In this issue:

1) Val’s Views: Is Stress Always a Bad Thing?

2) Parenting corner: De-Stress before You Reach a Breaking Point

4) Stress buster of the month: Journaling for Stress Relief

5) Time Management: Preventing Overload by Planning Your Schedule

6) Money Saving Tips of the Month: Holiday Spending: Did you Survive Black Friday?

7) Quotes on Stress

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VAL’S VIEWS

Is Stress Always a Bad Thing?

When you think about stress, you probably think about uncomfortable symptoms that completely take over your body: tense muscles, headaches, heart palpitations, etc. But does stress always have to be a bad thing?

Actually, moderate stress can be good for you. It boosts the immune system’s defense against infections. The energy that results from a “fight or flight” reaction can be channeled into productivity and can be harnessed and directed at goals. Stress is only a problem when it is relentless and repetitive. Even more important than how much stress you are under is how you react to it. Ultimately stress is a problem only when you think it’s a problem.

Stress can be used in a beneficial way when you recognize the added energy it delivers. A professional fighter booed by the crowd can falter…or he can use the negative energy he’s feeling to drive him to win the fight. With your home business, some anxiety can cause you to give up – or to you can tap into the energy the anxiety produces to press on.

If you are under prolonged stress, you have to make a conscious decision to spend part of each day de-stressing. This can be accomplished by whatever soothing activities are effective for you. This could be taking a bubble bath, practicing yoga or deep breathing exercises, listening to soothing music or ocean sounds. Taking time to exercise and eat right can help reduce the volatility of stressful times.

Preventing becoming over-stressed is probably easier than trying to cope with stress once it’s already happened. Some actions that will help prevent feelings of being overwhelmed are setting clear goals, staying organized and scheduling breaks.

When “fight or flight” kicks in, use the energy it gives you in a positive way. In other words, choose to fight for the goals you are trying to accomplish, not to run from uncomfortable feelings.

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PARENTING CORNER

De-Stress Before You Reach a Breaking Point

Having children teaches us to get into the habit of putting others’ needs before our own. Whether you have a job outside the home and are trying to balance work, family, household chores and work at home goals or you’re a stay at home mom trying to home school your children, run a home business and your household, chances are from time to time you feel like you’re reaching a breaking point.

Those feelings are often triggered by putting our family’s needs so far ahead of our own that we forget to take care of ourselves at all. We neglect relationships with friends, we don’t make “me” time. Sooner or later we feel stressed out, unhappy and resentful.

Somewhere in the course of our day, we need to spend at least a few minutes just thinking about our needs. When the kids have gone to bed, sit in silence a few minutes before you try to do anything else. Take time to exercise, whether that means taking walks pushing a baby stroller or doing exercise tapes while the kids are busy doing homework. Don’t forget to connect with other people. Stay at home moms in particular may become isolated and forget what it’s like to connect with other adults. The internet offers a vast amount of opportunity to find people in similar situations as we are in. Find someone to talk to, whether it is online or through church or parents’ groups.

It’s important not to lose ourselves in our quest to take care of our families. Sometimes that’s easier said than done, but doing what we can each day to de-stress is more effective than letting ourselves reach the point of meltdown.

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STRESS BUSTER OF THE MONTH

Journaling for Stress Relief

One way to deal with chronic stress is by journaling. Writing about thoughts and feelings related to stressful events can be a great problem solving tool. Problems can be hashed out on paper and solutions found as they’re sorted out. Traumatic events put on paper can be processed and released.

A journal can be written on lined or plain paper or even in a computer. The important thing is to make a commitment to write for about 20 minutes each day if you can. If you can only put in 5 or 10 minutes, do that. Try to schedule a time to write, whether it’s first thing in the morning or last thing before you go to bed.

Don’t worry about spelling or grammar. The purpose of what you’re doing is to relieve stress and release pent up emotions, not to cause yourself more stress by censoring your own writing. Keep what you’ve written private. You can even destroy it after you write it in the interest of privacy, or keep it under lock and key. If you’re journaling on a computer, password protect your file.

Your journal can be used to reflect on the events of the day or to process other things, such as dreams, childhood events, and long and short term goals. Research has shown that writing about your feelings and your thoughts about your feelings is more helpful than just venting your feelings. In other words, write from both an emotional and an intellectual angle.

Journaling is a lot less expensive than most other methods of stress relief. It’s a great tool for self-knowledge and emotional healing.

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TIME MANAGEMENT:

Preventing Overload by Planning Your Schedule

Being in control of your time is one way to help you manage the stressors of your life. As a parent who works at home, you are responsible for planning how you’re going to use your time. The best way to effectively use your time is to plan ahead.

