Tips for Reducing Stress

Let's be honest, we all get stressed out at least occasionally. Work, children, finances, etc. all add up to create stress. But is it all really necessary? Here are some tips to help you relieve stress in your life:

• Accept that there are events you can't control
• Keep a positive attitude. Instead of looking at the negatives (I'll never finish this paperwork!), keep a positive outlook (I'm doing my best, I will do as much as I can.)
• If you feel stressed, take a walk or do something else to get your mind off of it.
• Manage your time wisely, leave yourself a few extra minutes between tasks
• Do things that you like to do, like gardening or reading
• Take a few minutes each day to just sit quietly and reflect
• Exercise regularly
• Avoid alcohol, and don't smoke (or try to quit)
• Eat healthy, balanced meals
• Get enough rest and sleep
• Seek out social support

Reducing Stress Tips

Dangers of Secondhand Smoke

Do you ever wonder what secondhand smoke is and what it means for your health? Here are some key points to remember about secondhand smoke:

• Secondhand smoke (also called environmental tobacco smoke, involuntary smoke, and passive smoke) is the smoke given off by a burning tobacco product and the smoke exhaled by a smoker.
• At least 69 chemicals in secondhand smoke are known to cause cancer.
• Secondhand smoke causes lung cancer in nonsmokers.
• Secondhand smoke has also been associated with heart disease in adults and sudden infant death syndrome, ear infections, and asthma attacks in children.
• There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

To read further information about secondhand smoke, please visit http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/ETS. 

Disposing of Fireworks

According to the National Council on Fireworks Safety, proper disposal of fireworks is important for safety and environmental reasons; it includes the following steps:

• Soak used fireworks in water for 15 to 20 minutes after use.
• Do not place used fireworks in your recycling bin. Fireworks often contain chemicals capable of contaminating any recyclable goods in your bin.
• Dispose of all fireworks, wrappers, used matches, etc. Failure to do so could lead to contaminated water runoff.
• All fireworks and related materials should be thrown out in your trash can.
• Never attempt to re-light a "dud" firework. Instead, wait 15 to 20 minutes before touching it and then soak it in a bucket of water. Unused fireworks should not be placed in water.
• It would be best to keep all used fireworks in a closed fireproof container before disposal.