For years, mothers have referred to the period of time between 4 and 7 p.m. as the hardest part of the day.  The reason?  That’s the time when children begin getting antsy, waiting for dinner to arrive.  Because they’re hungry, their nerves tend to be on edge, resulting in more fussiness.  It creates more work for the mother, as she must figure out a way to entertain the brood, while cooking dinner at the same time.

         Even if you don’t have children, meal time can be major stress time.  Your mate might become irritable while awaiting dinner, and you might be grumpy as well.  Hunger can be a powerful motivator, but it can also be the cause of major stress.  Sometimes, you might find it difficult to concentrate as your stomach is growling. 

        While cooking can be relaxing for some, it is a stressful enterprise for others.  There’s the pressure involved in making the recipe turn out right, each time.   If dinner proves disastrous, your entire night can be ruined.  It can be difficult to recover, once you’ve failed at preparing your evening meal.

        Although there might always be some stress associated with cooking dinner, it doesn’t have to be an overwhelmingly stressful event.  There are techniques you can use in order to better manage your stress, making dinnertime a pleasant event for the entire family.  If you put these techniques into practice, chances are your mealtime preparations will proceed much more smoothly.

        To begin with, you need to make sure that you have a relaxing atmosphere to work in.  This can mean turning on the radio or putting on your favorite CD.  Having music in the background—particularly soothing music—can make it easier for you to do your work in the kitchen.  If you have little ones, consider tiding them over with a healthy snack.  Also, you can occupy their time with a special video or game.  Another technique is to encourage them to join in the preparations.  They might be able to stir the soup or set the table.  Getting them involved in the action can help to alleviate their boredom, and can provide you with some extra set of hands besides!

         You might also consider making a few major meals on the weekend, when your time is more plentiful, and freezing them for use during the week.  A good stew or casserole might last you for most of the week, decreasing your mealtime stress considerably. 

          Some families have joined together in an effort to battle meal-time stress.  They’ve formed cooking clubs, enabling them to share the burden of preparing meals.  For instance, one family might be responsible for meals for a group of families during a given week.  The next week, it’s another family’s turn.  If you’re not used to preparing food for a large amount of people, this sort of system might not work.  However, if you like the idea of sharing the responsibility for meals—and the camaraderie that might result—such a cooking club may be the perfect fit for you.

           In some cases, you might have to lower your personal expectations in order to reduce your meal-time stress.  For instance, you might have to forget about cooking the nightly meal from scratch, and use prepared mixes from the grocery store instead.  Such convenience foods can save you a great deal of time and stress.  You can even enhance convenience foods by adding some of your own ingredients.

         Also, don’t be embarrassed about ordering take-out or having a pizza delivered every once in a while.  By having someone else do the cooking, you can reduce your stress level immeasurably.  While you might not be able to afford to make takeout a habit, having it every once in a while will probably not break your budget—and will help to maintain your sanity at meal time.

          At times, meal-time stress might be unavoidable.  However, with a little bit of planning, you can reduce the pressures you feel at dinner time.  If you’re finding the stress overwhelming, be sure to confide in a family member.  He or she might have other coping strategies to recommend to you.  Also, having a cup of your favorite beverage—such as tea or cocoa—right before meal time can help to relax you, enabling you to better manage the stress.  Try to make yourself comfortable, so that you can truly enjoy the dinner that results. 

Taking in too much caffeine has been found to cause migraines.   On the other hand taking in just enough caffeine has been found to successfully prevent migraines.  What’s the deal?

Caffeine withdrawal is the primary cause of caffeine-related migraines.  Therefore, using caffeine as a preventative method in migraine relief can be done in two ways.  The first is the easiest, and paradoxically also the most difficult.   Simply limit your ingestion of caffeine to zero.  No caffeine, no caffeine withdrawal.  Get it?  The second method involves a little work, but it does work.  All that is required is to take in enough caffeine over intervals that occur close enough together to ensure that you don’t go into withdrawal.  Both methods have their advantages and their disadvantages, both require certain sacrifices, but more importantly both work to keep caffeine withdrawal at bay which keeps migraines at bay. 