End each day’s work by making a list of the goals for the next day. This is done while you’ve already got some momentum going. By doing this, you avoid starting work the next day scrambling to remember where you left off and what you should be focused on. All you have to do is open your planner.

As you make your plan for each day, schedule difficult activities to coincide with your highest energy time. Personally, I am a morning person. My most productive work is done the minute I roll out of bed. You may be a night person, and if so, schedule your challenging work later in the day.

Take the time to plan out large goals into smaller segments. What steps do you need to take to accomplish a particular goal? What part of a goal can you realistically accomplish today?

Don’t overload your schedule. It’s better to list one task to accomplish and do it, than to list five or ten things that end up not getting done because you’ve over-scheduled.

If you don’t plan ahead, a good part of your day will be spent scrambling to remember where you left off. Wasted time is time you’re never going to get back. .

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MONEY SAVING TIPS OF THE MONTH

Holiday Spending - Did You Survive Black Friday?

By Jennifer Peek

The holiday spending season is here - and it is in full swing. Did you survive Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Did your holiday budget survive? If you are already worried that holiday spending is getting out of control, take a look at our tips for getting back on track for the rest of the season.

Review what you have spent

The first step in getting holiday spending back on track is to look at what you have already spent. There are several ways to do this, but all involve making a list. If you had a gift list already going, add to it. If not, now is the right time to get one started. Here are some options on how to add to or make your list.

• Get out the receipts. Review each charge and put it on your list. Next to each dollar amount write down who the gift is for and what it is.

• Get out the packages. Assuming there are still price tags on each item, do the same thing as if you were looking at the receipts. If you have been really busy and already wrapped the gifts, this might not be your best option.

• Review your checking account or credit card statements. Sometimes it can be just as easy to go online and see what has been posted to your accounts. And it can certainly beat digging through those paper receipts.

Now that you have your list made or updated, total what you have spent and compare that to your total budget. You are ready for the next step in reviewing your holiday spending.

Make a plan

Once you have made the list and figured out where you stand, determine how many gifts you have left to buy. And how much money is still in the budget to cover those. If you have spent wisely and still have plenty of money to cover the rest of the holiday, you are in great shape!

But what if you are not in such good shape? It is not too late to control your holiday spending. Here are some hints on how to get back on track.

• Figure out if you can keep going. Assuming you have money left in your budget, you need to determine whether the amount remaining can realistically cover the gifts that still need to be bought. It may not be the gifts you originally planned to buy, but can it buy something that you are willing to give?

• Try not to get caught in the trap of "making everyone equal." That means do not feel like you have to spend $50 on Aunt Sue because you spent $50 on Grandma Joan. Even if that is what was in your original budget. Truly look at what Aunt Sue would like - not just what she would like for $50.

• Get creative. Even if you spend only $20 per person, you will spend $200 if you have to buy for 10 people. And you are likely going to be spending more than $20 per person for some people. So...think a little harder. Can you give homemade coupons for babysitting to busy parents? Can you buy something at a retailer and get a free gift card that can be used for someone else?

• Consider returning some of what you already bought. It sounds almost anti-holiday to suggest, but it is easy to get caught up in the great sales and overspend on all the really good bargains. But spending money on wonderful sales is still spending money - and maybe even overspending.

Remember that holiday spending is within your control. Use the ideas and tips in this article to keep yourself on course...or to get back on track. And to keep those holidays happy!

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Jennifer Peek is an accountant and mother of two. She writes about all aspects of kids and money at her website, http://www.money-and-kids.com

See more information on Christmas spending at http://www.money-and-kids.com/Christmas-spending.html

Article Source http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Peek

http://EzineArticles.com/?Holiday-Spending---Did-You-Survive-Black-Friday?&id=859300

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QUOTES ON STRESS

The mark of a successful man is one that has spent an entire day on the bank of a river without feeling guilty about it. ~Author Unknown

Is everything as urgent as your stress would imply? ~Carrie Latet

Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are. ~Chinese Proverb

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Thanks for reading the current issue of SWAHP.

I would be happy to hear from you if you have any requests for something you’ve been looking for and can’t find or something you want to see more of. Fill out the contact form at http://www.work-at-home-parenting.com and I will be sure to get back to you promptly.

Visit my new blog at http://journey-to-wahm.blogspot.com. In it, I will be chronicling my own journey to make 60K a year.

Watch for the release of my first information product “How to Make Money Writing for the Web.” This will be released sometime in December.

Best of luck on your journey. You can and will succeed.

Valerie Dansereau

http://www.work-at-home-parenting.com

Don’t just build a website! Build a website that works. http://buildit.sitesell.com/valerie2.html