It’s gotten out of hand, really. I’m talking about the doom and gloom panic that has gripped our nation of late. I’m not denying that our economic situation is dire and that the presidential race is a biggie on the historical relevance scale, but I’m just really tired of the loud sucking that threatens to take us all down in one suffocating, bankrupt slurp.

So, since I’m working on some changes in my own life, I thought I’d be nice and share them.

Here are five things you can do to stop spreading fear and start spreading peace - all (more or less) without spending a dime. 

1. Make beauty bigger. Pick one thing that really makes you happy, more grounded, less anxious, appreciative, awestruck - whatever - and make it a priority to get more. For me, it’s the simple things: getting cozy with my pets, lush green trees and plants, candlelight, morning walks, warm butter, a good glass of red while cooking. Ok, yeah, Project Runway. Anyway, the point is that it’s pretty easy to get more good stuff out of life when you break it down to basics. Think small.
2. Clear your money fog. If you’ve got more free spirit than financial smarts in your personal accounting picture, now is a good time to get clear with where you stand. I’m not saying panic. I’m not saying yank your money out of the bank and move to the Bahamas. I’m saying get your head out of the money fog by getting a solid spending and saving plan in place. In the end, you’ll feel far more in control and less stressed. Women’s earning expert, Mikelann Valterra, offers insightful, no-nonsense guidance if you need some help.
3. Give something away. I don’t care what it is, as long as it is nice and done with good intention. Give your time to a friend or loved one, or put in a few hours of volunteer work. Give clothes and/or food to families who will surely need it this year. Give a warm smile to a stranger on the street. A compliment, kisses, sound advice (when asked for), thanks, a neck rub, homemade cobbler, a lucky penny. The possibilities for spreading good ju ju are endless and really oh-so easy.
4. Don’t end on Anderson.  While I believe it’s important to stay informed, there is definitely a limit. Here’s my limit: I never end the night on Anderson Cooper. He’s smart and cute and all, but he is often the bearer of seemingly catastrophic news that does nothing but make me lose sleep. My solution: add one part Jon Stewart and/or Steven Colbert for every part Anderson. Not only do I sleep, I laugh, and laughing occupies brain chemicals and facial muscles so they can’t be ravaged by stress. So you get easy, affordable stress management and beauty help all in one.
5. Turn crappy gas prices into a positive.We’re all trying to drive less, and that means staying close to home for holiday and day-to-day fun. But rather than feel trapped and pissy about being stuck at home, think about all the fun to be had right in your community. Have a party with some neighbors. Walk to the neighborhood restaurant for dinner. Take a long stroll under the stars. Check local libraries and coffee shops for music, films, or lectures. Investing in your neighborhood is good for the local economy, builds a sense of community, saves time, and reduces stress (no parking or traffic hassles!).

Even if you don’t take any of my advice, I hope you’ll do something good for yourself, and I hope you do it soon and often.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit sleepy these dark days. Not to mention, I’m eating like a horse. In case I’m not entirely alone out here, I thought I’d share a few tips for beating the sleepy, snacky blues this time of year.

• Move your body. There’s oodles of research on the beneficial effects of exercise on depression and anxiety, with the general consensus being that 30 minutes of exercise three to five times a week can help improve symptoms. However, even as little as 15 minutes at a time can help in the short term, so don’t be afraid to start small.
• Don’t hide inside. If you live in a dreary winter climate, as I do in Seattle, get over it and then get out in it. When you’re wishing the rain or snow away and doing all you can not to feel it, you’re setting yourself up for a long winter’s fight.
• Down your dog. Yoga is a great exercise to help with winter doldrums in large part because it helps balance the entire endocrine system, including the pineal gland which controls seasonal and circadian rhythms that influence sleep. Yoga is also great for general stress reduction and, as it happens, I’ve found you don’t really want to dive head first into a bag of M&Ms after class. Maybe it’s the tight pants, but it works.
• Stay sober. As tempting as it is to curl up in front of the fire with a bottle of wine and your chocolate, you might want to think twice if you’re prone to the sleepy snackies. Alcohol is a depressant, after all, no matter how good it feels going down. It interferes with mood, sleep, and appetite, so over-indulging is just fighting a losing battle. You may get a whole new perspective the morning after, that is the morning after you’ve abstained.

Really, spring will be here before you know it.  Then those blasted happy birds will wake you up at dawn and you’ll have a whole new set of complaints. So why not start by shaping up today, however gray and cold it may be.

Here’s the deal. No one knows you better than you. It may not feel like that on some days, and certainly some of us have more developed self-knowledge than others, but it’s a simple fact.

So, why state the obvious?

Our medical system is based on the idea that doctors are the experts, and certainly this is true in many regards. Take brain surgery, for example. You bet I’m looking for expertise if I’m under that knife. But there are lots of other less freaky and yet no less meaningful scenarios in which you might be more of the expert on what’s happening in your body. You live in the lab, after all.

I’m not saying you should forgo proper medical care. No way. I’m simply encouraging you to take part in your medical care and supporting you to bring all that you know and feel and care about yourself to the process. It’s easier said than done to squeeze in a few pertinent questions, let alone really ask for what you need, when you’re in the poke and prod of a doctor’s visit. Here’s a little guidance that might help.

