Mental & Emotional Health

“Studies have shown that these five steps will help you quit and quit for good. You have the best chances of quitting if you use them together.

1. Get Ready
* Set a quit date.
* Change your environment.
* Get rid of ALL cigarettes and ashtrays in your home, car, and place of work.
* Don’t let people smoke in your home.
* Review your past attempts to quit. Think about what worked and what did not.
* Once you quit, don’t smoke — NOT EVEN A PUFF!

2. Get Support and Encouragement
Studies have shown that you have a better chance of being successful if you have help. You can get support in many ways:
* Tell your family, friends, and coworkers that you are going to quit and want their support. Ask them not to smoke around you or leave cigarettes out.
* Talk to your health care provider (for example, doctor, dentist, nurse, pharmacist, psychologist, or smoking counselor).
* Get individual, group, or telephone counseling. The more counseling you have, the better your chances are of quitting. Programs are given at local hospitals and health centers. Call your local health department for information about programs in your area.

3. Learn New Skills and Behaviors
* Try to distract yourself from urges to smoke. Talk to someone, go for a walk, or get busy with a task.
* When you first try to quit, change your routine. Use a different route to work. Drink tea instead of coffee. Eat breakfast in a different place.
* Do something to reduce your stress. Take a hot bath, exercise, or read a book.
* Plan something enjoyable to do every day.
* Drink a lot of water and other fluids.

4. Get Medication and Use It Correctly
Medications can help you stop smoking and lessen the urge to smoke.
* The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved five medications to help you quit smoking:
1.Bupropion SR — Available by prescription.
2.Nicotine gum — Available over-the-counter.
3.Nicotine inhaler— Available by prescription.
4.Nicotine nasal spray — Available by prescription.
5.Nicotine patch — Available by prescription and over-the-counter.
* Ask your health care provider for advice and carefully read the information on the package.
* All of these medications will more or less double your chances of quitting and quitting for good.
* Everyone who is trying to quit may benefit from using a medication. If you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, nursing, under age 18, smoking fewer than ten cigarettes per day, or have a medical condition, talk to your doctor or other health care provider before taking medications.

5. Be Prepared for Relapse or Difficult Situations
Most relapses occur within the first three months after quitting. Don’t be discouraged if you start smoking again. Remember, most people try several times before they finally quit. Here are some difficult situations to watch for:
* Alcohol. Avoid drinking alcohol. Drinking lowers your chances of success.
* Other Smokers. Being around smoking can make you want to smoke.
* Weight Gain. Many smokers will gain weight when they quit, usually less than ten pounds. Eat a healthy diet and stay active. Don’t let weight gain distract you from your main goal — quitting smoking. Some quit-smoking medications may help delay weight gain.
* Bad Mood or Depression. There are a lot of ways to improve your mood other than smoking.”

Tomorrow, The Five Day Countdown!

Thank you to Every Day Health for bringing you this post!

mental and emotional health, smoking, smoking cessation, five step plan

I grew up in a pretty small town. There were 20,000 people and most of them were conservative, white, blue collar workers. In this town, you either were a nerd, a jock, or a stoner. (I got to be in the “nerd” category, and still don’t mind that!) There wasn’t much to do in this town (two bowling alleys and, after my Sophomore year of high school, a roller skating rink. I mostly hung out with my friends at their houses doing random things that were “nerdy.” I didn’t think much of it until I moved away to college.

In college, I joined (approximately) 39,999 other people in a larger town, with people of all different races, ethnicities, educational backgrounds, financial situations, sexualities, and whatnot. I was blown away by these new people, and made friends quickly and felt comfortable with everyone. During my junior year at school I took a women’s studies class (that I loved) about violence against women. My professor was from Minnesota and one day mentioned that this college wasn’t very diverse. It got me thinking; I came from a little town and this new town was diverse. Professor came from a huge town and this new town was not diverse. Interesting how that works out.

The whole point of this post was that I spent my weekend with a family who absolutely understands tolerance. Mr.Cee is gay. He came out of the closet in his early high school years (in the little town of 20,000) and then moved to an even smaller town. He made friends, his family continued to love him, and nothing was too shocking for them. Mr.Cee moved to New York City where, while doing IV drugs, he contracted HIV. His family, rather than shunning him, have rallied around him and continued to show their love & support towards him. Mr.Cee started a treatment for Hepatitis C a few weeks ago and his medication has made him pretty sick and makes him feel worn out as well. He came to town for a family party, and watching his family surround him with love, even though they haven’t seen him in years, was really cool.

