This may sound familiar and if so you may find solace in the below suggestions that I introduced in to my life without changing my workload. They work for me and I am much happier and calmer for it.

1. 10 minutes of ‘you’ time daily - set aside atleast 10 minutes each day to do something that you enjoy, whether it be playing your favourite music and having a dance, catching up with a friend on the phone or finding a quite space and ejoying a cup of tea.

2. Soak in the tub - once a week I would treat myself to a nice long hot bath complete with candles, essential oils, sometimes a glass of wine (if I really needed it) or often a good book.

3. Pay attention to your health - when you are stressed this has a huge biological effect and can cause havoc with your health. Blood tests revealed my immune system was very weak - which explained the lack in concentration, tiredness and fatigue. I now take nutritional supplements and eat much better which has helped tremendously. Do consult a professional health practitioner if you are unsure.

4. Seek advice - I sought great help through books and can recommend two which are Buddhism for Mothers by Sarah Napthali and The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Both have been extremely invaluable in teaching me the importance of being present in the moment.

5. Learn to meditate - if you don’t already, meditating is wonderful for total rejuvenation. You only need 10 minutes a day. There are several methods of learning meditation. I did an online course through Daily OM.

6. Have a good laugh - I discovered in my moments of total despair that watching a comedy film was exactly what I needed to help calm me. Once calm I was able to handle the situation more rationally. Stock up on good comedies and joke books.

One of the stressors that women face is the enormous pressure to juggle family and work. With over 70 percent of elementary school children having a working mom, mothers strive to shine in their careers while giving their children the care and attention they need to thrive. Throw in assorted soccer practices, dance lessons, swim team trials, and other after school activities - plus the occasional business trip - and women often find themselves racing from one event to another. Housekeeping chores, even when shared, add another layer of “to-dos” to a woman’s life. The end result is that the things that a woman does for her own physical, spiritual, and mental health fall to the bottom of the list, and are all too often neglected.

Another major stressor in women’s lives - and one that is surely detrimental to women’s health - is the emphasis that advertisers and the media place on a woman’s appearance. Although there have been some acknowledgements that this is a factor, and some companies have changed their ad campaigns to incorporate images of “real women,” women today still hold unrealistic expectations of their own health and beauty. Given that the average American woman is five feet, five inches tall and 160 pounds, the pressure to become model-thin is often irresistible. As a result, women spend inordinate amounts of time, energy, and money on weight loss plans and exercise regimes that do little to permanently alter their physiques and instead stress them out even more. At its most basic, the key to women’s health and healthy aging is stress relief.

Relieving stress is an active choice that women must make, and one that will ultimately make them better partners, mothers, and workers. Here are three preliminary steps that will move any woman towards having more energy and mental clarity, as well as a greater sense of satisfaction:

1. Prioritize - You can’t do it all, but you can do most of it. Make a list of the values and goals that are most important to you, and then take a hard look at the ways you spend your time. Are your activities supporting your values and goals? If not, drop those that don’t support you and focus your energy on those that do.

2. Engage in Self-Care - Unless your proverbial cup is full, you won’t have anything to give anyone else. That means taking care of your body, mind, and soul. Set aside time each week to nourish your spirit, and nourish your body with the health food and health supplements that will give you the energy to go about your day.

3. Learn to Say “No” - Most women are people pleasers, and are too quick to agree to anything that is asked of them. Learn to set good boundaries with others and you will feel less stressed and better able to focus on the activities that are important to you and your family’s well-being. Remember that relieving stress is a choice - one that will lead to women’s health and healthy aging.

Many people think that spandex is a good plus size fashion option because it binds your body. The thought behind this is that any extra curves may be forced to behave in this restrictive environment. An the response to this is that it is not true! Spandex shows every little curve and imperfection, and the only people that come even close to pulling spandex off without looking ridiculous are bony little gymaholics who hardly eat. Any sensible woman who has a curve on her body will stay away from spandex and opt instead for more natural, comfortable fabrics that will provide a much better look when it comes to plus size fashions.

