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    Chicken Soup for the Stressed-Out Soul

    By | Healthy Living – Thu, Dec 29, 2011 10:15 AM EST

    By genConnect | Amy Newmark

    If you are engaging in extreme multitasking these days, here are a few tips from the folks at Chicken Soup for the Soul that might make the rest of the season go a little easier:

    1) Remember to use your positive thinking! Almost every cloud has a silver lining, and if you make a conscious effort to find the positives in your life, you really will feel better. Let's say that you have to park a quarter mile away from the mall at the farthest end of the parking lot - just think of it as an opportunity to get ten minutes of exercise that you wouldn't otherwise have thought to fit into your day.

    WATCH: Q&A With Chicken Soup for the Soul Publisher Amy Newmark

    2) Count your blessings! Gratitude and thankfulness are proven to make people healthier and more popular. Remember that the reason you have so much work to do is because there are so many people in your life who you love. Now doesn't that make you feel better about buying all those gifts and preparing all that food?

    Related: 6 Tips to Make Holidays Easier

    3) Say No! Really, you can say no. If you don't want to bake five-dozen cookies for next week's third-grade class party, say no. You can do other things instead, such as offering to make the cookies for the Easter party when your schedule is lighter, or offering to provide the paper plates and napkins instead.

    4) Don't strive for perfection! It doesn't have to be perfect. Do you actually remember whether the holiday gatherings you attended in past years involved paper plates... or fine china? Plastic cups... or crystal that had to be washed by hand? Gourmet food... or take-out Chinese? You probably don't. Remember that what really matters is who is sitting around the table, not what you put on the table.

    5) Take care of yourself every day! You may not have time to do your normal routine. But if you can't exercise for an hour, squeeze in fifteen minutes of stretches. Steal a few minutes to sit and read a short story. Sit in the garage for an extra couple of minutes when you get home and let that song on the radio finish playing. How Well Do You Take Care of Yourself? (QUIZ)

    Click here for more Chicken Soup for the Soul stress relief tips.

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    About the Author:

    Amy Newmark has led a successful 30-year career as a writer, speaker, financial analyst and business executive in the worlds of finance and telecommunications. Most recently, Newmark has teamed up with one of the most successful book series of all time - Chicken Soup for the Soul ® - as publisher, author, and editor.