I feel like I lost my train of thought a million times during this post. I may address this again when I have more thoughts actually put together. Enjoy your Tuesday!!

mental and emotional health, tolerance, HIV, AIDS, hepatitis C, family, Roseburg, Oregon State University

The Power of Positive Thinking

Well, I haven’t talked much about it lately, but I’ve been incredibly depressed lately. My joblessness, the stress of moving (and still not knowing exactly where to) and the anniversaries that are approaching have me quite at odds with my mental self. Yesterday, I was really down, and I told myself, before going to bed, that I was going to have a great day today, that something positive would occur and that whatever that positive thing may be, I was going to concentrate only on it.

Earlier today I received a phone call from a place I had previously interviewed with (RTG). They have three branches and I interviewed for a receptionist with the Pearl branch and didn’t get it because I was overqualified. They apparently passed my name on to their Lake Oswego branch and the LO branch wants to interview me tomorrow for a higher-up position. I spent abotu 10 minutes just THRILLED with this fact and then when I was bummed out early this afternoon, I thought about it again. It made me happy!

Then, another place (medical clinic) called me for another interivew later on tomorrow! I’m going to go to that, too, just to see how it goes. The fact that I have two interviews scheduled made me stressed, so I thought about the positive aspect of it, and then not ten minutes later I got an email from the ballroom dance telling me that they were hiring me. I have a job!!!! I am still going to my two interviews tomorrow, but I have a job! *doin’ the job dance*

I am going to be working Monday-Thursday from 7am-3pm and Friday’s from 7am-4pm (whoo hoo for a whole hour of OT!) as a studio coordinator. I am going to be doing dance lesson scheduling (ballroom, not ballet!), advertising stuff (read: creative projects!), taking funds, and helping keep the dance studio running. I am REALLY excited about the job and the fact that it’s a new position is great for me, since I already have ideas!

So yeah, if you had something positive happen today (did someone smile at you?) concentrate on it for a while. See what comes of it!

mental and emotional health, positive thinking, happiness, new jobs, ballroom dancing, job interviews, positivity

A friend that I worked with at the hospital billing office died yesterday. Other close friends from work were nice enough to wait until today to tell me (so as not to “ruin” my birthday). MamaCeeta called me this morning and I had to shut down. I was staying with Mr.E. and I just closed off in order to not “deal” with things right there with him. I came home and dealt with things by climbing back in bed, crying, and mourning the loss of a friend.

HappyBunny and I had a strange relationship, we were always nice to one another, but it was that “goodmorning b*tch” nice. Bunny was twice my age and twice as feisty; and I loved her. We harassed one another daily and I loved it. She was my last Valentine’s Day secret gift receiver and I’m glad now that I spoiled her rotten with it.

It’s all incredibly sad to me, and I don’t really know how to deal with this; I’ve never had a close friend die. I haven’t really felt anything since crying this morning … and I don’t know when I will. I’m sorry about this random post, it’s just what has my mental and emotional health all messed up.

mental and emotional health, death, death of a friend, depression, change

Today I turn 25. At 1:50pm, 25 years ago, my mom (naturally) gave birth to me. Kinda scary to think about. Anyway, happy birthday to me … I’m officially 1/2-way to fifty.

My parents drove up to take me to dinner (and give me boxes and tape and a present!) and mom asked me at one point if I felt old … and I don’t, but I feel weird. “I’m 25 and divorced.” Neither of my parents had much to say about that … I think it made them uncomfortable, but we moved on shortly thereafter. This morning I woke up early and spent a little while thinking about the things that I’ve done in the past 25 years that have made me incredibly proud; I don’t have much material on my mind for REAL mental and emotional health, but concentrating on my OWN mental and emotional health, I thought I’d list some of the things I’m more proud of from the past 25 years.

~I learned to read at an exceptionally early age. I was barely 4 when I read books aloud to strangers. My dad took me to jobsites with him and I impressed teachers by “reading” to them. They assumed that I was going to make up the stories and then I actually read the book to them. I read all the time still; I love to read.

