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4 Ways to Survive theHard Times and Come Out Closer By Sharon Rivkin www.sharonrivkin.com Isit possible for something good to come out of the economic downturn?Can a relationship, even one that may be experiencing its own hardtimes, come out better for surviving the hard times?nbsp; Here aresome ways to use the recession to your benefit: Back to Basics.nbsp; View this asan opportunity to get back to the basics.nbsp; We live in such a busyworld, accomplishing a lot, but losing touch with our partner, family,and friends.nbsp; When we don#146;t have a lot of money to spend on"activities," we have an opportunity to get closer and talk to oneanother. Re-learn the value of family time.nbsp; Rather than everyonegoing in different directions, create simple activities with yourfamily.nbsp; Instead of going out to eat, cook at home with your kids,have a picnic and bring along the frisbee, or take a long walk andenjoy the fresh air.nbsp; Play cards or games#133;all the things we usedto do before video games and TV shows invaded family time. Keep it Simple.nbsp; When theeconomy is good, you have more money.nbsp; More dollars in your pocketallows you the freedom to distract yourself with more activities andopportunities to do things separately.nbsp; This may cause you andyour partner to drift apart.nbsp; Because our wallets are slimmer nowand we#146;re staying home more, this gives us the chance to sit still,slow our lives down, and start dealing with the unaddressed issues ofour relationship.nbsp; By keeping it simple and going back to talkingto each other, you have a chance of getting closer and reviving thespark that drew you together in the first place. Reevalute.nbsp; Now's the time toreevaluate our relationship to money.nbsp; What are we spending ourmoney on that we really don't NEED?nbsp; In flourishing economictimes, it#146;s easy to get carried away and confuse our wants and ourneeds.nbsp; This is the time to differentiate the two. Talk with yourpartner about ways to pare down.nbsp; Use this as an opportunity toteam up and work together on ways to save money. You#146;ll both feelbetter with a plan of action. Finish, Rather than Start. Use thisas a time to look at the loose ends in your environment.nbsp; Is therea project you could finish together that doesn't cost a lot?nbsp; Whenthe economy is good, we tend to start a lot of things without finishingthem.nbsp; Get creative and save money by trading weekends withfriends. Get your buddies together and alternate weekends by helpingone another with household projects.nbsp; This week at my house, nextweek at yours.nbsp; Then wrap up the day with a simple barbeque andgood company. We come from a culture of doingand achieving, with less emphasis on slowing down and enjoying thesimple things that life offers.nbsp; The recession gives us anopportunity to go inward, instead of outward, to think about what we'regrateful for and what we appreciate, and just how lucky we are to bealive.nbsp; Ultimately, we want closeness and companionship, and nowis the opportunity to cultivate what#146;s really important. Relationship and Conflict Resolution Expert, Sharon M. Rivkin, M.A., M.F.T.,author of The First Argument: Cuttingto the Root of Intimate Conflict, helps hundreds of couplesbreak the argument cycle with her proven, groundbreaking technique thatresolves the most painful issues, stops repetitive conflict, savesrelationships, and puts the love back in your marriage.nbsp; Sharonhas been featured in O: The Oprah Magazine, Reader#146;s Digest, and majorwebsites such as YahooPersonals, DrLaura.com, Hitchedmag.com,SheKnow.com, and many others.nbsp; Visit Sharon at www.sharonrivkin.com . Permissiongranted for useon DrLaura.com. More >>

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No-Cost StressRelievers for Getting Through Tough Times By Winn Claybaugh www.beniceorelse.com Somedays, it seems like bad news just keeps coming. Unemployment is up. Thestock market is down. Gas prices are up, down, and up again. You maynot be able to control these things, but you can control your reactionsto them#151;and you can do it without spending a dime. Try these quick,easy and free stress busters. Humor and Laughter If it's true that high stress can lead to physical calamities, thenperhaps it's also true that humor and laughter can heal. In his book Love, Medicine, and Miracles Dr.Bernie Siegel wrote that humor not only may have the potential torelieve pain directly, but that it also diverts your attention andhelps you relax. In truth, it's not stress that causes physical problems; it's the wayyou react to stress. Instead of letting stress make you ill, how aboutusing humor and laughter to help you heal? When you laugh and have fun,your body releases natural opiates called endorphins, the ultimate naturalhigh. Finding humor and laughter when you're all stressed out may seemlike a difficult task, but like anything else, it can become a habit ifyou practice long enough. Go Through the Motions To build your levels of happiness, joy, purpose, and fulfillment,sometimes you might have to go through the motions of offering yourselfgifts that you don't believe you deserve. If you knew your sweetheartwas having a bad day, you might draw a nice bath, light candles aroundthe tub, and place special salts or oils in the bathwater. Maybe you'dplay soft music, turn down the lights, and turn the telephone ringeroff. You'd then greet your sweetie at the door to grab her briefcase orpurse, hand her a glass of wine, and send her in for a stress-meltingbath. You'd do that for a lover, but when was the last time you treatedyourself with such respect and love? My challenge for you and for myself is to just go through the motions.Tonight you might be sitting in that bathwater thinking, "What on earth am I doing here?"That's okay. Eventually, actions become habits, and habits become partof your personality, which builds your character and turns you into thetype of person you were always meant to be: filled with happinessinstead of stress. Let's Be Clear I used to believe that if I had a grievance, an opposing opinion, or alegitimate complaint with someone, I had to bite my tongue in order tobe perceived as a nice guy. On those rare occasions when I chose totell the person how I felt or how they'd wronged me, I felt as though Iwas attacking them. And I'm not the attacking type, so I learned tokeep it to myself. If you believe in a mind-body connection, as Ifirmly do, then you know that bottling things up leads to stress,uneasiness, and disease. You're obviously going to have disagreements on occasion. To keep frommaking yourself unhealthy, practice being clear with people. If youhave a disagreement that needs to be resolved, remember to keep itbetween the two of you, discuss it in private, stick to the facts, andstay focused on your desire to restore harmony and retain therelationship. Bottom line: All three strategies will help increase your nice factor,and being nice is a surefire way to help get rid of your stress. Winn Claybaugh is the author ofBe Nice (Or Else!) and "one ofthe best motivational speakers in the country," according to CNN'sLarry King. Winn is the co-owner of hair care giant Paul Mitchell'sschool division. His clients include Southwest Airlines, the IrvineCompany, Vidal Sassoon, Entertainment Tonight, Mattel, For Rent magazine,Structure/Limited/Express, and others. Visit www.BeNiceOrElse.com to sign up for his free monthly Be Nice (Or Else!) newsletter. Permissiongranted for useon DrLaura.com. More >>

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It's True Moms: Technology Can Spell Salvation This article was brought to our attention and we thought it may help you#133; Think you're not a tech-savvy mom? Don't underestimate your digital know-how. 10 Tips columnist Laura T. Coffey shares tech-related advice that can make your life as a mom easier. Read: It#146;s true, moms: Technology can spell salvation More >>

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