Relaxation Moments

Relaxation for The Mind and Body

Daily Self-Care Checklist

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If you want to feel better on a daily basis, then you must have a plan for your self-care. You can’t count on having other people to help with your well-being, so you must have a daily plan. You might think that having a plan for your own self-care is a waste of time, but by taking care of your body and mind, you can avoid additional mental or health problems in the future. Use these self-care guidelines to improve the way that you feel.

Emotional Self-Care

Experts believe that your emotional well-being is vitally important, and you may overlook this aspect of your health. You may think that your emotional well-being is good because you are in denial of certain stressful situations in your life, but if you ignore emotional difficulties, then the problems will get worse with time. One of the best ways to understand your emotional health is by taking time to notice your mood. If you are a busy person, then you might not notice that you are feeling anxious, sad or angry until the emotions lead to serious problems.

Physical Self-Care

Physical self-care involves many aspects of your daily life, including eating the right foods, sleeping enough and getting plenty of exercise. If you aren’t consuming a nutritious diet, then you need to create daily menu plans that include fresh vegetables and fruits along with whole grains, dairy products and lean proteins. At the same time, you should have an exercise routine that includes a variety of physical activity. In addition, adults require seven to nine hours of sleep each night to avoid illnesses such as colds and influenza.

Spiritual Self-Care

Spiritual self-care can include traditional religious services, but it also can involve daily practices such as meditation or prayer. You may want to have a quiet area of your home where you can focus on spirituality. This area might have religious figurines, candles or other objects that you can focus on to clear your mind of troubling thoughts. If you don’t understand how to meditate, then you can enroll in a class that teaches you how to focus your mind.

Professional Self-Care

An important part of self-care is visiting professionals for examinations for potential problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus or cancer. If you already have a chronic health problem, then professional self-care includes scheduling appointments with specialists who can help you manage problems with your blood sugar levels or high blood pressure. You can also join support groups that include other individuals who have the same medical condition so that you can learn more about nontraditional ways to improve your physical health.

Psychological Self-care

If you are having emotional or mental challenges, then it is essential to seek help from a psychiatric professional. In addition to having conditions such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, you can have problems with addictions to alcohol or drugs. A psychiatrist or counselors can also help you overcome problems that occurred during your childhood, or they can assist you with relationship difficulties.

Use a Calendar to Keep Track of Self-care

The best way to keep track of self-care is by having a calendar to schedule the times and days for appointments or other activities.

It’s Time to Start Living in the Present

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If you are depressed, more than likely you are thinking too much about the past. If you are anxious, you are obsessing about your future. The best way to handle either of these is to concentrate on the present moment which can help calm you. This is easier said than done, but if you are worried about what you have done in the past, remember there is nothing you can do about it. You cannot change it.

Using experiences of your past is okay since you want to try to avoid making the same mistakes. But, when you are constantly thinking about past events to the point where they stress you out, it’s time to let them go.

You may be dealing with the consequences of something that you were responsible for in the past. However, you are still dealing with the consequences now, in the present, and so you should handle them with that in mind. The most important aspect of the past is to make sure you learn from it.

Planning certain aspects of your future is important. However, nothing is for sure, and any plan you set up may not come to pass. In that case, you’d probably need to change the plan. You may also need to change plans that you’re making now. You’ll need to make decisions now that affect your future. But don’t obsess about this either.

Some people get so hung up on planning for their future that they forget to live their lives in the moment. What happens if you are not around to enjoy those plans? You will have spent your entire life not living the way you should.

Another problem with living entirely for the future is you will miss out on enjoying life with your kids. They grow so fast, and that is one part of your past you will regret, i.e., not spending time and doing more with them. By living in the present and not worrying so much about other time frames, you will have memories with your family that you can always look back on. Family memories are a great part of your past and something that you can happily think about anytime you want.

If you do look back on your life, you will see that everything worked out. When situations occurred, you handled them, and you moved on. Just think about that the next time you find yourself dwelling on the past or the future. Someday, the situation you are experiencing right now will be a part of your past.

Staying Calm Audio Book

Trying to Stay Calm? Time to Take Up a Hobby

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Hobbies can be a great way to give yourself a break from your daily routine. Sometimes, you may take up a hobby with family and friends. Usually however, people like to start a hobby on their own. It gives them the peace of mind needed to stay calm.