~I wrote a story that was published when I was in 3rd grade. It was a HORRIBLE story about a horse who had trouble walking. I named the horse Sarah. Psychologically there is probably something strange about that. “Readers dream, dreamers write.” I both dream and write … this is a pretty cool thing to me.

~I joined the Talented and Gifted program in 4th grade. I was a smart kid. I still feel like a smart kid most days. (I stayed in TAG until they disbanded it in 8th grade.)

~I started my own business in the 6th grade, selling and teaching about owl pellets. My friend Brandi and I made good money doing this. We collected the owl pellets from her grandpa’s barn, sold them for a dollar a piece (school science catalogs sold them for $4 a piece) and our elementary school principal drove us to other schools to give presentations and teach younger kids about owls and mice. It’s gross, but we made money and teachers thought we were super-cool.

~In 8th grade, I was the top English student in my “neighborhood.” Our grade was split into two neighborhoods (I was in the gold one, and the other was the blue one) and I got to be the top English student. I got a pretty plaque and my parents were invited to a ceremony and I won an award and all that stuff. I still have the plaque and am STILL proud of this.

~In 10th grade I was accepted into the GAPP (German-American Partnership Program) by my high school German teacher. My family hosted an exchange student (Britta) and then six months later I spent 5 weeks in Germany. I loved this time and learned much about myself. I was 16 (my gosh, this doesn’t feel like it was a DECADE ago!) and had an amazing time!

~I graduated high school. I was in the top 10.15%. I was ONE person off of being in the top 10% of my graduating class and actually felt awful having to sit with the “regular” people. That sounds horribly pretentious, but all my friends were in the first row … and I was way back with the H’s. : ( I survived and I know that it was only a numbers game, but still. I graduated high school!

~I got accepted to the only college I applied to; Oregon State University. Looking back I feel DUMB for only applying to ONE school since I was such a good student in high school (and very, very active!). Who knows where I could have gone if I had decided to be brave and GO somewhere!

~In college I was continually on the Dean’s List and honor roll. I was invited to join honor societies (and I think I joined one … LOL … I can’t really remember) even though I barely passed Chemistry. I got one B in my major (German) in four years and am incredibly proud of such a high college major GPA.

~After my divorce, I have survived and THRIVED. I am a happy, strong, capable woman, and I have learned more about myself in the past 11 months than I had in the previous 11 years. I am incredibly proud of myself for these things.

So, yeah, I’ve done plenty of things to be proud of in the past 25 years. I have no regrets and wouldn’t change a thing … otherwise I wouldn’t be who I am. As a birthday present to me; leave me a comment and tell me why you’re proud of yourself!

mental and emotional health, birthdays, getting older, pride, reading, learning to read, writing, getting published, TAG, talented and gifted program, starting your own business, entrepeneur, owl pellets, dissection, English, awards, GAPP, German-American Partnership Program, Germany, exchange students, high school, graduation, top 10%, college acceptance, Oregon State University, Dean’s List, honor roll, German, divorce, thriving, regrets

A friend of mine made a list of 40 things that she wanted to do before she turned 40. I think that I want to do the same thing and since you all seem to enjoy my more personal posts, I figured that I’d share that list with ya’ll today. Happy Wednesday! (Maybe I’ll make Wednesday posts always a bit more personal for ya’ll?)

40 Before 40
1. visit New York City
2. … Greece
3. … Germany (again)
4. … South Africa
5. run a half-marathon and then
6. run a marathon
7. get my Master’s degree and then
8. get a Ph.D. (be a doctor!)
9. learn to foxtrot or cha cha and then
10. dance the foxtrot or the cha cha in public
11. write a novel
12. sew something I can wear
13. learn to knit (something I’ve been trying to do for two years already … it may take another 15!)
14. read War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy
15. … Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
16. … Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
17. … The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and
18. … Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
19. … all of Ernest Hemingway’s books and
20. … all of John Steinbeck’s books
21. learn to rollerskate backwards
22. bake a cake from scratch
23. get married
24. buy a house
25. have a baby
26. buy a brand new car
27. dance on a bar
28. ride a mechanical bull
29. celebrate my Golden Birthday (29 … because my birthday is on the 29th) with something original and fantastic (ride a rhino through downtown Portland?)
30. meet someone famous
31. take a cruise
32. give a speech in public
33. change a tire on my car
34. perfect a sweet bread recipe
35. grow my own tomatoes
36 … cucumbers and
37. … pumpkin.
38. grow my hair out past my shoulders
39. turn 39 years old and love my 39th year of live
40. make another 40 in 40 (more years) list

