Unless your garden spot is covered with at least a thin layer of topsoil containing humus, it is worth postponing your plantings for a year and devoting your time to making compost and creating soil with it. But once you have soil, and the season for planting approaches, you should have two things ready: the seed and a complete plan of where you expect to plant it.

It pays to get good seed. Get, catalog’s, from reputable nurseries and choose the items you want. Whenever you can, choose varieties recommended for home use, not for commercial use. Most of the best-flavored varieties do not ship well. If you think you dont like” certain vegetables, it may be that you have never tasted them fresh. Some vegetables deteriorate with alarming rapidity, once they are picked. So try planting a few vegetables you think you dont like.

Now make a diagram of your future garden. Vegetables are normally planted in straight rows. If your garden slopes be sure the rows do not follow the direction of the slope. If they do, hard rains will wash away your valuable topsoil. Also, if it slopes south, plant your tall things, like corn and pole-beans along the northern edge of the garden. where they will not cut off valuable sunlight from the little fellows, such as lettuce or carrots.

How wide apart should your rows be? Some vegetables like tomato require more space than others, either because they shade more ground or leave less room for the gardener when he cultivates between rows, or have bigger appetites and should not be forced to compete for food in nearby soil with other vegetables planted too close to them.

How much of each vegetable should you plant? That depends, of course, on how much you want to produce. That obviously depends on the size of your household, on its members tastes, and even on their tuckaway! And if you want to can or freeze a part of your produce you need heavier plantings. If you have plenty of space, err on the heavy side with one proviso: dont use up all your available space in first plantings or have a container garden. Some vegetables can be planted every two weeks in early summer, so long as the last planting has time to “make” before frost.

When planting time draws near, you have a decision to make. You can wait for a date that local gardeners consider safe from frost, remembering that some vegetables are hardier than others. Or you can gamble and plant a week or ten days ahead of safety: you may get away with it and enjoy eating fresh vegetables earlier. You will not have lost much in either seed or labor. You can also spend a little extra and buy plants that have already been started by a local nursery, instead of planting seed. Or you can start them yourself by building simple hotbeds and coldframes.

You cannot plant if your garden is too wet. The soil should be moist and crumbly, not muddy, when you put your seed to bed. When the plants come up, do your “thinning” promptly. In the case of some plants, such as lettuce, you can do this by stages. If your directions call for six-inch spacing, leave a plant every two or three inches. Then, when the plants you have left begin to crowd each other, you can eat every other immature lettuce and still reach your six inch goal. The same goes for baby beets and carrots. The flavor and food value of immature vegetables amply repay the extra trouble of picking and preparing smaller units.

Chestnut Tree

Local business man sampled his first Chinese chestnut at a produce dealers booth. He purchased 5 pounds and said, “I am buying these for my father. He never got over the loss of the native chestnut and these are the first Ive found with the oldtime flavor.”

This incident probably better illustrates the nostalgia of an old man rather than the worth of the Chinese chestnut but it does give an appraisal of its flavor by one who knows.

The destruction of the American chestnut, Castanea dentata, by an oriental chestnut bark disease is an old story that need not be repeated here for this article deals with two species which can be grown in this country in spite of the blight.

These two exotic species which are now also being crossed with the native chestnut to develop new varieties are the Chinese Castanea mollissima and the Japanese Castanea crenata. Both have a high degree of resistance to the blight having been exposed to it for unknown centuries in their native lands.

My own personal experience with these began about 1928 when I secured a small quantity of seed from the government planting at Glen Dale, Maryland. My efforts have been in the direction of nut production rather than timber as this seemed to offer more promise of immediate reward.

Practically the first thing I learned about chestnuts was that the species cross-pollenize and hybridize about as readily as pop corn with field corn. The offspring of that seed were an interesting lot of hybrids.

One bore nuts the third year; another, very vigorous, never bore more than a few nuts and those only after many years; a vigorous, upright tree ripened large, glossy nuts in August; a small, shrubby specimen insisted on blooming from June to frost, setting abundant clusters of burs that produced very small nuts. This was probably a hybrid of the Chinese chinkapin, C. seguini. Thus, I learned the importance of planting pure strains.

