The Military Wife Winter 2011 | Page 6

Think Happy Thoughts

Forget about your spouse going away for several months next week while you have to re-train the regressing pets. As for telling the CO's wife that you vomited in her shoes at the Christmas party, or checking the children's bookbags for missed paperwork, it can wait. This is not the time to stress about scraping the frozen doggy poop-sicles out of the tiny backyard of the PMQ before the inspector leaves an infraction notice. Consign to oblivion the ten pounds and heavy debt you gained over the holidays. Instead think of happy things like how your husband is going away again, so you can get the hot neighbour to shovel your driveway.

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'Tis the season to be stressed, but now it's over. Take a few deep breaths and pour yourself another glass of wine because until next year, there's nothing to worry about!

Just stuff another stale hors d'oeuvre in your face and read on for tips to de-stress after the...

Think Nothing

The holidays often force us into overindulgence - too much eating, shopping and too much togetherness with family members, which can lead to holiday burnout and, ultimately, more stress. So, forget about everything and zone out. Guilt over weight gain is easily deadened with booze, and pills will help you to forget mounting debt. Feeling oversocialized from too many holiday visits? Lock the doors, unplug the phones, turn off the lights and cuddle up with a good book and the rest of the Christmas shortbread. If you have neither shortbread, boose, nor pills, Facebook games are also a highly effective way to disassociate.