mental and emotional health, personal, lists, 40 in 40

After my own traumatic divorce, I never thought that I’d be excited about someone else getting married. I was bitter … I was angry … and I remember telling strangers (a bachelor at a strip club) “don’t do it!” over and over. Today I got the news that one of my best friends is engaged. The first time I met MissNPea was when we were both planning our weddings. She was to marry Mr.R. and I was to marry the X. MissNPea’s wedding fell through with Mr.R. decided that he wasn’t mature enough to get married (and he was damned right) but she and I remained close through my wedding planning, marriage and then divorce.

MissNPea called me from LasVegas today to tell me that she and Mr.Cee are engaged!!!! I had a feeling this was coming and so I was THRILLED to hear that it finally happened, and then, surprisingly enough, I was just as excited to hear that they’re going to be married while still in Vegas! I told MissNPea multiple times that if she got married in LasVegas I’d be upset and eat her leg, but today when she told me, all I could do was beam with joy. Mr.Cee is a wonderful man and I’m so very happy that she found him. While I am sad that they are getting married in LasVegas because I can’t see it, I’m ecstatic that life is falling into perfect place for my girl. This just means that eventually it will happen for me. : )

I am so thankful to have her in my life and she has been so incredibly supportive through my many emotional bouts and my not-so-emotional bouts as well. I am blessed to have this amazing woman in my life. MissNPea, I love you and cannot wait to hug your face and congratulate your married self in person!

So, yay for weddings, and then there has been good news on my side of the world as well.
1. I have remembered to take my meds two days in a row. (I had forgotten for two days in a row before this though.) I need to remember to do a rewards system for myself.

2. MissPea and I are going our seperate ways in life and moving in to our own apartments. I am nervous about this because I’ve never lived alone before, but I’m excited to try it out and see how I function. I’ve had quite a few friends offer their extra kitchen stuff (stuff I’m short on since the divorce) and I’m so thankful for them.

3. I had a great job interview today that I have a good feeling about. It’d be within a dance studio near where I live (now) and it would be full-time. SonE and I got along marvelously and she and I even went to lunch together after the official interview. I would LOVE to work in a dance studio and think that it’d be a perfect fit for me. While we were lunching, she told me; “we’re going to work great together” and then gave me the biggest grin with eye contact, so I have a hard time not believing her.

4. I then went to a open casting for a new sports bra line. The first part of it went really well, although they put me in a horribly itchy test bra first and then when I met the designer, he told me “you have a really nice set of breasts for such a small frame” and I almost burst out laughing right there. Then he told me that I was too thin to do fit testing for his new line so I didn’t make the cut. That’s okay, because apparently I have a nice set of breasts.

mental and emotional health, weddings, marriage, engagement, best friends, divorce, emotions, medicine compliance, moving out, living alone, roommates, job interviews, dance studio, sports bras, breasts

I never have a problem answering meme or survey questions that say; “what’s your favorite band of all time?� … the answer is always, and may always be, Fleetwood Mac. Today while looking for something I stumbled across a performance of “Go Your Own Way,� and since it’s my favorite song of theirs I had to stop and both listen to and watch it. This song makes me feel wonderful listening to it, and I don’t quite know why. I laugh at myself for knowing that the man’s name is Lindsey and the woman’s name is Stevie … and how silly I thought that was while I was growing up.

Anyway, the song made me think about people going their own (and often separate) ways. Sometimes that journey is a surprise and sometimes it’s absolutely planned out. Sometimes you don’t even realize that it’s happened until you’re miles away (literally or figuratively) from the other person. It can be a good thing and it can be a bad thing, ultimately I think these kinds of travels are what you make of them.

Lately I’ve noticed myself on paths quite different than those of my peers, and even my closest friends. We have all gone our own way, and some of us have purposefully steered our ways back towards one another. Some of us are allowing the paths to take us in different directions with no anxiety about that. Then there are those of us who are still refusing to admit that we’ve walked far from one another and don’t actually have plans to turn around and come back.