Both the Chinese and Japanese chestnuts are trees of moderate growth and size but more spreading than the American species. Neither is as winter-hardy as the American. Both will grow wherever peaches are hardy.

Neither is particular as to soil as long as it is reasonably fertile and well drained. As a safeguard against late spring frosts, air drainage is important but on the whole, the climate, soil, site and culture suitable for peaches suits the oriental chestnuts fine.

With me, the Japanese has been more precocious and prolific and has generally produced larger nuts. Select strains developed in Japan have nuts more than 2 inches across”the largest known. In contrast to the select strains, seed of a shrubby wild chestnut I imported from Japan produced very small nuts with some plants maturing nuts when only knee high and 18 months old. The Chinese, however, has proven to be the more vigorous and blight resistant of the two and to have higher quality nuts.

At the present time, the Chinese species is considered to be the more desirable for both home and commercial plantings. In the South the trees grow more rapidly and are larger than in the North and so should be planted spaced not less than 40 feet apart.

Seedling trees vary widely in precocity, productiveness and size and quality of nuts. Under favorable conditions of culture, seedlings of good parentage have been known to produce an average of 40 pounds of nuts per tree at ten years from setting. Select trees, in some cases, have produced more than twice that amount.

Out of the thousands of seedling trees distributed by the Department of Agriculture and set out in small plantings throughout the eastern part of the United States, some selections have been made and a few have been given variety names and are being propagated by grafting and budding.

Among the named varieties selected from government plots are Meiling, Kuling and Nanking. Those selected from private plantings are Abundance, Hemming and Hobson. These may be expected to be superior to average seedlings in productiveness, early bearing and size and quality of nuts.

Under good conditions Chinese chestnuts are very regular bearers. Hobson, a medium sized nut of good quality, usually bears for me the second year after grafting if left undisturbed in the nursery row. A tree on my home grounds, top-worked in 1932 to the Hobson variety, has borne 16 consecutive crops. A nearby tree of the same age, of the Carr variety, however, has failed twice during the same period due to late spring frosts.

A tree usually ripens its crop in about one week but individual differences in trees extend the harvesting period over a month or more. In Georgia, harvest begins in August. In the north, it may extend to October.

Ripe nuts generally fall free from the spiny burs. Those of the Chinese species average somewhat larger than those of the American but not as large as the European and Japanese. Color varies from a bright mahogany red to a dull gray or brown.

With all the chestnuts the kernel is covered with a skin or pellicle which carries a bitter and indigestible substance known as tannin. In the American and Japanese chestnut this pellicle adheres closely to the kernel and is very difficult to remove.

In the best selection of the Chinese, however, the pellicle separates freely from the kernel leaving it clean, bright and free from bitterness. This characteristic, coupled with the sweetness and texture equal to the American species, makes the Chinese the best of all chestnuts for culinary purposes.

Today prospective chestnut planters have little to fear from blight. Ten years ago, I had a Hobson, Carr and a number of seedling trees tested for blight resistance by having cultures of Endothia parasitica, prepared by the U. S. Division of Forest Pathology, injected beneath the bark. No infection resulted except in a few seedlings. Most of those infected recovered”only one or two died.

The other great pest of theAmerican chestnut was the weevil that infested the nuts soon after they ripened. Where present, this weevil also attacks the Chinese species. Almost perfect control of this pest has been achieved, however, by thorough spraying of bearing trees. Spraying should begin six weeks before the ripening of the earliest nuts and be continued at two week intervals until harvest.

The only hazard commercial growers have to face is competition offered by the European species. But since in the East, the home grown crops can be placed on the market a month ahead of the European whether grown abroad or on the Pacific coast, there is little to fear from such competition.

This is attested to by the fact that local dealers eagerly took my crop at the wholesale price of 35 cents a pound. Later, in November, European chestnuts were being offered on the local market at 20 cents a pound retail!

Moreover, the chestnut blight has invaded Italy and threatens all of Europe. Castanea sativa, the European species, is fully as susceptible to the blight as was the American. Whatever the outcome, it would seem as if importation of European chestnuts faces curtailment in the coming years.

As an orchard crop the Chinese chestnut undoubtedly has a future in this country though it must be admitted that it is still in the Johnny Appleseed stage. Some commercial plantings have been made in Georgia and a few as far north as Erie, Pennsylvania, where the lake somewhat tempers the winter climate.

