You’ve developed a realistic plan, divided your time, and you’ve set a budget. Now how do you manage the stress that comes with the inevitable (and often unavoidable) deviations from the plan? Stay stress free by being self-aware and balanced. Balance is a key concept at this time of year, and these tips will help you keep perspective throughout the holiday season.

The holiday season is here, and with the holiday season comes a lot of extra stress. There are many additional demands placed on you, and these additional stressors can quickly become overwhelming.

Many families will kick off the holiday season this Thursday with a sumptuous and satisfying Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving is almost exclusively an American holiday; it is about people who care about each other gathering together to eat traditional dishes and catching up by sharing stories and laughs. At my family’s Thanksgiving feast, no matter how many are around the table, each person is asked to say out loud something she or he is thankful for. This is one of the rituals of our Thanksgiving tradition.

Throughout 2012 we have followed and blogged about the shocking increase in the number of US troops who have died by suicide. The unsettling reports continued through October, with the US Army reporting 33 potential suicides. It is now almost guaranteed that the number of service men and women lost to suicide in 2012 will surpass the 2011 numbers.

What does it mean to practice gratefulness?

To practice gratefulness is to consciously recognize the things, events, experiences, or people that you are grateful for. Practicing gratefulness is a deliberate and mindful process of expressing appreciation for what you have or what someone has done for you. Research suggests that practicing gratefulness can lead to increased happiness and improved physical health.

According to an analysis led by Kathleen Merikangas, Ph.D. of the National Institute of Mental Health, most teens who are thinking of suicide or already attempted suicide have not received appropriate mental health services. More than 10,000 teens between the ages of 13 and 18 completed the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A), and answered questions about whether they had any suicidal thoughts (ideation), plans, or actions in the year immediately preceeding the survey.

October is breast cancer awareness month. Every year, millions of people come together in support of a disease that affects 1 in 8 women. On October 10^th, World Mental Health Day, blogger Rebecca Palpant wrote about the connection between breast cancer and an oft-ignored topic; co-morbid clinical depression.