What happens when you’re the person who wants to stay on the same path and have realized that you’re being left alone, or that your separate path is so incredibly different that it just won’t work? Do you want my advice (oh, I’m so sure that you do!) You’ll just have to move on in order to help yourself out. Why bother sitting and stewing on a relationship that has changed too much to “repair� (or to go back to “normal�)? Honestly, I don’t believe that you should push anyone to fix something that they this is overly broken. When my husband left me, I heard “why don’t you just go to counseling?� more than a half-dozen times. Each time I repeated myself with “he doesn’t want to fix it, and I refuse to force him to try.� They didn’t understand that I would rather deal with a broken relationship than have someone resent me for “forcing� them to try and repair it. If the other person isn’t willing to walk your path with you, and they won’t budge on that (and you don’t want to walk their path, you may be headed on a solo journey. It may seem scary at first, but honestly, it’s one of the most liberating and exciting things I’ve ever done. I have this feeling I’m coming upon another chance to take a solo journey and I’m already excited (albeit anxious as well) about it.

mental and emotional health, Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Go Your Own Way, separation, anxiety, change

I found out last week that the ex is in a serious relationship … and it hurt. I’m still hurting from it. He didn’t want to be with me through medical school because I’m “not worth taking care of.” Yeah; not very nice … I know. I’m glad that we’re not together, and I’m better off and happier not being married to him, but it hurts to know that he’s found someone “worth” taking care of. It hurts a lot more than I thought it was going to and I don’t like it. I don’t know why it hit me so hard today, but I definitely feel like retreating for a long while to nurse some very old wounds.

I really thought I was stronger than this. I really thought I was getting better.
Two steps forward, three steps back … what a cycle.

mental and emotional health, depression, divorce, dating after divorce, emotional hurt, medical school, cycling

I love words. I started using words very early (both in spoken and written language). I have always used words. I read books about words. I make up my own words. I have a degree in (foreign) words. I love words.

Words give language their power and its potential to hurt or heal us. Everyone can remember a time (sometimes even years ago) when someone said something to you that hurt or picked you up more than anything else. Words stick with us! I remember the first true compliment I ever got … it was from a teacher in grade school who told me that I had “the most beautiful single-dimple I’ve ever seen.� Thinking back on it, it might be creepy, but it’s stuck with me all my life. When I feel ugly, I can think about this teacher’s words and they help to heal my own personal hurt. The words my ex-husband used to tell me that he was leaving me “you’re not worth taking care of� will also stick with me forever. When people talk about taking care of one another, those words are immediately what come to mind. Words can hurt and words can heal. What we say has weight.

The more aware we are of the fact that words have weight, the more we can deepen our relationship to those words. We can use this relationship to create feeling and emotional meaning with those words. Words are no longer an abstract & disconnected grouping of letters mashed together; they are powerful transmitters of feeling. I have a suggestion for you to help you recognize this. For the next few days, notice how words are affecting your body & your mental & emotional health. Notice how you can have different types of communication styles with the people in your lie. Notice how your own words come out and how other people around you react to them.

When you speak quickly, do your words have less meaning behind them? Are they less powerful? If you take your time, think about what you want to say, and listen to ourselves before you speak, do your words have more meaning and are they more powerful? If we can carefully think about what we say, we may be able to “harness the power of speech.� Allow your words to be able couriers of both therapeutic strength and radiance. Allow them to routinely transmit deep and positive feelings towards both the sender and the receiver.

mental and emotional health, words, power, healing, hurting, strength

When you are through changing, you are through. ~Bruce Barton

For most people, change brings about a high level of stress, uncertainty and even turmoil. For me, change brings freshness, difference, and excitement; except when it comes to things that have always been one way changing. On Friday I drove into Corvallis, Oregon; my old college-days stomping grounds, and I was surprised to see the bridge on the way out of town covered in white plastic and black tubing and surrounded by construction equipment. I don’t rubber-neck at accidents (and get quite annoyed at those who do) but I rubber-necked at the bridge. What are they doing to my bridge? That’s the best way out of town! It’s off the main drag in town! What are they doing to it? I was seriously concerned at this change.

