In this Issue

	Chase the Frenzy Away
	Managing Work Related Stress and Creating Balance in Your Life: Evaluate
	Inspiration Corner and Life Recipes

Some of you have asked for the opportunity to comment on the articles in my newsletter and participate in more of a conversation.

I can take a hint!

As of January 2008, I will be launching the Open for Success Blog: A  virtual space where people who take their quality of life seriously can come together to exchange ideas and have meaningful conversations.

More details to follow.

Chase the Frenzy Away

Hello again! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I've kept December's newsletter short -- to help all of us manage holiday stress! This month you'll find the second contemplation in our series on managing work related stress and creating more balance in our lives. Devoting twenty minutes to sit with a cup of tea and go through the process, is the perfect way to take care of yourself during this busy season.

I was thinking of a holiday gift for you, and since I pride myself for being a good cook, I thought I would create a special recipe. The combination of ingredients is life-tested and full-proof. Here it is:

"Chase the frenzy away!"

1. Take lots of deep breaths, deep, full breaths - at least 5 times a day! (When all else fails the simple act of focusing on our breath can do miracles for our mental state.)
2. Give up at least 4 cups of control per day!
3. Ask for help at least 3 times a day! It's never too late to start.
4. Give up perfection (for now!).
   Begin with a couple of teaspoons and increase to as many tablespoons as you can handle.
5. Drink three cups of laughter before and after each stressful exchange.
6. Add a dash of gratitude each day and you'll feel great!

Feel free to pass this recipe along. It works!

And check out my January and February teleclass series. One of the best ways I know to stay calm and focused, is carving time for myself and actively charting my course and planning for my future.

My best wishes for a joyful, loving, and truly heartfelt holiday season.

Managing Work Related Stress and Creating Balance in Your Life: Evaluate

When we begin to experience dissatisfaction in certain areas of our lives and don't do anything about it, we run the risk of being at the receiving end of "a domino effect."

One day, we wake up to find that even what felt good in our lives has been affected by the one element that causes us dissatisfaction or anxiety.

Initially we may choose denial and live as if nothing has changed.

What happens next? If we don't do anything to change our situation, fear and anxiety can settle in. Fear of the unknown and anxiety over what could happen next.

If things continue down the same path, anger and resentment begin to take hold. That's when our lives and relationships begin to feel the affect of what is gnawing on us. At this point we have two choices: We can continue to feel angry and resentful or we can accept  the situation and begin to examine our possibilities.

If we move into acceptance it becomes easier to see that various options are available. We begin to see solutions and alternatives that we could not see before. Our curiosity is awakened and we begin to ask "what if?" questions. We begin to think creatively, make plans, pull our resources together, and take forward steps to the best of our abilities.

Doesn't that sound good? First things first though.

Let's evaluate and see where we are:

• Again, find a quiet place and sit down for 15-20 minutes, uninterrupted.
• Take the lists you worked on from the November Newsletter (Face the Facts.) Read through the WHAT WORKS list. Think of the various ways you feel supported. Feel gratitude for everything on the list.
• Then read through the WHAT DOES NOT WORK list and look at each point dispassionately. Ask yourself: "Can I live with the situation the way it is or not?"
• If the answer is yes, try to accept the situation for now. Understand there is no need to be anxious about it right this moment. Write OK for now next to it.
• If the answer is no, then ask yourself. What is the personal cost of living with this situation? is it a boundaries issue? Is it a values issue?  Write down what comes up for you. What is your hot spot about the situation? How does it affect your relationships, your health, your sense of well being?
• Notice how your body reacts when you think of the situation. Where in your body do you feel contracted, uptight, anxious?
• Having answered the questions, move into the next phase. What needs to change? In what way? Write your answers down.
• When you finish, put your notes away, take a few deep, cleansing breaths, drink a glass of water. Understand that having named the situation and acknowledged its affect on you is a big step. You have brought light to what has been gnawing at you and you have named it.
  It takes a lot of courage to do that. Congratulations!
  
  Next month we will be talking about setting the foundation for positive change to occur.

© 2007 Yota Schneider, Open for Success. All rights reserved.
If you'd like to use this article in your own newsletter, on your web site, or on your blog, you are welcome to reprint it in its entirety with an active link to my web site and the following author info:
"By Yota Schneider of Open for Success. Working with high powered professionals and entrepreneurs to help them restore their sense of balance and purpose. http://www.openforsuccess.com."

Inspiration Corner and Life Recipes

Last Christmas a client gave me "Traveling Light" by Brian Andreas.
I loved every page of it. Here is a taste:

I can imagine it
working out
perfectly, I said
I can't, she said
And I said, no wonder
you're so stressed
        
                   Stress Management