How to Deal with Holiday Stress

 

The fall and winter holiday season can be particularly stressful. There’s the shopping, extra cooking, guests, severe weather, strained budgets, overall chaos… and all while you are supposed to be cheerful, happy and jolly. What are some ways to handle holiday stress?

 

 

One important strategy is to avoid stress as much as possible by making holiday plans in advance. Think back to previous years. What was causing your holiday stress? What could you do to prevent those troubles this year?

Plan early, make a list of what has to be done when, and consult it often. View the holiday months as a challenge, not a threat. Expect the unexpected, so allow yourself some flexibility in your plan.

Focus on the positives when things don’t go as you had hoped. Deep breathing can help you remain calm, especially when combined with an affirmation statement. Try saying to yourself “I inhale calm. I exhale stress.” as you breathe slowly in, then out. Other good two-part affirmations are “I do my best, one step at a time.” and “I forgive myself and others. I release the past.”

Having available strategies for dealing with the stress of the holiday season will help you stay healthier and allow you to enjoy this time of year. Here are some articles that might offer additional stress-busting strategies:

• 9 tips to fend off holiday stress

• Coping with Holiday Stress

• 7 Tips to Help with Holiday Stress

• The Holiday Blues: A Public Health Perspective

Fall is Road Trip Season

Whether you are going leaf peeping or visiting family for the fall holidays, you may be thinking about an extended road trip. If you are traveling as or with a person with a disability, here are a few tips to make road trips less hassle and more fun. 

• Map your routes. Consider ensuring plenty of places to stop and stretch your legs, such as scenic overlooks or small towns with central parks. Be sure you know where rest stops and other restrooms are located.

• Reserve lodging in advance if you will need it. Be sure to ask the reservationist about accessibility of rooms, parking and other facilities.

• Check the weather report for the location you are headed to, and find out the sundown time. Since fall afternoons are sorter, you will want to leave enough time to drive to your destination while it is still light out. It’s dangerous to drive unfamiliar roads as daylight fades into night.

• Bring extra layers, just in case. You may need rain gear, a sweatshirt, or a blanket to cover up.

• Don’t forget medical and hygiene supplies and mobility gear. Pack them where they are easily accessible.

 

Have a great time exploring the autumn beauty all the way to your road trip destination and back.

 

TIP - Why do we need storage bins?

Storage bins are great tools! You can get them cheap at dollar stores. Many people find them useful for storing out-of-season clothing and décor items. Here are two other types of materials you should stash in storage bins.

Store bulk purchases of paper goods (napkins, paper towels, toilet paper) in a storage bin to protect the paper from dust, moisture, mold and pests that can ruin the paper.

Secure large bags of pet food in a storage bin. Leaving pet food in an open bag is an invitation for ants, mice and other pests to invade your home for a feast. Plus storing pet food airtight keeps it fresher longer. Remember to keep the storage bin in a cool, dry environment.

 

Millet and Teff are the November Grains of the Month

 The Whole Grains Council has declared millet and teff to be the grains of the month of November. Although these ancient grains are not as well known as wheat, barley or corn, they are important gluten-free sources of nutrition.

Millet was the earliest dry-land crop in east Asia. It is very drought resistant and was cultivated in China as long as 10,000 years ago. Its spread can be traced to Korea around 5500 years ago and then to India.

Millet is a fast-maturing crop that grows well in the semiarid poor soils of Africa as well as southeast Asia. Fertilizing and irrigating the soil can double production or more, as can introduction of disease-resistant varieties. India is the world’s leading producer, followed by Niger, China, and eight other African nations.

Because it is gluten-free, millet is a good food for people with celiac disease, gluten sensitivity or wheat allergy. In addition to use as human food, millet is sometimes used as a grazing or forage crop to feed animals.

Teff is an annual grass native to Ethiopia, where it is one of the most important crops, despite its low yield and susceptibility to pests and other issues. Teff is highly nutritious and gluten-free, a good source of protein, calcium and manganese and higher in fiber than most other cereal grains. In Ethiopia, it is the main ingredient in injera flatbread, which is served at most meals. Teff is also used as animal food and the straw is mixed with mud to plaster walls.

Teff has been involved in an intriguing international scandal! In 2003, a Dutch company worked with an Ethiopian organization to introduce teff to European markets. The CEO of the Dutch company took out patents on processing methods for teff. The government of Ethiopia, noting the domestic shortage of quinoa in South America after that grain became popular in the US and Europe, outlawed export of raw teff in 2006. The Dutch patents were declared invalid by a Dutch court in 2019, ending what was being called a biopiracy conspiracy.

 

Have you tried cooking and eating these two historic whole grains?