As I was early for meeting with my friends I drove over to Borders to do some reading and some reminiscing. The Corvallis Borders is perfect for reminiscing as I spent quite a bit of time during college here. I lived (literally) across the street and although I refused to look at it (maybe for fear that it had changed?) the four-plex I spent two years of my life living in, is visible. I think part of the reason I refused to look at it, (or drive by it, even though it’s faster & I miss traffic) is that I lived there while I was married. It was the first apartment the Ex and I lived in without other roommates. It was the apartment he proposed to me in. It was the first apartment we lived in while we were married. That four-plex holds so many memories for me, and since I’m actually in Corvallis to avoid some memories, I probably subconsciously refused to look at it.

Tomorrow is the Ex’s birthday. For the first time in ten years we are not spending it together. For the first time in a decade, I did not buy him a birthday card or a birthday present and I won’t make him a birthday dinner. I am happy to be divorced. I am happy to be single. I am happy that I’m on my own and am learning who I am, but it’s weird to have this sort of change in my life. I’m sure my birthday (in just a few weeks) will be even stranger for me. I will turn 25. I will be a quarter-of-a-century old. I will be celebrating my first single birthday since I turned 14. It’s weird. It’s absolutely strange to think about that, but also very empowering and evocative as well.

I am going to start my own tradition this year, I haven’t decided what that tradition will be, but I am going to set things up in my head to actually celebrate my birthday. I will spend the day doing what I want and even if I can’t spend money, spoiling myself. I am going to look at free things to do in the city and see if I can’t get some friends to go hang out with me (even though my birthday is on a Tuesday night!) to celebrate. Something good will be coming for me in my 25th year. I am anticipating the change and looking forward to the excitement and newness that I will experience.

What kind of tradition do you think I should start?

mental and emotional health, change, divorce, stress, birthday, traditions, newness

First; I passed the site on to my mom; so I must say “HIIIIIIIII Mutti! Ich bin lustig!”

There are endless amounts of ways to save money if you look for it. I spent a little time at the Federal Trade Commission website reading their 66 Ways to Save Money. The FTC gives you tips on how to save money on everything including car rentals, gasoline, credit cards, major appliances, heating your home, grocery shopping and even funeral arrangements. If you need to save money on it, the FTC probably has a tip for you.

Scholarships Around the US gives us 118 Ways to Save Money in College as well. They give you tips on managing your money in a bank, how to get the best bang for your buck when it comes to drinking alcohol, buying your textbooks, eating on $0.12 (Ramen noodles!), using a school discount to buy a new computer, buying and legally sharing music and DVDs, where to grocery, birthday, and even Christmas shopping!

There are many bargain shopping places you can find online to do your shopping:
EBay
Overstock
Smart Bargains
DealCatcher, catching deals so you don’t have to
Pricegrabber will find the cheapest price for you!
BizRate shopping searches
CouponMountain will give you coupons on thousands of items
Ultimate Coupons will, too!
CouponChief

Save Money on Heating Costs
Easy Ways to Save Money on Gas and Save Money on Car Expenses
Saving Money on Home Expenses
How to Save Money on Your Credit Card and Saving At Your Bank

Lending Tree offers many ways to save your dollars!
7 Tips from MSN on how to save or make some money.

