Identifying and Stopping Stress
The series of changes that happen to us mentally and physically when a trigger event occurs is called stress. Stress can happen to anyone at anytime for a myriad of reasons. Each person deals with stress in a different way and if it isn’t managed properly, it can cause serious health risks. Moving is one of a group of a major life changes that can cause increased stress.Long-term stress is much more taxing on the body than acute stress (those short bouts of excitement that occur with a specific event i.e. being nervous about a meeting at work or excited over a skiing trip). There are two types of stress that last longer than a few days:

Episodic acute stress

• Occurs from a disordered life where problems are constantly popping up in daily life.
• Sufferers are usually over-aroused, short-tempered, irritable, anxious and nervous.
• An extreme case is a “Type-A” personality, someone who is overly aggressive, hostile, competitive and impatient.
• Can also result in people who worry too much about every detail in their lives.
• Sufferers are often resistant to change because they see the events as out of their control.

Chronic stress

• The grinding stress that wears people down over a long period of time, often years.
• Can be caused by poverty, a dysfunctional family, an unhappy marriage, a despised job or career or a cultural/national phenomenon.
• Can also result from a traumatizing childhood event from which one never recovers.
• Sufferers often forget it is there and become accustomed to living in a constant state of stress.

Both kinds of stress can be dangerous to your mental and physical well being and can make life much less fun. Now, the good news: for most sufferers, some simple changes and techniques can improve everyday life and even help cure the roots of stress. Sit back, relax, and say aaahhhhhhh…

Check-list for a Less Stressful Life:
Remember that you can’t eliminate stress altogether—your goal is to learn how to cope with it better. Doing the following in your daily life is a great way to start managing stress more effectively:

• Studies show that 7-8 hours of sleep per night is best for healthy living and the prevention of disease.
• Exercise is good for the body and the mind. Try to perform an exercise you enjoy every day.
• Spend time in a natural environment by taking outdoor walks, gardening or visiting a zoo.
• Do something that makes you laugh—watch a comedy, talk to a funny friend or read a funny book. Laughter is a very powerful stress reliever.

If you’re yearning to boost new life into a stale-looking apartment, a few trendy pieces of art or new furniture can spruce things up. But there’s an even more economical solution that truly will breathe life…plants.

If you’re not the greatest gardener, don’t fear, with the right guidance, you can develop a green thumb, or at least a green pinky. It will take a valiant commitment to watering and feeding but you’ll be rewarded with cleaner air and reduced dust and allergens.

Here’s how to get started:

• Be creative with your planters! Tons of common household items, from old buckets to funky coffee mugs, can be turned into plant homes.
• For the best air-cleansing results, plan on two to three full-sized plants for each 100- to 150-square-foot-room.
• Also try to purchase enough plants so that you have one in each sleeping area or in any other areas where a significant amount of time is spent.

Choose your plants based on your experience level, as well as the amount of time you plan to dedicate to the maintenance of your indoor garden.

• Beginners/Low Maintenance - pothos (green leafy), spider plant (hanging plant), snake plant (tall, compact foliage), cattleya orchid (pretty exotic-looking plant)
• Moderate Care - dragon trees, sword fern, jade plant (small treelike plants)
• Almost-Qualifies-as-Pets Plants - bonsai (manicured little trees), orchids (beautiful, exotic-looking plants)

You can always ask an expert in the gardening section to help you out. Most importantly, read the labels! Plants are not all the same: temperature, water, and light needs vary widely. So read the labels and be honest with yourself. Don’t buy a plant that needs to have its moisture level checked daily if you’re a fair-weather friend to living things.

You’ve done your shopping, packed and unpacked your trunk, and now your living room could be confused for a tropical jungle. Don’t be too hard on yourself—it’s natural for first-time plant-owners to go a little overboard.

Cooking in your apartment, is that possible? The anwser is YES, of COURSE! You don’t have to order out every day, there are tons of great meals that can be made right at home that are healthier and less expensive than take out. Many apartment chefs have limited room to move around and only a counter or two to prepare food. That’s why we’ve found some fast, cheap and easy recipes that don’t require loads of kitchen gadgets. You’ll soon forget all about your cell phone-based dinner menu. Now all you have to do is figure out how that stove thing works.

Turkey Enchiladas (recipeland.com)
3 cups cooked turkey
2 cups sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt
12 each corn or flour tortillas (10 inch)
1/3 cup corn oil
8 ounces green chile peppers (two cans)
1 clove garlic minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 pound stewed tomatoes, canned with juice

Combine turkey with sour cream, cheese and 1 tsp. salt. Heat 1/3 c oil, dip tortillas in oil until soft and drain. Stuff with turkey mix and roll. Arrange side-by-side with seam side down in shallow pan.

Turkey Sauce: Rinse seeds from chilies and chop. Sauté with garlic in oil. Add stewed tomatoes, onions, 1 tsp. salt, oregano and water. Simmer uncovered until thick, about 1/2 hour. Pour chili sauce over enchiladas and bake at 350 degrees 20-30 minutes. Let set 5-10 minutes before serving.

Tuna Casserole (allrecipes.com)
3 cups cooked macaroni
1 (6 ounce) can tuna, drained
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups French fried onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a 9×13-inch baking dish, combine the macaroni, tuna, and soup. Mix well, top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 25 minutes, or until bubbly. Sprinkle with fried onions and bake for another 5 minutes. Serve hot.