Making good Mondays is like making coffee -


The week is before us - like the coffee pot - waiting to brew. Making it good is a matter of choice, luck, creativity, patience and acceptance of the outcome.

Currently at Making Good Mondays

Active elements on this page: Occasionally I will publish a new blog post, but I write mostly at other sites.

Friday, November 05, 2010

Simplify your life this holiday season - Start with some basics.

It is now November. Haiti is in the middle of a hurricane today.  Let us hope that their rainbow comes soon.  

For us here in the United States the elections are over.  For Republicans it is the rainbow.  For me as a Democrat I guess the storm is over.

And, for all of us, the Next Big Thing will be Thanksgiving.

The Family Circle Magazine published some helpful ideas for learning to simplify your life, saying that "it can be easier than you think."

Four general simplification processes are key:

  1. Conquer the clutter around the house.  Coming into the season of giving, start by giving away items you no longer need.  The author suggests that you start small with short periods of this activity, enlist the support of friends when you get stuck and give yourself a deadline and a reward for finishing. 
  2. Overcome your work overload.  Unless you practice stress management*, you could be on the way to burnout.  Perfectionism, over-achiever tendencies and inadequate time management leave us exhausted and vulnerable to illness.  The author suggests focusing on what bugs you at work and at home, fixing what you can and letting go of the rest.  Delegation can improve your situation and so can a healthy support network.
  3. Free yourself from mental clutter.  Remembering to think positively, giving yourself credit where it is due and writing things down can be helpful, says the author.
  4. Learn how to say "no." Some of us were conditioned to please others.  We do not want to appear to be selfish, we automatically say "yes" to demands or requests.  Here are some tactics the author suggests: Learn to say, "Let me get back to you."  Or become less available.  We all have had to learn how to express our own needs.  But it takes application and practice.

*Things you can do to handle stress:  Talk it out.  Work it off.  Watch what you eat.  Don't depend on drugs or alcohol.  Get plenty of rest.  Take a break.  Do something for others.  Make a change.   Accept the things you can't change.  Don't try to be perfect.  Be a good problem solver.

Next in this series: "Simplify your life this holiday season - You are what you eat."

Posted via email from Make Good Mondays

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References on Spirituality -- Favorites from my old collection

  • "A Return To Love: Reflections On the Principles Of a Course In Miracles" by Marianne Williamson. Harper Collins, 1992
  • "A World Waiting To Be Born: Civility Rediscovered" by M. Scott Peck. Simon and Schuster, 1993
  • "Chicken Soup For the Unsinkable Soul" by Canfield, Hansen and McNamara. Health Communications, 1999
  • "Compassion in Action: Setting Out On the Path of Service" by Ram Dass and Mirabai Bush. Bell Tower Pub., 1992
  • "Creative Visualization" by Shakti Gawain. MIF Books, 1978
  • "Finding Values That Work: The Search For Fulfillment" by Brian O'Connell. Walker & Co., 1978
  • "Fire in the Soul" by Joan Borysenko. Warner Books, 1993
  • "Further Along the Road Less Traveled" by M. Scott Peck. Simon and Schuster, 1993
  • "Guilt Is the Teacher, Love Is the Lesson" by Joan Borysenko. Warner Books, 1990
  • "Inner Simplicity: 100 Ways To Regain Peace and Nourish the Soul" by Elaine St. James. Hyperion, 1995
  • "Insearch:Psychology and Religion" by James Hillman. Spring Pub. 1994
  • "Man's Search For Himself" by Rollo May. Signet Books, 1953
  • "Mythologies" by William Butler Yeats. Macmillan, 1959
  • "Myths, Dreams and Religion" by Joseph Campbell. Spring Pub. 1988
  • "Passion for Life: Psychology and the Human Spirit" by John and Muriel James. Penguin Books, 1991
  • "Peace Is Every Step" by Thich Nhat Hahn. Bantam Books , 1991
  • "The Heroine's Journey" by Mureen Murdock. Random House, 1990
  • "The Hope For Healing Human Evil" by M. Scott Peck. Simon and Schuster, 1983
  • "The House of Belonging" poems by David Whyte. Many Rivers Press, 2004
  • "The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth" by M.Scott Peck. Simon and Schuster, 1978
  • "The Soul's Code: In Search Of Character and Calling" by James Hillman. Random House, 1996
  • "The World Treasury of Modern Religious Thought" by Jaroslav Pelikan. Little, Brown & Co., 1990
  • "Unconditional Life" by Deepak Chopra. Bantam Books, 1992
  • "Wherever You Go There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation" by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Hyperion, 1994
  • "Zen Keys: A Guide to Zen Practice" by Thich Nhat Hahn. Doubleday Dell Pub. Group, 1974

About Me

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A retired counselor, I am equal parts Techie and Artist. I am a Democrat who came to the Southwest to attend college. I married, had kids and have lived here all my adult life.