You may think you don’t have time for a hobby. The truth is, you cannot afford not to have one. If you are stressed out at work or with your home life, taking on a hobby may help you survive. It helps you relax and escape for a moment in time.

Of course, you don’t want to use a hobby to escape to the point of not dealing with your problems. You still need to handle your day-to-day situations when they arise. The hobby is supposed to enhance your life, not replace it.

How do you get started with a hobby? First, determine what hobbies you like. If you daydream about certain activities frequently, this is a good place to start. Think back to your childhood. What hobbies did you like to do then? Some that you liked may have been specifically for children. But, you may be able to find adult versions of those hobbies.

Many hobbies will have support or interest groups that meet regularly. Although these groups may have been around for many years, these days they will probably have some internet presence and so should be easy to find.  Search for the hobby and include the keyword “forum” or “group.”

Hobby stores still exist, although they are not as prevalent. However, you can find websites to these stores and reach out to them via email or phone. They don’t have to be near you, but it is better if they are. Ask a lot of questions and find out some of the people who may be involved in the hobby. Reach out to these people to find out how to get started.

There are no rules for hobbies. Any interests that you have could become a hobby. If it’s something you want to pursue, just be creative about how to get going. The internet has a wealth of information on most topics, and you may even find video tutorials about your hobby.

No rule says you can only take up one hobby. Start as many as you want. You may not have the time to do them all. But, trying different ones can help you find the ones that are right for you. Just remember, everyone should have some type of hobby in their life.

Staying Calm Audio Book

Why Sunday Should Be a Day of Rest

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Most people who work during the week, usually try to fill their responsibilities and chores on the weekend. You get extra workouts in, plan family time and weekend trips, do home improvement, take care of cleaning and chores, and many other things that you don’t get done during the weekday.

While it is good to take advantage of days where your work responsibilities are put on hold, trying to do too much 7 days a week is going to lead to a lot of stress. This is why it would be a good idea to use Sunday as the day of rest each week, and adjust your schedule accordingly.

Leave Your Work for the Work Week

If you have a habit of constantly worrying about work whether you are working or not, you are making the stress and overwhelm in your life a lot worse. This is often where burnout comes from, because you are basically working 24/7, whether you are in the office, talking to clients, answering emails, or just can’t stop thinking about work.

The best thing you can do is only focus on work while you are at work. Whether you work out of the home and leave work in the office, or you work from home and need a different workspace, make sure you have a way to distinguish between work and home.

If you happen to work from home, have a dedicated workspace. This makes it easier to switch your mindset from work to being at home. You know that if you aren’t in your office or at your desk, you should not be focused on your job.

Scheduling Too Much Over the Weekend

Another big mistake with not having proper days of rest is trying to schedule too much into your weekend. Weekends are great for doing chores, meeting up with friends, and running errands, but you should not be dedicated your entire weekend to this. If you do, by Monday morning, you are still exhausted and feel like you didn’t get any time to yourself.

You really need to find the right balance between getting stuff done, and have some free time to yourself. Schedule it in if you have to – make it an appointment you have with yourself to practice self-care and get proper rest.

Take a Rest from Everything on Sunday

The best way to find this balance is to have Saturday be your 6th day of work or personal responsibilities for the week, then leave Sunday open for yourself. Sunday should be your day of rest, which means not spending all day running errands, doing household chores, or working. It is normal to want to take advantage of the weekend to get things done, but when you schedule most of them for Saturday, you have more time on Sunday for you.

This doesn’t mean you have to lay around all day, but it is a day where you decide what you want to d with your time. This might be an outing with your family, going shopping, taking a midday nap, baking cookies, or doing crafts at home.

Your Mind and Body Need Rest!

Remember that both your mind and body need proper rest. Even if your idea of resting on Sunday is working on your couch, you are still working. Do not get into this habit! You should have at least one day or even half a day a week with no work, no chores, and no responsibilities. This is needed for proper self-care, stress relief, and just allowing your mind and body to unwind.

Here is an idea of some things you can do over the weekend or on Sunday in order to rest both your mind and body:

Write in a journal or planner. Journaling is a good way to get all those worries and thoughts out of your mind, so that your brain is clear for relaxing and not stressing so much.

Meditate. Meditation is going to relax your body and mind, and help you with your breathing practice.

Go for a walk or hike. Exercise doesn’t have to cause you stress or be something that is uncomfortable. Think of a light form of exercise that is good for your body and mental health, such as a hike with your dog, or walking by the beach or lake.

