Tag Archives: tension

Avoiding Holiday Family Meltdowns

With the holidays just around the corner – Chanukah begins next week, Christmas and Kwanzaa the week after – are you planning to spend some time celebrating with relatives? Now is the time to take a look at your family dynamics and plan ahead to avoid a meltdown during your get together. Often present-day arguments reflect childhood conflicts over power, competition or favoritism. In today’s environment, politics, too, can cause a serious disruption in family harmony. If your family has a history of dwelling on unfinished business or expressions of … Continue reading

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5 Practical Tips to Reduce Stress

Stress is the body’s response to any stimulus that taxes our personal resources. It can appear, suddenly and unannounced, through a variety of symptoms: Physiologically as headaches or an upset stomach Emotionally by feeling frustrated or overwhelmed Cognitively from memory loss or trouble concentrating Behaviorally with changes in eating or sleep patterns State of mind affects our wellbeing, and we’re all searching for some serenity in this frenetic world. Vacations ease tension, but they’re just too few and far between. So why not take a head trip as your relaxation … Continue reading

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Coping with the Unhappiest Day of the Year

Earlier this week, we experienced what has traditionally been dubbed “the unhappiest day of the year.” For those in the Northern Hemisphere, January is often the most depressing month: the days are cold, the nights long, bills from the holidays have arrived, and we’ve already broken many of our New Year’s resolutions. So what can we do – this week – to cheer up, take on a different approach and make the choice to move forward? Here are some strategies that work for me when I’m dealing with hassles. Give … Continue reading

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Celebrate Chanukah with Traditional Foods and Less Stress

Now that Chanukah is in full swing, I’ve been enjoying the holiday with family and friends. And what is a celebration without the traditional foods – potato pancakes (latkes), donuts (sofganiot) and chocolate coins (gelt). Food has always been an important part of family rituals – sometimes the scents alone can bring back vivid memories of shared holidays. And it can transcend generations: frying latkes reminds me of watching my mother make them for us as kids, making dozens for my own children, and now preparing them to take to … Continue reading

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