fact that we see more of each other than during the rest of the year, can bring any tension
3 Tips for Dealing with Family Issues During the Holidays Read More »
They are now filling your social media feeds, Pinterest, your favorite magazine, and holiday ads on TV: perfect versions of Christmas. While they are nice to look at and can provide inspiration for your own holiday decorating, cooking, and gift-giving, there’s a hidden danger in these perfect depictions of Christmas that can create stress and
The Danger of Coveting a Magazine Christmas Read More »
Worry can get into all the crevices of our lives. We worry about our jobs, our kids, our relationships, money, and a million other things every single day. Once worry sets in and takes over, we can find ourselves paralyzed, ensuring things don’t get done. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can take
5 Things You Can Do Right Now to Change Your Life and Stop Worrying Read More »
I am sitting here, clinging tight to my cup of tea and staring at the pile of work stacked on my desk. It includes some items I have completed, I just need to file away. There is a section of papers to shred – note to self to be sure I don’t mix up the
Get Important Stuff Done Read More »
The biggest obstacle to moving forward, making desired changes, to meet goals is often found within us. It has a name; it’s name is FEAR. Psychology Today describes fear as a response to a perceived threat. The key word in their definition is “perceived.” We are creative creatures with big imaginations. Our imagination can be
Do Not Let Fear Hold You Hostage Read More »
As I sit here with my London Fog tea today, I was reflecting further on last week’s post about how I deal with stress and distractions. I want to take it a step further today. There is one particular area of our lives that can be deeply changed by reducing distractions – our relationships. Whether
How Reducing Distractions Can Build Stronger Relationships Read More »
I am sitting here today, with my cup of tea, and chilling out for a bit. I don’t know about you, but for me, I face stress and distractions every day. Too often it seems like life is so fast-paced that it’s impossible to slow down. Can you relate? Oh please tell me it’s not
How to Deal with Stress and Distractions Read More »
We all have moments where we fall into perfectionism. For some of us, this might happen kind of often. For others, it’s reserved for those special occasions where we have a project where we can’t rest until we get it right. While occasional super-attention-to-detail is okay, it’s when we make perfectionism a way of life
5 Steps To Defeat Perfectionism Once and For All Read More »
It often seems that confidence is elusive, like a smoky mirage. Sometimes, it feels magical and wonderful; other times it can be frustrating. Something I have learned and continue to work on: you can build up your self-confidence without having to resort to any crystal ball. ‘How?’ I am so glad you asked. It’s really
Why Self-Confidence Matters Read More »
I was in a social gathering not long ago and I overheard several conversations that included bragging about how hard they were working, how they missed other events because of work, and now they had to take a call because the business needed them. It saddened me to see these people in a social gathering,
How to Avoid Becoming a Workaholic Read More »
