Feelings of sadness and depression are common during the holidays, but not inevitable.

One of the best antidotes for the holiday blues is doing something for someone else.

“Volunteer your time this holiday season to help others who have less than you do,” said Dubin. “Taking the focus off of yourself and putting it on others can really make you feel much better. Not only can you help other people, but doing so will add a lot more meaning to your holiday season.”

Dubin offers these additional tips to help you banish the holiday blues:

Delegate. Don’t try to do it all by yourself. People often want to help and to be involved. By breaking down tasks and doling them out to friends and family, everything becomes more manageable.

Spend Some Time Alone. Some people love the energy and exuberance of big holiday parties and activities. For others, all of it is very taxing. If you find yourself getting a little anxious, take a breather. Find a quiet spot to relax and recharge your batteries. Other people will be so caught up in what is going on that they probably won’t even miss you.

Let Go of the Past. Don’t be disappointed if your holidays aren’t like they used to be. Life brings changes. Embrace the future, and don’t dwell on the fact that the “good old days” are gone.

Don’t Drink Too Much. It is easy to overindulge around the holidays, but excessive drinking will only make you feel more depressed.

Give Yourself a Break. Don’t think in absolute terms. You aren’t the best cook in the world, or the worst. You aren’t super mom, or the most horrible mother in the world.

If despite your best efforts to remain upbeat this holiday season, you find yourself feeling down for a sustained period of time, get help. Don’t try to “tough it out” alone. There are treatment options available to you that could make a significant difference in your outlook.

Here you’ll find healthy recipes, tips on healthy foods and cooking, nutrition and health. It also provides food news, a menu planner, blogs, and videos. Among the topics addressed here are healthy and tasty school lunches, cooking for two, recipes under $3, delicious low-cal dinners, game-day recipes, and healthy makeovers of your favorite splurge foods!  It’s Eatingwell.com.

Thank you so much for your support!

Listen to our Jammie Drive update! Jammie Drive Update

We have had so many people dropping jammies off to support homeless and needy children right here in the Heart of Florida! Thanks also to Quality Plumbing, the Micanopy Chamber of Commerce and Angela Martignago who lives in The Villages of West End! They have all let us know they are doing jammie drives.

Appoint a Jammie Czar in your office, school or neighborhood and help us wrap the most vulnerable citizens in our area in new, warm, soft pajamas. These children have never had something so simple and comforting as a new pair of pajamas. They will go to bed tonight in whatever they have worn today. We need thousands of pairs of new pajamas for children, from infants to 13 years old, which will be distributed in December in time for the coldest nights of the year.

The Storm & Chris Warm & Fuzzy Holiday Jammie Drive will continue until late November and all donations of NEW children’s pajamas can be delivered to our Gainesville studios at 3600 NW 43rd Street, Suite B, Gainesville, FL 32606.

If you would like to tell us about your jammie drive or if you need more information, send us an email!

Organizedhome.com gives you all the tools and tips you need to keep things running smoothly year round, AND to help you prepare for the holidays!

If you’re like most of us, between jobs, kids, extracurricular activities, pets, household chores, mealtimes, homework, etc., sometimes it’s as if we’re just barely hanging on by our teeth.  We can barely stay on top of all of our responsibilities, much less keep everything organized!  And now, of course, here come the holidays.  How many years have we dreamed of getting everything finished early so we can enjoy the season?

We found a web site we love: Organizedhome.com, where you we can find all kinds of practical, useful information about year round organizing, decluttering and maintenance.  PLUS, there’s a whole section devoted to seasonal preparedness with TONS of printable holiday planning tools! They also offer printable planners to start and maintain a household organization binder to keep things running smoothly all year long.

Listen to our Living Well segment from the show today: Get Organized for the Holidays

Thank you so much for your support!

We have had so many people dropping jammies off  to support homeless and needy children right here in the Heart of Florida!  Thanks also to Quality Plumbing, the Micanopy Chamber of Commerce and Angela Martignago who lives in The Villages of West End!  They have all let us know they are doing jammie drives.

Appoint a Jammie Czar in your office, school or neighborhood and help us wrap the most vulnerable citizens in our area in new, warm, soft pajamas.  These children have never had something so simple and comforting as a new pair of pajamas.  They will go to bed tonight in whatever they have worn today.  We need thousands of pairs of new pajamas for children, from infants to 13 years old, which will be distributed in December in time for the coldest nights of the year.

The Storm & Chris Warm & Fuzzy Holiday Jammie Drive will continue until late November and all donations of NEW children’s pajamas can be delivered to our Gainesville studios at 3600 NW 43rd Street, Suite B, Gainesville, FL 32606.

If you would like to tell us about your jammie drive or if you need more information, send us an email!

This morning we were joined by Dr. Cherylle Hayes, a Radiation Oncologist with North Florida Regional Medical Center to discuss breast cancer prevention and detection.

According to Dr. Hayes, you can significantly reduce your risk of developing breast cancer in the following ways:

• Take off excess weight
• Return to foods of yesteryear (unprocessed foods, raw fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole grains)
• Exercise regularly (at least 2-4 hours of walking per week)
• Reduce alcohol consumption
• Perform a breast self exam monthly
• Research your family history
• Reduce stress
• Get plenty of sleep
• Stop smoking

Listen to the entire interview with Dr. Hayes: Dr. Cherylle Hayes Breast Health Awareness

Storm & Chris’s Warm & Fuzzy Holiday Jammie Drive!

Help us help the neediest children in the Heart of Florida!  There are THOUSANDS of children, right here, who are homeless, in foster care or are struggling in poverty with their families.  Tonight, these children will go to bed wearing whatever they wore during the day.  They have never had a new pair of warm pajamas, something so small that most of us probably take for granted.

Please bring donations of NEW pajamas for children, infants to age 13, to our Gainesville studios and we will give them to needy children throughout our area!

Deliver new jammies to:

98.5 WKTK Gainesville Studios
3600 NW 43rd Street, Suite B
Gainesville, FL 32653

Tell your friends and coworkers and appoint a group Jammie Czar!  Then send us an email and tell us about your Jammie Drive!

If you are in the Ocala/Marion County area, you can deliver them to the Early Learning Coalition or call to have them picked up:

3304 SE Lake Weir Avenue, Suite 2
Ocala, FL 34471
PHONE: 352-369-2315

Health Risk Assessors for Breast Cancer

Click here for instructions on how to perform a breast self exam.

A girl born today has about a 12% risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime (about 80 years on average).  As she grows older, the longer she lives without developing breast cancer, the lower her lifetime risk becomes.  For many women, however, the lifetime risk of breast cancer is of less concern than the short term risk. What are the odds over the next 5 years?

Based on the experience of a large group of women followed over a long period of time, researchers have developed a method for predicting the risk of invasive breast cancer (the most serious form) for women, ages 20 to 84, over the next 5 years of their lives. The method first determines risk according to age and race alone. Then it calculates to what extent risk increases based on the following factors:

* Family history of breast cancer

* Age at first menstrual period

* Age at birth to a first child

* Presence or absence of a breast biopsy

* Results of the biopsy

Click here to take a brief risk assessment.

Join the Storm & Chris Warm & Fuzzy Holiday Jammie Drive!

Listeners are calling to share their jammie memories with us! Jammie Memories

5 Ways to Kick-Start a Healthy Day

Start your day off on the right foot by making the most of your morning. Here are five healthy habits you can easily fit in between the alarm clock ringing and walking into the office. These simple actions can help set you up for a great day.