Here are some easy tips on how to save some money quickly!
1. Cut out the soda, juice & flavored drinks and drink more water!
2. Go over your grocery list. Try buying more off-brands. Most are exactly the same as their more expensive counterparts.
3. Buy clothes and shoes from the clearance racks and buy them off-season.
4. Get movies from the library instead of renting them.
5. Same with books, borrow instead of buy. We usually only read them once anyway. If you have to buy a book, buy it used!
6. Go on a picnic instead of going to the restaurant.
7. Toss all your change in a “piggy bank” of some kind and let it accumulate for a few months or longer.
8. If you have all the movie channels, cut them down a bit. Most of the movies rotate through anyway.
9. Do your laundry at night. The rates are cheaper.
10. Give your clothes an extra spin as it costs less to run a washer than the dryer.
11. Ask your credit card companies for a lower interest rate. Sometimes rather than lose a good customer, they will grant your wish!
12. Buy your holiday decorations AFTER the holiday. You can save up to 75% or more.
13. Turn down your heat a couple degrees more at night and throw on an extra blanket.
14. Clean behind your refrigerator at least once a year to get out all the dust and dirt that can cost you more money.
15. Save empty bread bags and grocery bags instead of buying box after box of storage bags.
16. Keep your car tuned and your tires properly inflated to save money on gas.
17. Buy inexpensive fabric for cloth napkins, doilies, etc. You don’t need to use disposable ones, either.
18. Be creative when it comes to decorating. Use sheets to make curtains. Use an old quilt as a cozy wall-hanging. Create an artful display with family photos.
19. Save the new, convenient plastic coffee cans with handles. Paint them, decorate them and use them for organizers for kids art supplies, your CDs, pens & pencils, food envelopes, recipes, craft supplies, etc.
20. Turn unused stuff into money. If you have a gift you haven’t used or that shirt you bought and never wore, take them back to the store. You might not get full price, but some is better than none.
21. Use petroleum jelly to remove make-up. It is much more economical then beauty products made for removing make-up. (I don’t recommend this as petroleum jelly isn’t the best for your skin. Use an generic Oil of Olay instead!)
22. Hydrogen peroxide can be used to kill germs in cuts and sores rather then expensive antibiotic medicines.
23. Make windowsill or container gardens and grow herbs and fresh vegetables.
24. Instead of a night on the town, send the kids to Grandma’s and have a romantic night at home.
25. Make and STICK TO a budget! (Remember my previous days posts?)

Do you have favorite sites that you shop at to save yourself money? What are your favorite money-saving tips?

As I was starting this post, I made it three things into my list and then accidentally lost the post. Instead of getting really frustrated, I used my own aforementioned stress techniques and moved on. I couldn’t control (or save) what I had previously lost, so I am continuing.

For the past two days you’ve been reading about life-changing activities you can do to lessen the stress in your life, but have any of you been wondering about little day-to-day things that you can do to help yourself out? Well, that’s what today’s “Stressball, III” post is dedicated to. Pick one thing a week and slowly start adding it to your life in order to reduce your stress!

*Add something beautiful to your life on a daily basis (e.g., flowers). I like to get flowers. I love having flowers around, and am thankful that my roommate is willing to replant weeds & flowers outside to cheer us both us. If I’m really craving fresh flowers, I will just buy them myself to cheer me up! : ) Looking at flowers reminds me that there is always something good in life!

*Do some enjoyable activities whenever possible. What do you like to do? Read? Check out a new book! Enjoy cooking for friends and family? Try out a new recipe! Do you scrapbook? Take pictures? Run? Watch TV? Do something that you enjoy doing; that is definitely going to help you out!

*Walk, work, and eat at a relaxed pace. If you can help it, remember that slow & steady does really win the race. Take your time and keep yourself calm, even under pressure!

*Take a short break after meals to relax. If you like to, get out and go for a short walk after dinner. Sip on a cup of (decaf) coffee. Read the newspaper. Enjoy your meal and then relax afterward to let it settle.

*If possible, go outside at least once per day and notice the simple things such as the weather, scenery, etc. This goes along with taking your walk! You can go for a 10-minute walk during your morning or afternoon break or even take a walk during lunch-time. Get your blood flowing and count this as part of your daily exercise requirement!

*During the day, whenever you remember, notice and tension in your body (jaw, neck, diaphram, shoulders, etc.). Breathe deeply and gently stretch and relax any tense areas. Need some stretches? Print this out and tape it up near your desk. During your breaks, use this to stretch yourself out and breathe deeply while doing so!

*Avoid holding in feelings day after day, but instead, find a safe place to feel, express and embrace them. < a href="http://www.451press.com/more-bloggers-wanted/">Start a journal! Write to get your feelings out, embrace them, and deal with them as they come. Don’t just sit on your feelings and let them eat away at you. This is one of the best stress-relievers I’ve ever encountered and probably why I enjoy writing so very much!

mental and emotional health, stress, stress relief, stress relievers, reducing stress, 1-800-flowers, fresh flowers, books, cooking, recipies, photography, taking pictures, watching TV, Aesop’s fables, meals, relaxing, walking, decaf coffee, newspaper, The Oregonian, outdoor activity, exercising, body tension, stretching, desk stretches, journaling, writing, 451press

