Here are 5 ways to break Martha Habit:

1. Take your kids to store, let them choose a bag of cookies, and don't look at ingredients. Once at home, give a cookie to each child and have one yourself. Pour a glass of milk, and revel in fact that your kitchen is not covered in flour and that there are no dishes to clean.

2. Get your blood pumping once a week. No offense Martha, but while making your own truffles can be divine, it doesn't leave a whole lot of time to stay in shape. Try an activity that will make you feel like a kid again, like line-dancing, Hip-Hop or Yoga.

3. Despite hype, most crafts aren't cheap or easy. If you feel your blood pressure rising when you contemplate amount of time and money you've spent on a project, you should reconsider whole endeavor. Next time accept that a candle from dollar store burns just as brightly as one you've molded yourself.

4. If your child is in more than 2 after school activities, think about canceling them. To stop over-scheduling yourself, you must first stop over-scheduling your children.

5. Take a team approach. Your kids would prefer a piniata of a lopsided fish to a perfect replica of a Disney character as long as they got to squish papier-macher through their little fingers. It doesn't have to look perfect to be perfect as far as kids are concerned, so relax and get them involved in what you're doing.

The key is to remember that you aren’t trying to fight with yourself. You are trying to redirect negative energy into a positive direction.

If you take some quiet time to search inside yourself for creative ideas I bet you will come up with some fun and inventive ways that fit your own situation perfectly. If you get stuck for ideas, do a little brainstorming with a good friend.

Tip: You don’t have to tell your friend that you are driving yourself nuts with worry/fear. That could create a negative image in their mind. Just tell them truthfully that you are looking for some fun ways to redirect your energies when you feel need. They may end up trying ideas themselves!

When you notice that you are starting to worry or be fearful (you want to catch yourself as quickly as possible before you build up a head of steam) then go directly to one of your redirection ideas. If first one doesn’t work, move right on to next idea.

Here are some sample ideas:

* Make silly faces in mirror. * Exercise intensely. Activities that take mental, as well as, physical effort are particularly good. * Do a good deed for someone. Intense attention to others often takes us out of self-involved circles of thought. Read comics or a good book of humor. * Listen to joyful music. * Watch a light, happy movie. * Learn to meditate. Meditation is most direct way to internally redirect our energies. * Affirm: I am joyful and energetic! Repeat this out loud ten to twenty times while walking in place and swinging your arms. When you immerse yourself in almost any positive direction with energy and concentration you will find that negative energies lose their power and eventually fall away through neglect. This is a powerful truth that works in every facet of life.

Experiment with these ideas and let us know how things go.

Bless You,

Vijay