As I listen to close friends and family members vent to me about various aspects of their lives: stress, anxiety and struggles with depression, I wonder how I can relay to them lessons I have learned over the years from my own life experiences, without offending or hurting their feelings. So for the time being I simply listen, and in between I insert some tidbits…

Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself. After all you are the doing best that you can under all circumstances.

Strengthen Your Core (Body and mind) : Avoid fad diets and opt for healthy eating instead. Exercise in the simplest fashion possible-walk any way possible, or dance in the middle of your living room to your favorite tunes. Take care of your mental health-whether simply hiding in a corner of the house, with the lights off, meditating to calming music. Or watching a stand-up comedy on television, or simply dabbling in a craft or hobby. Strengthening your core should be the least stressful thing you do.

Find Your Life Rhythm: May seem impossible to achieve, but if you put your mind to it, and organize your days, or weeks, the repeated steps you follow will soon establish the perfect life rhythm.

Don’t forget the white space. is the portion in your day or week that is left unmarked, unplanned, and yet honored even if it means staying in bed most of the day, or perched on a porch chair just staring out into nothingness. For without the few moments of white space, we are unable to foresee a manageable existence…