Five tips for getting what you need from a doctor’s visit:

1. Write it down. Write down all your questions down before your appointment and bring them with you on a note pad. If you know time will be an issue, pick one or two questions or points you absolutely won’t leave without addressing. Likewise, write down your symptoms and most pressing concerns. Use this as a reminder when talking to your doctor and/or give them a copy to file in your chart.
2. Bring a friend. Consider bringing a friend or family member to the appointment with you. This person can act as another set of ears to catch information you may miss, keep you on track with questions, and provide general support to help you stay grounded.
3. Try to relax. Speaking of staying grounded, remember to breathe. And breathe in and out from your belly, not up and down from your chest. Deep belly breathing has an almost immediately relaxing effect on the entire body and will help you remain clear and level-headed. Doctors will probably take you more seriously in this state.  Read more…
4. Trust yourself. If you are being given a diagnosis, prescription or information that just doesn’t sit right with what you know of yourself, take some time to reflect and consider your options. (That is, assuming you’re not leaking blood by the quart.) In most cases, there is more than one opinion or treatment option that’s right for your condition.
5. Stay tuned in to your body. Even if you’re not preparing for or recovering from a doctor’s visit, keep connected to what’s going on in your body. Symptoms of discomfort are your ally, letting you know in plain and simple terms that something’s not right. So rather than rushing to silence them with medication, listen to them. Notice what makes them better or worse. You’re the only one who can hear the messages from your body in this way, so tune in before turning to someone else for the answers.

I can’t guarantee this advice will work like a charm and have your doc eating zinc lozenges out of the palm of your hand, but it will help you feel more in control. Don’t be a stranger in your own body. Don’t be afraid to think you know what’s right. You’re the boss.

Any reasonable person knows that chocolate is a wonder food. Some smart folks in Germany actually have proof. Here’s the scoop.They took a group of men and women in different stages of untreated hypertension (that’s high blood pressure) and fed them chocolate for over four months.  They gave them either a Hershey’s kiss-sized piece of dark chocolate (6.3 grams and 30 calories) with 30 mg of polyphenols (heart-protective antioxidants) or a matching dose of white chocolate without polyphenols. Here are some key findings, in a chocolate-coated nutshell:

• Blood pressure in the dark chocolate eaters was “efficiently reduced” without any accompanying changes in weight.
• The percentage of participants with hypertension in the dark chocolate group dropped from 86 to 68 percent.
• Blood pressure in the white chocolate group didn’t budge. 

I particularly like this final note: Of most interest to the researchers was the fact that small amounts of commercially available cocoa could have a similar beneficial effect on blood pressure as comprehensive diet programs that have been used to reduce cardiovascular risks.

Take that and sprinkle it on your celery sticks!

Source: “Effects of Low Habitual Cocoa Intake on Blood Pressure and Bioactive Nitric Oxide: A Randomized Controlled Trial”, JAMA, July 2007.

I’m not sure where you are this very moment, but where I am, it is h-o-t. Real hot. You’ve probably got me beat if you’re in some place like Phoenix or Dallas, but we don’t really do the heat thing up here in Seattle. Overcast, you bet. Drizzle, absolutely. We even do lots of clear, sunny days. But we really don’t do downright hot all that often.

So as I sit here, watching a bead of sweat weave its way down my arm, and cursing the dog for being able to sleep right through the heat, I’m thinking about what I could or should be doing, other than slugging back iced soy chai lattes in rapid succession, to beat the heat.

Here’s what I’ve come up with:

• Drink more fluids. Duh.
• However, avoid alcoholic or caffeinated drinks, or beverages with lots of sugar, because they actually cause you to lose more body fluid which can lead to dehydration. Looks like I’ve screwed myself on the chai thing, and it’s not looking good for the cold beer I’ve been looking forward to all day. Drats.
• Don’t drink or eat anything too cold. Yeah, like ice cream. I know that sounds downright dumb, and un-American, but cold food and drink shocks your system in extreme heat. It can mess up your digestion and lead to stomach cramps, both of which are no fun, especially if you’re already cranky.
• If you must be outdoors, do so in the morning or evening. Avoid the 10-4 peak heat/sun hours.
• Wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing. While we all look fabulous in black and it is quite slimming, it is a magnet for the sun. Ever tried walking barefoot on hot blacktop? Ouch.
• Don’t leave people (this includes screaming kids) or pets in a closed, parked car. Duh.
• Give your feet a cool bath. Lowering the temperature of your feet cools off your entire body. (I’m trying this right now . . . Oh yeah, that works.)
• Or . . . drench a pair of socks in cold water. Ring them out, put them on, and kick up your feet to relax. The cool socks and the relaxation will lower your body temp and, from what I’ve seen, make you a measurably nicer person.
• Run your wrists under cold water. The blood in those veins close to the skin’s surface will make you feel cooler all over.
• Take a cold water bottle to bed with you at night. Simple - just fill a hot water bottle with cold water and lay it on feet or belly, under knees, behind neck - wherever it feels good.

And finally, think cool thoughts. If you focus on the sun blazing through the window or the stifling heat of your non-air conditioned office, you are likely to feel the blaze and the stifle that much more. Try thinking of a cool ocean breeze or a dip in a water fall. Or maybe even a shimmy in the snow.

Perhaps you don’t need to totally can the Bud or the ice cream. But whatever you do in the summer heat, be smart. Think cool, and definitely don’t go locking anyone in the car.