You would think that complete abstinence from caffeine would thoroughly rid yourself of migraine headaches.  And yet this is not always the case.  In theory, it works just fine, but as a relief program it suffers the same fate as sexual abstinence: Not everybody is capable of sticking with the program; the urges are just too strong to deny.   Another problem is that the all too easy intake of caffeine without realizing you are doing it.    Complete and total caffeine abstinence requires educating yourself on all available sources of caffeine.  It’s not nearly enough just to give up coffee and Mountain Dew.  In order to successfully avoid caffeine you have to be aware of all the sources of caffeine.  If you are going to take the route of giving up caffeine altogether, for instance, you’ll have to be prepared to give up or use alternative non-caffeinated versions of: tea, chocolate, liqueur, pudding, pain-relief medications, energy drinks, diet pills, stay-away pills.

So perhaps, then, the route of maintaining caffeine intake appeals to you.  The advantage here is that you don’t have to print out a twenty-page list of all the products in the world that contains caffeine.  You just merely need exert control over when you take in caffeine and how much you ingest.  Once you establish that control, however, you can practically kiss your migraine goodbye.  

This method involves the process of making sure you receive doses of caffeine  It works best if you set out a pattern whereby you can intake the caffeine at regular intervals.  Now don’t get all excited about stopping by Starbucks throughout the day or going to the coffeemaker.  Coffee and tea rely on caffeine infusion methods and therefore aren’t the best method of ingestion in this particular method.  Because of the diffusion, your caffeine amount varies significantly from cup to cup.   Ideally, you should purchase either caffeine tablets or soda.  Using these gives you much more precision over controlling the amount of caffeine you are actually taking in.

You can find caffeine tablets that contain 100 mg or 200 mg per dose.   Save yourself a little money by purchasing generic rather than brand name tablets.   As for soda, the amount of caffeine varies somewhat with Mountain Dew on the high end, though if you want to take the trouble to search them out you can also find higher-dosage soft drinks specifically designed to you a jolt.  For instance, Jolt Cola! 

The following caffeine amounts are found in 12oz servings of these soft drinks:

Mountain Dew: 55 mg of caffeine.

Coca-Cola: 34 mg of caffeine

Diet Coke: 45 mg of caffeine

Pepsi Cola: 38 mg of caffeine

Once you have decided how you are going to go about ingesting the caffeine, the next thing to do is make sure you keep a detailed journal of your dosing.  Keep an accurate record of the date and time you take the dose, the amount of the dose, how you ingested the dose (tablet, soft drink, medication, etc.), the time of dose and the amount of dose, etc. Also note any headaches you get and be sure to include such information as date, duration of headache, severity, etc. If you don’t see a change immediately, try altering it a little by either changing the times you ingest the caffeine or the amount.  And make sure you keep to the regimen once you’ve found one that words.

Perhaps it shows through your fidgeting, your nail-biting, or your sleepless nights. You feel as if you are under a great deal of stress, and you are searching for relief. While there are many stress reduction strategies you could use, perhaps one of the best is one of the easiest: cooking.

Cooking is an art as well as a science. It takes a great deal of patience and persistence to become an excellent cook, and some of your experiments will inevitably end up in the wastebasket or down the garbage disposal. Yet, there is something incredibly relaxing about sautéing onions, grilling chicken, or barbecuing pork. You can become mesmerized by the scent of your culinary sensations. The process of stirring, chopping, or slicing can be highly therapeutic. You can feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of a good meal which can further reduce your stress level.

If you plan to take up cooking as a serious hobby, it is best if you begin by purchasing a good cookbook. There are even cookbooks that promise you stress-free entertaining. Selecting the cookbook can be a relaxing experience in and of itself. Usually, cookbooks are loaded with interesting, eye-catching pictures. You can also pore over delicious recipes, imagining how to prepare them in your kitchen.