Spend time with loved ones. It is still okay to be social when you have a day of rest, as long as it is something relaxing that you enjoy. This might mean going out for drinks, having a family game night, or inviting friends over to watch the game.

Take a hot bath. Baths are wonderful for self-care, allow you some time to yourself, and are very relaxing. They allow you to rest both your mind and body, and can incorporate essential oils for some aromatherapy.

Read a book. This is a great way to rest in your favorite couch or lay in bed and read a book. Make it a book you want to read for personal reasons, not work, school, or other responsibilities. This is a good time to read for leisure, depending on what you are most interested in.

How to Stay Calm in Stressful Situations

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Overcoming the stress in your life starts with noticing what your stressors are and working to reduce them, but you can’t prevent every situation that could potentially cause you stress. This is your body’s natural response, which leads to a fight or flight response. You still need to get out there and live your life, so it is more a matter of how you react to stressful situations when they arrive.

Keep reading to learn how you can remain more calm and relaxed even when incredibly stressful things are happening around you.

Stop Your Body and Thoughts

When a stressful situation hits you, you have the opportunity to choose how you are going to handle it. How you think, feel, and even how your body reacts is all up to you. If you react in the negative and immediately, it is going to increase your stress hormone, and make you feel a lot worse and much more overwhelmed.

Instead of reacting instantly, just take a step back. Freeze your body and your mind, and just let your thoughts calm down. Don’t try to reason through it, don’t think about the potential future or make assumptions, and don’t start letting all those regrets run through your head.

Just get into a calm place, whether you freeze your body, or try to meditate or use mindfulness practices. This can help you to get back to neutral, where you are able to think logically with whatever the stressful situations is.

Find Positivity

Being positive has a wonderful impact on your mind and emotional health, as well as helping you to handle stress. Being positive doesn’t mean constant sunshine and rainbows. You can understand that life isn’t always perfect, accept your flaws, and move past them. You even understand that stress is a normal part of life since unexpected things happen all the time.

However, instead of letting the stress affect you mentally and physically to an extreme level, you can remain calm by remaining positive. Just try to think of some type of positive element, whether you go through a list of pros and cons, or you simply try to find the one thing that could be good about the stressful situation. Trust me, there is at least one.

Stop with the Assumptions and ‘What If’ Questions

Stop asking what if, and making assumptions every time anything happens. This is going to lead to a lot of anxiety and stress, that otherwise might not have been that bad. If you feel that you have constant stress all day, every day, ask yourself where it comes from. Is it from things constantly happening around you, or is the way you perceive things?

Write down in your journal the next time you experience a stressful situation what actually happened. Not what could have happened or what you feared would happen, but the actual situation you dealt with. More often than not, your fears and what if scenarios were far worse than the reality.

When a stressful situation happens, the best thing you can do is just stand back, remain present, and be realistic with what has already happened. Don’t assume the worst case scenario or start creating all of these images in your head of what catastrophe might be in store for you. This is definitely adding to the amount of stress you experience on a daily basis.

Know What Your Stressors Are

You also need to understand more about what is causing you the most stress. By now, you likely have a good idea of where it is coming from, but using a journal can help you determine this with more details and clarity.

Keep a worry or stress journal that you use only to write about your stress. You want to include as many details as you can, such as what you were doing, where you were, what time and date it happened, who you were with, what the situation was, and anything else that is relevant.

Write down things like why it caused you stress, what your mind was doing at the time, and what the outcome was.

Do you notice any patterns? Are there certain things causing you more stress? Is it work or home life? Is there someone in your life that always seems to be around when you have the mot stress? These details will help you figure out your stressors, which in turn helps you know what you need to avoid in the future.

6 Ways to Relax When Feel Overwhelmed

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If you have been feeling very overwhelmed with your life and responsibilities, it can take a impact on your mental health and wellbeing. This feeling often gets worse, even leading to more anxiety and worsening depression symptoms. Before you let the overwhelm take control of your life, try some of these tips for relaxing and reducing stress.

1. Start a Worry Journal

When you are overwhelmed, you probably have a mind that is FULL of thoughts, worries, concerns, fears, regrets, hopes, and so much more. You need to get all of these thoughts and emotions out of your head, and there is no better way to do that than writing it out.

Start a journal specifically used for your stress and overwhelm, called a worry journal. This is really easy to do and can be used as a place to vent about every single thing you are worried about. Think about what is causing you the most stress right now, and write it down.

