1. Happy New Year 2002 by Petrene Soames

After the last champagne cork pops, you've taken off the glitz and the feathers. There you are with the reality of a New Year. It's January 2002. How is it going to be for the world? Will there be peace? How will it be for you? What are your hopes, aspirations, dreams and passions? How can you make it the best year ever?

Whether you are American, European, Chinese, Arab, Indian or from any other nation, New Year comes and go. We may celebrate the day on different calendar dates, but the New Year is just a little bit special for all of us. Just how can we have a great 2002, free ourselves up, have a healthier, happier year, achieve our goals and let go of everything that stands in our way? Follow these ten top tips for a Happy New Year and make 2002 your best year yet.

1. Realize that nothing is ever only as it seems. We all do have choices. The future is not fixed or carved in stone. Take time to re-define how you see yourself and others.
2. Positive thinking and expectation goes a long way towards what we experience and what we create. Thoughts are real; so develop the awareness of observing yours and notice how they work.
3. Promise yourself to get more in touch with you. Understand when it's time to do and when it's time to be; then a lot more will get done and goals will become easier to achieve. Make plans but leave room for the amazing and unexpected to happen.
4. Make time for love. Become an expert at loving, caring and nurturing yourself. When you do this, others will love you more easily and you them. Remember to love and accept yourself completely without condition.
5. Don't be a stranger; get to know people around you and those who pass in and out of your life. They each have their story. As we take time to know different people, we know and understand more of "ourselves".
6. Clear out your house and your life. Throw away, give away or sell everything you no longer need; anything that's broken or has passed its time of usefulness, even if it's a little painful to do so. As you let go, you make space for the new and draw more easily to you everything that you need in the present moment.
7. Get used to feeling good. Whenever you have a great moment or feeling, breathe it deeply call through your body. Fill yourself up with that feeling. You will find yourself having more good and great moments, and not living with the fear that they may be taken away or may not last. This is the first great step to experiencing a life and reality with "no more pain."
8. As you look back at last year and make plans and goals for this year, make a point of patting yourself on the back and giving yourself credit for all the good that you did do, even the very small things up until now. By praising yourself rather than scolding yourself for what you have done and where you are now, you will make it more possible and easier to achieve all that you desire from 2002.
9. Let yourself feel and let yourself care. Allow yourself to go with your heart and do the right thing even when it seems to make no sense, for inside of us all, we have a part that knows exactly what we are doing and what to do in all moments. Remember there are no mistakes
10. Work through your pains and fears. Know that you are amazing, that you are - besides everything else - a free and powerful being. Let go often to stay in great shape and great balance, a key to having the best year yet.

Petrene Soames is the author of The Essence of Self-Healing: How to bring health and happiness into your life (FleetStreet Publications - March 2001). She is a leading authority in healing and self-awareness, an inspirational speaker, a veteran television and radio guest featured in national and international press. She has worked successfully over the past 22 years as a consultant and therapist, helping others achieve their highest potential. Browse through her site or call (281) 363-9983.

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2. Top Ten Tips to beat the winter blues by Petrene Soames

Yes, winter is here again. But we don't have to feel "SAD". This year, know the facts and then make positive changes to beat the winter blues.

Winter means shorter days, colder weather and for many people SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). This condition affects up to 6 percent of American adults and as many as 5 percent of children between 9 and 19 years old. At least another 10 to 20 percent of Americans are estimated to suffer from milder symptoms related to the changing seasons. Women, it appears, outnumber men four to one. SAD has been recognized and written about in medical reports and journals since 1845. So those winter blues are not just in our imagination. They are a very real condition.

Research shows that the lack of light exposure in the winter or an imbalance in the amount of melatonin produced by the pineal gland are believed to be the cause of SAD. A common treatment for SAD is light therapy, a way to replace the sun and make the body think it's spring all year round. Light therapy may be an answer for some chronic sufferers. In fact the majority of SAD patients report positive benefits after sitting with open eyes quietly in front of 2,500- to 10,000-lux light boxes.