Next, you might want to invest in some sensible cooking supplies. This will help to alleviate your stress when the time to cook arrives. Make sure that you have aprons, a grater, a good set of knives, a colander, an array of sauce pans and skillets, and a collection of interesting plates to set your creations on. The better prepared you are, the less stress you will experience in the kitchen.

Then, it’s time to head to the grocery store. It’s best if you have prepared a list in advance based upon the recipes you hope to make. This will save you time, stress, and possibly money at the supermarket. Make sure that you schedule enough time to go through the grocery store—you don’t want to be rushed. In addition to the items needed for your recipes, it’s a good idea to pick up some staples. For instance, you should always have flour, sugar, milk, eggs, and a collection of spices on hand.

In order to minimize your stress level, it’s best if you can start by preparing meals for yourself or for close family members. After you become proficient, you might want to graduate to dinner parties, but don’t expect to produce a seven-course meal during your first few attempts at gourmet cooking. Select menu items that appeal to you; chances are they will appeal to your family as well.

Another possible stress-reducer is a cooking class. Such classes are often offered at local community centers, YWCAs, or community colleges. Don’t take the course for credit—take it for fun. The idea is to have a relaxing time by the stove. You’ll enjoy camaraderie with other students and you might even socialize with them after class. Taking a course can expand your horizons, helping you to become a well-rounded person.

It is true that cooking can be stressful. After all, if you have five children to feed, you’re low on food, and you have a baby who’s crying, meal time can be stress time. However, if you permit yourself plenty of time to cook, you choose recipes that you enjoy, and you look at it as a hobby rather than drudgery, cooking can be quite relaxing and can actually help lower your blood pressure.

One thing you’ll want to watch when cooking is portion control. If you make too much pasta, you might be tempted to overeat, causing health problems on down the road. Also, it can be important to cook meals that are heart-healthy and that are not loaded with sugar and calories. Otherwise, you could face the stress of battling a weight problem. However, if you make sure that you cook plenty of vegetable dishes, you limit the number of desserts you prepare, and you keep close track of your carbohydrate intake, cooking can be a pleasant, stress-reducing experience. The more practiced you become at gourmet cooking, the more you will look forward to it, and the less stressed you will feel.

According to the American Council for Headache Education (ACHE), school nurses treat an average of at least ten students a month for headache complaints.  Many of these turn to be migraine headaches.  If you thought migraine was just an adult disease, consider the following statistics.

Recurring headaches occur in 38% to 83% of children 7 to15 year of age

Recurring headaches occur in 1% to 37% of children 3 to 6 years of age

Migraine headaches occur in approximately 1.2% to 11% of children.

Headaches in children is a far more serious problem that most people realize.  The truth is that most kids under eighteen have headaches several times a year, typically either tension headaches or migraines, though children certain cannot be considered immune to cluster headaches.   The frequency of migraines rises among females once they enter puberty; far more teenaged girls experience migraines than teenaged boys.  This disparity is usually linked to estrogen changes the begin with the onset of menstruation.

There are several warning signs that indicate that migraines may be a problem.   A child need not be complaining of more than a few of these in order to be concerned about the possibility that he is suffering from migraines.   Just one or two may be enough to warrant further investigation.  School is certainly an environment that is conducive to several of these symptoms and so even if a student does complain of two or three of these that also doesn’t necessarily mean that migraines are the cause. 

Be aware not only of a student complaining about things, but also the consistency and the context.  For instance, if  student exhibits signs of nausea and must leave the room suddenly to vomit, it could be a sign of a migraine, or it could just be a math test next period.   A student suffering from migraine often exhibits personality changes.  This may be unusual in elementary school, but once a student makes it to the upper levels of education, you can pretty much guarantee personality changes.   Be especially attuned to statements by the student indicating that the severity of the current headache is the worst he’s ever experienced.  This is definitely something be concerned about.   If the student is running a fever of complains about a stiff neck, a migraine could very possibly be the root the cause.