Be honest, be detailed or vague, write it however you want. Don’t worry about how long it is, how long it takes you, grammar or spelling, or any other “rules” of writing. Just get your worries out in whatever way works best for you, and soon you will realize not just that you had a lot to say, but have more clarity about why you have been so stressed and overwhelmed recently.

2. Complete Something You Never Finished

Another way to relieve overwhelm in your life is to think about something you have not completed, but started, and finish it. This can be anything big or small, whether it is related to your current goals or not.

Why is this helpful? Because you get a feeling of accomplishment when you complete something. Even a small thing you have been putting off, a little home project you started but didn’t complete, or a big goal, can all bring you that feeling that you did something. You worked hard and completed it. You did what was expected of you.

This can relieve a lot of the stress and overwhelm you are currently experiencing.

3. Wander and Visualize What You Want

Visualization is very powerful, almost magical. When you can see something you want to be, accomplish, or get done, it gives you inspiration and motivation. IT allows you to work hard toward your goals, and actually visualize what the process is like.

But it doesn’t have to be only practical. Sometimes what you need the most is to dream. Allow your imagination to be creative and open-minded, dream up something you would love to have in your life, whether it is realistic or not.

Just take a few minutes a day to really visualize this dream, and go as far with it as you need to. When you’re done, you will feel more calm and relaxed, and ready to take on the day.

4. Develop Healthy Sleep Routines

Everyone needs sleep, even you! This should be your top priority, whether you have stress and overwhelm or not. Sleep is essential for your mind, body, and spirit. You need rest each night to hold on to your memories, to gain focus and energy, to be able to get through each day.

If you don’t get enough quality sleep, start looking at your daily sleep routine. Maybe you need to start getting ready for bed earlier, or you have a problem with using your cell phone before bed. Switch up your routine so that you are fully rested and ready for uninterrupted sleep.

5. Find Your Own Priorities

Choosing what is a priority in your life is a crucial part of relaxing when you feel stressed and overwhelmed. This is true in your personal and professional life. A big part of self-care and relieving that feeling of overwhelm is knowing when to put yourself first.

If a project you started or a goal you thought you wanted to achieve doesn’t bring you joy and you don’t remember why you wanted to do it in the first place, let it go. This is obviously not a priority in your life, so there is no reason it should be causing you stress.

6. Start a Morning Routine

Morning routines help set you up for success. They provide you a way to be energized and positive right from the moment you wake up, keep you from developing a negative attitude when the alarm goes off, and give you a time of the day for a little self-care.

Start a new morning routine that is good for both your body and your mind, with things like doing yoga, drinking a glass of water, writing in your journal or planner, meditating or practicing mindfulness. There are no rules for a morning routine as long as it is good for you and helps you feel invigorated and ready to take on the day.

Small Daily Changes That Can Help You Manage Stress

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If you are trying your best to reduce your stress levels, it doesn’t mean you have to change your entire life. What helps you the most might be the smallest changes each day that lead up to a reduction in stress, worry, and anxiety. What you might find is that you have many other benefits as a result of these daily changes, from thinking more positively to being a more mindful person in general.

Keep reading to find out how you can make small, daily changes to help you manage your stress.

Try Guided Imagery

If you want to manage your stress, you can try a really simple meditation technique called guided imagery. This is simple to do and gets you used to meditation without having to put too much pressure on yourself. Plus, it is a wonderful way to be more optimistic and visualize your hopes and dreams. This helps a lot when you feel like you are being held behind with the amount of stress you are dealing with.

Guided imagery is typically provided by someone else, though you can use visualization techniques at any time when you want to relieve stress. What you want to do is have a scenario that puts you into a peaceful, calming environment. You might be at a beach, laying in the sand, walking through a mountainside, or in a garden of wildflowers.

The great thing about guided imagery is that it is easy to do and only takes a few minutes a day.

Have Healthy Daily Habits

Another daily change you can make to reduce your stress is to develop some healthy habits. Many of your current habits might be making stress worse, while others just simply aren’t improving it. Start thinking about your physical health and emotional health together, and find healthy daily habits that are sustainable for you, and can improve your health. You will notice that the result is a lower amount of stress.

Some healthy daily habits to consider are:

Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet. What you put into your body makes a big difference in how you feel, not just physically, but mentally as well. You can nourish your body and mind by eating a healthy diet.