Of course not all of us suffer chronically with SAD, but we are often prone to overeat in the winter and to feel seasonal related lows. Our bodies seem to crave carbohydrates, sweet, sugary and starchy foods. Could it be that we are comfort eating to feel good and compensate for light and sun or do we just need more calories to keep our bodies warm? Although we are drawn to carbohydrates and even fattier foods in the winter, we can always choose hot tasty and satisfying foods like wholesome soups and include plenty of fresh fruit and veggies in our diet, which will give that feeling of bulk and supply essential nutrients. If fresh fruit and vegetables are difficult to find in your area in the winter months, nutritionists report that frozen ones are the next best choice. When winter arrives, there is a part of us that longs to hibernate during the long cold months, just go to bed, snuggle down in the covers and not wake up until spring. But life goes on and few of us are in the position to hibernate! It does make sense though to go with the flow and let our bodies have the extra sleep that they crave. And with adequate sleep, there is less chance of overeating and more chance of feeling better within ourselves.

Even if we are not at our best during the winter, there is a lot we can do to stay creative, fresh, alive and happy. Just follow these simple tips and beat the winter blues:

1. Wear layers of clothes rather than heavy pieces to avoid feeling weighed down.
2. Make the most of the season: wrap up and go for a brisk invigorating walk or try a winter sport. Adapt exercise routines to winter conditions. Keep moving. Don't forget to keep your head covered when it's really cold. You can lose anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of body heat otherwise.
3. Learn something new. Start a hobby. Developing an interest in something new will make you feel productive rather than lethargic. Try to stay sociable and interact with family and friends.
4. Wear bright colors, even if everyone is wearing dark earthy tones. Color is guaranteed to give you a real lift. You might be surprised at how many of your friends and family will admire you for bringing color into your life and wardrobe.
5. You can also bring color into where you live. Paint a room with bright cheerful colors. Bring flowers into your home, fresh when possible, dried or artificial ones when it's not. Surround yourself with beauty.
6. Try this simple exercise: Take a few minutes and ask yourself: "Which color do I need?" Then, imagine you are bathing and floating in that color. Remember that it's not necessary to see the color in vivid details in your mind; just the basic outline and feeling, even using the name of it is enough. When ready, breathe the color deeply all through your body. This short exercise is guaranteed to make you feel great.
7. If the sun is not shinning where you are, visualize in your mind a beautiful sunny scene. Again, just the basic outline, feeling, or even thought is enough. Feel the warmth of a sunny day and breathe deeply those good feelings all through your body until you feel full, with good positive feelings.
8. Feed yourself a diet of positive news (avoid watching or reading horror, disasters, violence, crime, etc). Invite and allow love into your life. If you are alone, keep working on loving you and the rest will follow.
9. Use positive affirmations to lift your mood and keep you balanced and centered. Repeat firmly twice a day any of the following:
   • My body heals, clears and balances itself
   • I am a free and powerful being
   • I love myself completely without condition
10. Say no to colds, flu and other winter illnesses. You don't have to be sick because of the season or others around you. Focus on positive words and positive thoughts. Love and nurture yourself. Make time for you and decide to feel great this winter.

Go to our Workshop Section for more information on upcoming workshops or to subscribe to our Workshop Mailing List and receive a notification by email when workshops are offered in your area (City, State).

Listen to Petrene Soames on the Radio

If you are in the Somerset, MA area, Listen to Petrene on WSAR every Friday at 11:00 AM your time for a one-hour phone-in show. Also check the extract of the Joan Rivers interview of Petrene Soames in our events section.

3. Vegan Recipe: Chocolate Brownie from Cielle

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 300g firm silken tofu ( 10.5 ounces )
• 1/4 cup sucanat or fructose
• 1 tsp vanilla

Sift the flour, cocoa, and baking soda, salt, cinnamon together in a large mixing bowl. Puree the tofu in a food processor until completely smooth then blend in the sucanat and vanilla. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Add the tofu mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just enough to mix. Spread into a non-stick or oil sprayed 9 by 9-inch pan and bake 20-25 minutes. The brownies should spring back when pressed lightly in the center. Remove from the oven and allow cooling in the pan 10 minutes.

Tell Cielle how much you like her brownies. I'll forward your message.

Interesting web sites about vegetarianism:

• http://www.peta-online.org/ [People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals]
• http://www.vegweb.com/ [Veggies Unite! - Lots of free recipes]
• http://petrene.com/articles/vegetarian.htm "To be or not to be a vegetarian" by Petrene Soames.

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