It’s very important for teachers to take an active role in identifying students who may be suffering from migraines.  Headaches, especially migraines, can seriously undermine the entire school experience.   In addition to affecting the student’s academic performance, headaches may also curtail the student’s desire and ability take part in activities and extracurricular fun.  Headaches may even be a sign of more serious trouble, from depression to a tumor.   Teachers also present a secondary authority source that may be less threatening to the student that family members; she may be more comfortable confiding about a history of headaches in you than in her parents.

Finally, there are some things a teacher can do to help students who suffer from headaches.  They won’t necessarily relieve the pain and they certainly won’t solve the problem, but they could help and they certainly won’t hurt.

Children and teens should drink at least 4 to 8 glasses of fluid a day so if your school policy allows permits, allow students to bring water bottles to your class.

It is recommended that children get 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night so why not help them achieve that by giving them a little extra time to get their homework done before going home, offer extra encouragement for them to get sleep.

Certain foods such processed meats, cheeses, caffeine, chocolate can trigger a migraine so if you notice your student who is suffering from headaches is constantly ingesting some or all of these, advise him to abstain.  

Stress and uncertain schedules often trigger migraines, so if you notice the student is taking on too much, arrange a conference with his parents to discuss the possibility that rearranging his schedule may contribute to lessening his headaches.

Believe the child when he complains of headaches and send him to the clinic.

Self-confidence is something that all of us need if we have to do well in life. It gives us the courage to face the most difficult of situations, something which cannot be said of people who lack self-confidence. They often break down in front of challenges.

The question, however, is how do you achieve self-confidence? You can do so if you define your tasks, and priorities, correctly. You then need to ask yourself as to how you can accomplish these tasks. A good strategy is to break your goals into smaller tasks. This makes the main task seem less daunting. You then need to pat yourself every time you reach a milestone. This increases your self-confidence, and makes it easy for you to achieve your goals.

You also need to look at the image that you have of yourself. If you don’t have a good image of yourself, and are always running yourself down, then your chances of being successful are minimal. Your self image or what you believe about yourself can be hurt easily if you blame yourself for any setback in your life like a business failure, loss of a job or a divorce. So, avoid self-flagellation. It feeds on your negative thoughts, and can easily become a monster. You need to write off your failures, and plan for new challenges. This is a positive approach to adopt, and can shore up your shaky self-confidence.

Those who are close to you play an important role in shaping your self-confidence. If they happen to critical or negative, they will have a negative impact on your self-confidence. Your priority should be to distance yourself from such people, and find friends and supporters who are imbued with a positive outlook. Without your knowing, they will add to your self-confidence.

Another issue that matters is your reaction to the events in your life. You should consider yourself a unique person who has his own special place in the world. This will lead to a development of positive attitudes, beliefs and values, qualities that can give you the self-confidence to succeed against all odds. However, there is an inherent danger in such a world-view. You may become too over-confident, and stop listening to what the others say. Don’t allow this to happen. Listen to all criticism, filter out the points that can make you a better individual; junk the rest. This constant course correction will make you a better individual.

At the same time, you need to monitor your internal dialogue. You must talk yourself into believing that you can take up any reasonable assignment. This will drive away negative attitudes and beliefs, and add to your self-confidence..

In fact, the picture you have of yourself needs constant monitoring and care. You cannot afford to let it take care of itself. Your self-confidence, happiness and success depends on it. You need to guard against selling yourself short. Don’t underestimate yourself and prevent feelings of inferiority from creeping in. Aim high and feel that you are capable of achieving anything you choose. Write down how you would like to see yourself five or ten years from now.

Make a list of your strong points, the things you do well and the compliments you receive. Write down a few of the things about yourself, which you think need improvement. Think of yourself as a self-confident person and act as if you are very self-confident, even if you don’t feel that way. Try to keep negative attitudes and beliefs away from yourself and maintain a safe distance from negative and destructive people.

If you take responsibility for your life and practice these methods regularly, your self-confidence will rise. What’s more, it will remain high.