Getting regular exercise. Exercise is wonderful for relieving stress, and is a healthy habit everyone should make a daily habit. It doesn’t have to be hitting the gym or spending hours working out. Walking every day, going on a hike, yoga, riding a bike, or dancing in your living room all count as daily exercise.

Avoiding unhealthy habits. There are also some unhealthy habits that might be making your stress worse. For example, if you drink large amounts of alcohol or participate in recreational drugs, they are covering up your stress in the short-term, but in the long-term are actually making it much worse. Excessive amounts of caffeine can also make your stress worse.

Making sleep a priority. Everyone needs sleep, so don’t feel like getting little sleep is doing you any good. You need high quality sleep, no matter how busy your schedule is. Don’t make light of only needing to sleep a couple hours a day, because this is NOT normal OR healthy for you.

Getting rest every day. Just like sleep, you also need rest every day! If you have a busy schedule, then make an appointment for rest and self-care if you have to. This is a priority to reducing stress!

Focusing on mindfulness. Mindfulness is regularly recommended for stress because it helps you live in the moment, and have a better understanding of your thoughts and worries. Practicing mindfulness every day, such as during your self-care routine, is a healthy habit you can start doing now.

Use a Stress Journal

Stress and worry journals are amazing for reducing your stress. These are going to provide many benefits for you, including seeing when your stress peaks, understanding more about what is causing your stress, and keeping track of any stress-relief methods you try out.

You will also see the other side effects of stress and worry, such as headaches, digestive issues, increased anxiety, problems sleeping, and work productivity issues.

Avoid Unnecessary Stress

There may be sources of stress in your life that are completely unnecessary and optional, even when it doesn’t feel that way. If you are already dealing with a lot of stress in your life, the last thing you need to do is encourage more of it.

To avoid unnecessary stress, start by learning how to say no to people. You do not have to yes to everything, from hosting parties to taking on extra projects at work. Manage your time and choose what are priorities for you.

You also want to look at your current sources of stress and make a list of anything that is from something optional – such as an extra responsibility you took on, that you could delegate to others.

Evening Yoga for a Peaceful, Restful Bedtime

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Hoping to increase peaceful feelings in your household as everyone settles down for the evening? If you have a family, bed time can be anything but peaceful. There’s likely a nightly protest from the kids about getting to sleep on time. There could be arguments over having to put smart phones or ipads away; or maybe someone has neglected to finish homework on time.

If you live with a partner, you might have different ideas about what the evening routine should involve for enjoying some peace before bedtime. Maybe he or she enjoys turning up the volume on loud, violent movies just as you are settling in with some light reading. Or perhaps your to-do list is what summons you after-hours, which is stressful.

If you are looking for an evening self-care routine to carry you away from the pressures of family life and make the pre-bedtime hours more relaxing, then think about this series of yoga poses designed to help you relax for a more restful sleep.

Practices these poses slowly and in this specific order, taking deep, cleansing belly breaths throughout. Hold each pose for about 6 deep breaths to release tension in the body.

Mountain pose. Stand with feet positioned hip-width apart. Place arms at sides and press shoulders down as you exhale. Inhale through the nose, letting the chest rise as the feet press down into the ground and the top of the head rises proudly skyward. The trick to releasing tension in mountain pose is planting the feet firmly, and imagining the top of the head spiraling to the heavens as you pull your stomach muscles in and breathe deeply.

Forward fold. From mountain pose, sweep the arms overhead and out to the sides. Then bend down as though you were about to touch your toes. You are folded in half at the waist, with head toward the ground. As you breathe through this pose, pull your abdominals in. Hands can dangle freely, or if you’re more flexible you can try to place them on either side, behind the calves.

Downward-facing dog. From forward fold, step backward with one foot and then the other while planting the palms flat on the floor in front of you. You are now bent in half with feet and palms supporting you. This pose resembles a dog stretching. Tummy pulls in as you breathe and imagine pinning your bellybutton to the back of your spine.

Plank pose. Plank is like a gentler version of a pushup. It’s a great pose to relieve stress from the entire body while engaging all of the long muscles. Lower yourself from downward-facing dog into plank pose. Hands are beneath shoulders, pressed into the floor on either side of you. You’re using your chest muscles to support your body. Imagine you are a plank of wood, everything flat and straight, with tummy pulled in and backside tucked downward. Breathe through plank pose, then move on to upward facing dog.

