DON'T PANIC - SIMPLIFY!!!

My guiding word of 2024 is SIMPLIFY. 

When I start to get stressed, when I realize I may be over-thinking a project, when I tackle a project I abandoned last year, I will look for ways to simplify. 

 How can I simplify a busy, stressful week? I can, for example, ask myself if there is anything I can put off until next week. Is there anything I can ask someone else to do for me? Can I group errands? Must I make lasagna from scratch, or will a frozen lasagna be good enough?

When beginning a project, I can brainstorm different ways to approach it and look for the simplest, least time-consuming way to tackle the new endeavor. I can look for a friend or relative to help me. I can see if I can pay someone to help me or do it for me. I can consider different places where I can work and not have to put everything away every day.

ORGANIZE MY OFFICE?

I can set myself up for success when re-starting a project I abandoned by analyzing why I didn't finish it. Did I have an inappropriate workspace? Did I get stuck and not see a way forward? Did "Life" just get in the way? Did I run out of money for supplies? Was I entirely out of my element? Did I hate the work?

Then I can brainstorm simple ways to overcome those obstacles, or decide this project is not one I want to complete. 

ORGANIZE THE STOREROOM?

Hopefully, finding ways to simplify will help me to accomplish more while stressing less. We'll see...

Now, to start a new project: A Simplify Vision Board to hang over my desk!!! ~ Sarah

What project are you itching to begin? How can you simplify your approach?

Feel Good With Laughter

by Diana Mccollum

Diana writes light paranormal. If you would like a free novelette join her newsletter on her website.

Feel good with laughter.

I’ve known for a very long time that laughter is a source of relief in times of stress. Laughter can do a lot to relieve tension in the mind and pain in the body of us humans. I’ve seen this with my husband who is in constant pain with back problems. We watch a funny tv show and laugh, and he forgets his pain for a while. 

Laughter releases endorphins which make us feel good and temporarily suppress mental and physical pain. My husband and I have watched a great deal of comedies during this year. Sometimes the thought of a thriller was too depressing. The pandemic was/is depressing enough.

Who can resist a baby or toddler laughing at being tickled? It’s an infectious laugh. One to hold and enjoy and participate in. My Dad used to say it takes more muscles to frown than to smile. The consensus on that statement from six internet sites is 12 muscles to smile and 11 to frown on average. If your smile is really big and involves the eyes, it can take upwards of 23 muscles to smile. So Dad was wrong, but he did get us to smile more! He told wonderful jokes and loved to see his kids smiling and happy. 

A full belly laugh can increase and then decrease your heart rate and blood pressure. Leaving you with a good, relaxed feeling. The oxygen-rich air you suck in to laugh, not only increases the number of endorphins in your brain, but stimulates many other organs such as heart, lungs and muscles. 

Do you laugh enough? 

There are ways to increase your sense of humor. Try putting funny cards, jokes, cartoons that have made you laugh on or near your work area and look at or read them often. Put up a funny poster that makes you laugh on the wall or the back of a door. Decorate the fridge with a cartoon each week from a magazine or newspaper. Keep movies on hand that you have found uplifting or funny. 

When the clubs open up, go to a comedy club or out with a group of friends that make you laugh. Buy a joke book and read two or three per day and laugh out loud even if you are by yourself! 

There are lots of novels that have humor in. One I just read is “The Billionaire in Boots”. I laughed out loud a lot while reading that book. 

Look at situations that come up in your own life or something you see on tv and try to find the humor in it. Go through each day with a positive attitude, be kind, be humble and LAUGH! A LOT!!! 

What have you laughed at lately? And what comment would you attach to the picture below? (see my comment below.)

Wait, am I going priority mail?

We All Need Humor by Lynn Lovegreen

 

It’s tempting sometimes to see the world through humorless eyes. There’s always terrible news about bad things happening, and we do need to think about serious things if we’re going to make the world better. But sometimes, a little humor can help, too. A wise person knows when to be serious and when to laugh. 

 

Balance is necessary for a healthy life. That means taking time to laugh now and then. Whether it’s joking around with family, making puns with friends, reading funny books, or watching humorous shows or movies, a little laughter can lighten our load.   Laughing with others also builds bonds. Those connections are good for everyone’s mental health, and can help us do the serious work when we have to get back to the job.

 

Connect with family and friends, and the whole world if that’s your thing. Share a laugh.

 

The Muppets have always been one of my go-tos when I need a giggle. Here’s a link from Recipes with The Swedish Chef, in case you need a little lift:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7UmUX68KtE

 

Laughter is good for you, and for all of us! Enjoy!

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for over fifty years. After twenty years in the classroom, she retired to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering at her local library. Her young adult historical fiction is set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram.