Twelve tips to deal with Christmas stress

Few people are under more stress than survivors of sexual or domestic violence. For the next few days we are going to highlight twelve ways to deal with Christmas stress. One tip is going to be posted each day. Nothing works for everyone. The best stress reduction techniques are those that work for your lifestyle and personality.

Stress reduction tip #1 - Breathe

Go into another room, bathroom, outside or wherever you feel comfortable. Simply take a minute to take a good solid deep breath, let it out and do it again. Notice how you feel. Doing this a few times can help you reduce stress and feel more in control. 

The Stress Institute says that we tend take shallow breaths when we feel overwhelmed. They suggest that taking a moment to breathe may help strengthen the immune system and cardiopulmonary system. It can also clear our minds. All of this can potentially help survivors of sexual or domestic violence feel better and reduce stress.

Click here for the next article on reducing stress...

Happy Thanksgiving. Be the positive amid economic downturn.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Despite the economic downturn there are positive moments that give us hope that things will get better. For us, it's always good when we can help clients. That's always a positive moment. The kids who come to us for restorative justice and leave excited about learning something new never fail to inspire. But what about the rest of the time? What do we have to be thankful for?

Today is Thankgiving. Let us each take a minute from our regular routine and think of our blessings. For me, I'm glad to be feeling better after a rough bout with pneumonia. I'm glad to have a wonderful husband and terrific daughters, good friends, sunshine and a fun puppy.

How about you? What do you have to be thankful for today?

Strawberry Plains Community Thanksgiving Service Tuesday at 7:00 pm.

Don't forget the community Thanksgiving service. It's Tuesday night at 7:00 pm at Rush Strong School. There's plenty of parking. But, in case the entire school lot is filled and running over with cars you can probably park on the street. It would be nice for the service to be that crowded. Let's try for it shall we?

Not all communities are fortunate enough to gather to celebrate Thanksgiving. It says a lot that our community of Strawberry Plains is so willing to do so. The service usually lasts about an hour. Be sure to put this on your list of things to be thankful for and come out tomorrow night.