From plank, come into upward-facing dog by placing your body in the prone position (facing the floor) with palms under shoulders, ready to support you. Next, lift only the torso (your hips stay pressed into the ground). Lift your torso, shoulders, neck, chin and face upward while pressing the lower half of your body (hips, front of legs and feet) to the floor. Rest between breaths and then resume the pose again if you need to.

Child’s pose. Come into child’s pose from plank. Sit on your knees, then lower your head to the floor so that your forehead touches the ground. Arms can be on either side, hugging your knees, or stretched out past your head. Focus on elongating your spine, keeping hips pulled back in their sockets and reaching forward with hands if you can.

This series represents just a few of the basic, relaxing yoga poses that you can do to increase relaxation in the evening hours, relieve stress, and sleep better. Not only will you get to sleep more quickly, but you are more likely to stay asleep through the night. And if you do wake up? Try doing some more relaxing yoga.

Prayer Brings Peace to the Family Home

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If you are thinking about ideas on how to bring more peace to your family life? Prayer is one way to deepen the bond between family members and cultivate a loving, soothing environment at home. How does praying together accomplish this?

Prayer offers hope. Praying as a family reminds us of our shared values, and that we are all in this life together, struggling as we may yet pushing on, encouraged by our support of each other.

Prayer helps individuals be heard, seen and felt. While praying with our children and our partner, we are made aware of what they think about things, what bothers them, what they hope for and what obstacles they face.

Parents and children can set goals for the family and for each individual. During prayer, we can talk about our hopes, fears and challenges, and define what we would like to happen in our lives.

Prayer strengthens our bonds. Along with healthy, open communication and the sense of trust between family members, when we listen to and reflect on what family members wish for both individual family members and for the family as a whole, we feel supported and encouraged.

Prayer helps us love more deeply. When we feel loved, the peaceful feelings grow between us as a family. Loving gestures, affection and kind words increase oxytocin levels in our blood which help us to feel calm and secure.

How to pray even if you’re not religious:

People all over the world and from all cultures and belief systems pray. Whether or not you believe in a higher power and regardless of your ideas of what happens after we die, you can bring spirituality into your family life, and increase peaceful, loving feelings through prayer.

What to pray about:

Pray for strength. Send wishes into the universe, or to your God, that family members can work through their problems large and small.

Pray for success. Success is a subjective concept, but we all have ideas about what we’d like to make happen in our lives. So if you and your family members have set personal goals that will keep you on track with living better and improving the world by way of your gifts, then talk about it and pray about it together.

Pray for health. A weak body means we are unable to enjoy what life has to offer. When we’re robust and full of life, we can engage more fully and do the things we want to do. Pray for the health of your partner and family so that you may enjoy life to the fullest.

Pray for understanding. Many of the conflicts that we experience in our daily lives are rooted in misunderstanding. In seeking to connect with each other through prayer, we can gain better insights into our relationships.

Pray for peace. Set intentions for being more kind, loving and patient, with your partner, within your family, and with the people you encounter every day.

Making Peace at Home Starts With You

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Do you wish and hope for more peace and ease in your daily life with family? Sometimes it feels like our home life is not even close to that vision that we have in our minds of children playing quietly by the fire, family members speaking softly and using manners, and all of the peaceful things we would like in our daily home lives.

One way that we can bring about more peace in our families is to start by offering peace to others. Start with some simple daily changes.

Set the example. If your family members are usually impatience and use rude and disrespectful remarks, you should refuse to indulge in this behavior. Do not reflect a rude attitude back at others. Instead, be firm, patient, and polite. This may take some getting used to, but if you practice what so many preach about peace, you may just find that your calm and soothing ways are catching to other people.

Replace irritation with patience. Changing your entire attitude may seem impossible at first. Tension often builds as we have conflicts with family members over various issues. Even the small things seem to pile up in our heads, much like that never-ending mountain of laundry. But if we become aware of how often we feel annoyed by the very changing aspects of our own family life, we can begin to change our responses.

Keep tension under control. One way to be more patient is by finding release for your stress. If we take time out for exercise every day, including some light cardio and stretching, it will make a big difference in how we react to the little things that come up.

Be peaceful in words and actions. If your thoughts are negative, keep them to yourself. If your actions can cause unhappiness to others, change your plans. Find ways to be peaceful in your daily relations. By doing this, peace will come to you as you give it to others.