We’re back with stress relievers here … and moving on … to destress! : )

Qigong & Tai Chi are two yoga/meditation combinations that are rumored to be good for stress, too. I haven’t tried either but would be willing to check both out if they’d make me feel better! Here are some of the basic principles of Qigong if you’re interested in checking out a “psychosomatic regime, which through mind, breathing, and posture regulation aids in the prevention and treatment of diseases and preserves and lengthens life.” You’ve probably seen people on TV, or even in the park (yes, I’ve seen it happen in the park) doing Tai Chi. If you’re interested in checking out their moves, follow me to Tai Chi Instructions and read up!

Something that I’ve been doing for about three years now is Conscious Breathing which can also be called “transformational breathing.” Conscious Breathing includes actually thinking about the breath you are taking in and expelling. Rather than just allowing your body to autonomically breathe, think about taking it in and letting it out and allowing your body to cleanse itself with it’s own breath. There are very few websites out there, that I can find, that explain How To Conscious Breathe but this one in particular is worth checking out and trying if you’re interested.

stress, stress relief, stress relievers, quigong, tai chi, conscious breathing, transformational breathing, breath cleansing, mental and emotional health

I’ve had a couple of readers ask me the same two main questions lately that I think I shall address this morning!

1. [You're going back to school,] so what would you be studying? Right now my goal is to go into international HIV/AIDS education & prevention through the public health field. I have a degree in German and while it will come in handy for that “international” part of my career goals, most Master of Public Health (MPH) programs want you to have some sort of public health background before they’ll admit you. So, I’m going back to study a social science; psychology (which I was 3 credits shy of minoring in), sociology, anthropology, something of the like. I’m still debating which field I want to concentrate on, but I’ll add another liberal arts degree to the one I already have.

2a. Do you have a job yet? It’s not official, but unofficially, yes! Last night I met with the Hatfields* and we clicked immediately. MrTee and MrArr are both adorable little boys and they took to me like most children do. (Children and small dogs seem to really like me … just like a close family friend … if he and I were really related I could pull the genetics card, but that doesn’t explain it.) I spent 2 1/2 hours with the family getting to know them and playing with the boys. MrTee is a 3-year-old bundle of brains and energy; he didn’t sit for more than two minutes the entire time I was there. I reveled in his energy and went back to my car FULL of pep. MrArr is about to turn 1 and just beginning to creep/crawl. He pushes himself along the wood floor with one of his fat little legs and enjoys being the center of attention. They essentially offered me the job while I was still there, but until I see it in writing, or hear it on the phone, I’m not 100% counting on it … just at 98% for now. My email account has been acting up (Gmail apparently suspended it!!!!!) and so I had to create a new one and get in touch with MrsCee to pass that information to her.

2b. So you’ll be working full time? No, nannying wouldn’t technically be full time since they only need me from 8am to 2pm. This leaves me absolutely open to find an afternoon/evening job and I plan on looking for something. I may spend my summer working my butt off just to keep myself busy and out of trouble.

2c. But you’re going to lose your health insurance, right? Yup, I’ll be without insurance but I will survive. I have insurance until May 13th and so I will have all my meds refilled and get everything taken care of before then. I won’t stop taking my meds and I won’t stop seeing Scuba Steve. I’ll take care of myself … otherwise this blog could get really interesting! LOL

2d. Are you only going to talk about kids now? No, I’ll find good things to talk about, still and you’ll probably still get to hear lots of silly stories about the children. Their names or photographs will never be on this blog, (we’ll stick to The Hatfields, DadE, MrsC, MrTee and MrArr as their names) but eventually those will become their names (to you). Get used to it. (And those of you who know me in real life will probably see them in my life over the summer anyway. Speaking of that, KIWI, this new job means a lot more freedom when BabyD decides to make his appearance and I will be able to “escape” work easier to get to the hospital!!!)

*they live across the street from the McCoy’s, right?

questions, school, HIV/AIDS, education, prevention, international education, international HIV education, public health, German language, psychology, sociology, anthropology, mental & emotional health, master of public health, work, job search, children, nanny, Gmail, crawling, babies, insurance, health insurance, medications, therapy, psychiatrist