The old rule about no horizontal stripes isn’t exactly true. Sure, some strips will provide the optical illusion that you appear bigger than you really are. But it all depends on the style and size the stripes are printed in. The prints on shirts also don’t always matter. When you find a blouse that is printed with floral designs or strips, try it on and try to determine if it makes you look bigger. If you are having a hard time, ask a friend. Some stripped shirts can even have a slimming effect! Be careful to avoid any clothing that screams “maternity” wear.

Part of the problem with purchasing plus size clothes is that stores and manufacturers tend to want to force the current trends in full figured women. For example, spaghetti tanks and low rise jeans don’t generally look well on full figured women. In fact, these skimpy designs don’t look well on anyone with even the hint of a belly! When purchasing plus size fashion clothing, go for the styles and designs that make you look good, not what everyone else seems to think makes them look good. After all, it’s much better to look flashing in a unique style all your own than to look ridiculous in a style that someone else chose to be popular that particular month! When it comes to your plus size fashion you are the best judge. Wear what feels and looks good to you.

We all know that when we’re feeling down, inferior or unworthy, our faces sag and our overall features look tired and defeated. Some may even argue that have strong self-esteem is more attractive than having the right physical attributes, and they may have a point. Following are a few simple tips that can help women rev up their self-esteem.

1. Press The Magic Button — Most of us need to boost our self-confidence every now and then. One of the best ways to do this is to recall exactly who we are and why we should feel good about ourselves. Create a Magic Button — a mental image of three things that make you feel good — and press on it once in a while. These things could include images of your biggest achievements, the smiling faces of people who matter to you or something as simple as a piece of music.

This Magic Button is especially important when we down and things aren’t going our way. We have to remember that whatever setbacks we’ve faced are temporary. We’ve overcome them before to reach success. Press that magic button.

2. Overcome self-consciousness — Yes, self-consciousness is probably the biggest enemy of self-confidence. We tend to look at ourselves too harshly and focus on our perceived faults and shortcomings. To overcome self-consciousness, you should try focusing on others: try to put other people at ease, check the room for people who you might learn to like, make a mental note of possible business contacts.

Sometimes, if focusing on other people proves difficult, we can ease our self-consciousness by looking intently at our surroundings — examining paintings, admiring furniture and decor, anything that will take our minds off ourselves.

3. Don’t Stand For Undue Criticism - Sometimes our self-esteem ebbs because we allow others to treat us like rags and walk all over us. This is something we should never allow, even if we have made a mistake or come up wanting in a situation. We should bear in mind that even top-notch people make mistakes.

It doesn’t take much to show them and to give them the direction they need to succeed. With these tips you are sure to aid your teens in becoming successful adults.

Some things to work on are:

1. Bringing them grocery shopping and teaching them how to shop for food the right way. This will prevent them from needing fast food and eating out a lot.
2. Teaching them about cooking simple and easy meals they can freeze or reheat later on. This will keep their foods stocked and they can learn to stretch food out over many meals.
3. Teach them simple budgeting and checkbook balancing. You can get a teen a checking account and work with them on keeping this balanced and teaching them good habits from the beginning.
4. Teaching them to organize their bills, needs, wants, and money coming in. Something as simple as writing out a plan they can follow can go a long way.

• No matter how busy you are, don’t forget to use a concealer to cover up your blemishes especially the part under your eyes. It takes only two minutes of your time to hide your flaws, but work impressions last forever.

• Open up your eyes by putting a coat or two of your favorite mascara to define your lashes. Expressive eyes is a plus especially if you deal with a lot of people on a daily basis.

• Use lipstick or lip gloss for that soft, kissable look. Here’s a quick beauty tip: some lip gloss with shimmer can also be good as a cheek blush.

• Don’t let your hair eat up your face. No beauty tip can do wonder if you won’t let people see how beautiful you are. Buy a few hairpins, clips or other hair accessories. The use of gels or hair sprays can also help in preserving your hairstyle and taming those fly-aways.

• Splash on some soft-scented body sprays to give yourself a boost.

These beauty tips are definitely easy and effortless ways of beautifying and facing the world with a more confident you.