Empathy & the Holidays: Quick Stress Busters and how they Work

People put so much stress on themselves all year long, but between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the internal perfectionist kvetches very loudly. “Everything has to be just perfect” is a tough taskmaster; parties, menus, gifts, clothes, music — so many choices, and the pressure to recreate mystical unicorns of holidays past, can add to already mounting anxiety. With long term unemployment, fear in the economy and crushing debt, not to mention dysfunctional families and jobs, there is more than enough stress to go around. Here are some ideas to help you navigate through some of it now and the whole year through. Wishing You All the Best!!

Follow the Leader Wherever She May Go

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Thanks for stopping by! It means more than you know.
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Thank Goodness It is Friday! A Smile to Start your Weekend

A Mad Libs game of courtesy for the New Year ~ or why is it so much Trouble?

The wax paper has barely been peeled from the fruitcake and some of the lipstick stains remain on the champagne flutes. Why is everyone so mean?!???

It is incredible to me how quickly the world reverted back to mean, cold and Grinch-like. Is it because we all have huge credit cards to pay off? Is it because the stores have been so insane that I have not so much as entered Trader Joe’s since the week before Xmas? Did people just not get what they were hoping for? Or, has the great and vexing polar vortex invaded people and not just the atmosphere?

It is a new year, back to work, time to save for another 50 weeks until the next blast of Goodwill. However, in the meantime I feel like the counter-intuitive time of year has rolled around again when the most basic concepts of kindness, courtesy, compassion, and respect have been swept away like the broken glass fragments of ornaments and left over tinsel.

So, consider this a Mad Libs Courtesy game primer for the New Year. Fill in the blanks with any of the following pronouns (add some of your own to make it more fun). Then simply reread the sentences with your additions and see the unvarnished truth (Wheeee! Isn’t this fun?????):

Me
You
Him
Her
Mother
Father
Family
Significant Other
Ex-Significant Other
Child
Boss
Employee
Neighbor
Clerk

If ______ speaks nicely to _______, _____ will want to help ______.

If _____ does not speak nicely to _____, ______ will not want to help _____.

______ can use fear or intimidation to motivate, but it has been statistically proven to fail as a long term method of collaboration.

If _____ misuses ______’s trust, _____ will not want to confide in _____.

If _____ can only speak superficially to ______ because _______ cannot trust ______, then _______ can jump in a lake/ whistle Dixie/ Bite the Big One/ Kiss my ass/ do it themselves the next time _______ is in trouble.

When _________ needs something, __________ will find out that ______ is not willing to be treated badly any more.

All the big things can be little, and petty, or the little things can become big things that get stuck in your throat.

Frankly, I don’t care for your apathy! All it takes is someone forgetting that kindness is a courtesy, and not a demand, to leave a lot of blanks in the conversation.

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Thanks for stopping by and bringing a sense of humor with you!
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