Suggestions for a happier 2010

T he holiday season is stressful for everyone. For retail workers, the traditional responsibilities of shopping, cooking and planning are sandwiched between the huge crowds they deal with on the job during the busiest time of the year.

During the days around the New Year, take the time to look back on the past 12 months and think about how you can make 2010 happier, healthier and more meaningful. here are five suggestions: 

1. Keep stress under control.     Chances are, if you have stress in your life, you’re doing something right. Jobs, children and money are all things to be thankful for, but they’re of ten also causes of stress. The holidays, in many ways, can exacerbate the stress you feel.

Constant or high levels of stress can lead to a variety of health problems, including heart disease, obesity and depression. Monitor your stress by first recognizing what in your life brings on continued or intense stress. 

basis means smaller payments and less scrambling to make ends meet at the end of the year.

3. Get organized.                         You might find your self surrounded by little scraps of paper, but make lists for yourself. It’s the best way to get organized and make sure you don’t miss important dates or forget to follow through on that great idea you had.

4. Take a class.                            There’s some thing that you’ve always been interested in and wanted to learn more about, but you just haven’t set aside the time. Make this the year you do.

With the number of adult education classes growing every year, chances are good that what you’re looking for is being offered somewhere nearby. Aside from the educational benefits, taking a course will help you meet new people, some of whom may become friends, or could help you in your professional life. 

If time and financial constraints just won’t allow for a night course, buy the biggest, most comprehensive book on your subject and make it a priority to set aside time for the next few months to study.

5. Stay healthy.                   Making sure you watch what you eat is always important, but make an effort this year to exercise more, or challenge your body with new sports or activities. You might be surprised at your un tapped abilities. Just as beneficial to your body as exercise, though, is rest. Take a vacation that’s truly, deeply relaxing, and give yourself mini-vacations through out the year like trips to a spa or a leisurely movie-at-home night instead of going out.

Also, be sure to recognize when you are stressed rather than blocking it out of your mind. If you start to be come overwhelmed, take the next avail able moment to relax and do some thing that makes you happy.

2. Manage your budget.               The holidays may have put a big dent in your savings, but as you look back on your expenditures, take the time to think of better ways to manage your money this year. 

Relying as little as possible on credit cards will help to lessen the shock when opening your monthly bills, and paying larger expenses such as car insurance on a monthly rather than quarterly or yearly

Bill Camp, Executive Secretary of Sacramento’s Central Labor Council, recently presented the organization’s Excellence in Organizing award to UFCW 8. Accepting the award was President Jacques Loveall, who called on everyone from UFCW 8 who attended the event to join him on stage.

In his remarks, President Loveall related UFCW 8’s successful organizing program to the broader theme of “compassion for those who need our help.”

“Working people need a Union to help them achieve  the things some of us take for granted, like good wages, benefits and protection against unfair treatment,” he said.

“The compassion shown for the most vulnerable in our society is the measure of our humanity. “The support given to the working people we represent is overwhelming, humbling and, most of all, reassuring that compassion is alive and well.”

Official publication of UFCW 8-Golden State Jacques Loveall, President