Many general nurseries are now offering seedling trees like flowering fruit trees although named varieties of grafted trees are, as yet, available only in limited quantities from nurseries specializing in nut trees.

As more are made available, the home owner will get them. Wherever the peach survives the winter, he can enjoy his own fruitful “spreading chestnut tree” within a few years from planting. He will probably have two or more for chestnuts are self-sterile and more than one seedling is needed for cross pollination.

With plenty of room and left to itself, the Chinese chestnut assumes something of the size and form of a large apple tree and is as inviting to children to climb in. It makes a pleasing shade tree that is very decorative on the home grounds. It is lovely in late spring when the feathery tassels of blossoms appear, beautiful all summer and interesting in fall when loaded with burs.

There are observed differences in the field between two pH meters’ readings. This can get many growers confused with the true value of the pH of the medium on which their plants grow. This article will answer the confusion.

The acidity or alkalinity of the soil or solution, which is very important with growing plants, is measured with a pH meter. pH, or the power of Hydrogen, is the concentration of H+ ions for acidic solutions and OH- ions for basic solutions. The pH is a critical factor in the plant’s growth as it is directly related to the availability of the nutrients.

Some growers noticed that their pH readings usually fluctuate when tested with two different meters in the same nutrient solution. There are several possibilities that can be attributed for this fluctuation.

One of the possible reasons is that the two pH meters use different brands of batteries. One set of batteries used in one pH meter might be older than the other battery used in the other meter. Though the batteries supply the same voltage, the power from older batteries is normally weaker than the newer one. Moreover, even a slight corrosion on batteries can also cause differences in pH readings.

Unseen dirt on probes can also affect the pH reading’s accuracy. Therefore, probes need to be cleaned regularly to prevent the accumulation of dirt and salt crystals.

Growers need as well to understand that pH meters have a limitation in the accurate measurement of the pH value. Hobby meters, which are usually used by growers, might display a slightly different reading from the laboratory bench meters.

Hobby meters can cost up to $250 but they are cheaper versions in contrast to the laboratory pH meters. Laboratory pH meters are priced around $1000. Nevertheless, if the difference is just 0.3 or less, this difference is not that significant to generalize that the pH meter reading from the hobby meters is inaccurate. Thus, growers need not to worry about their pH readings from hobby meters. After all, who would spend a thousand dollars for a typical hydroponic garden?

There are numerous ways to learn Forex trading. Your best bet to learn the basics of the Forex market is to find a reputable Forex broker. Of course you can still get solid Forex education from other sources. You can study online or just read important materials about Forex. Here are some of the simplest steps you can do to learn Forex and master the art of trading at the currency market.

There are many software and programs in the market affirming they’re the best but only to find out that some contains one and the same insignificant information. To thwart this scenario, the best thing to do is to look for a system that is proven and tested by many. Although the success of one trader with a particular program will not always be equal to other traders, still, it makes sense to try a system with known favorable results.

Forex trading is a lot like gambling. If you can keep track of the cards that have already been played, you are more informed, statistically, regarding what is likely to be dealt next, meaning you can place a bet with greater insight than someone who has no clue what has already been played. With the forex market, if you have information as to what has already occurred over the past few days, months, or even years, you are again placed in a better position to more logically conclude what will happen next. You simply learn the pattern and follow it to the end, reaping the financial rewards.

With a lot of traders gradually becoming aware of these forex bots, many of them have attested to the marketing advantage of these forex indicators. One of the trademarks of these forex autopilots is that it facilitates the monitoring of forex market even if a trader is inactive. This calls for an incessant 24/7 monitoring with forex signals coming in real time as a means of updating a trader of the next best thing to employ.

However, to learn forex and succeed in the process does not always call for things done mechanically – something done without human intervention. Technologically speaking, trading robotically is a good thing, for this creates convenience among traders. However, too much dependence on automated systems oftentimes offers unfavorable upshots. In this manner, a trader should create other means and avenues to further his learning through online trading programs and not completely rely on bots alone.

If your broker does not supply you with these charts, then you should easily be able to draw them yourself with the modern day charting software or trading platform that you get from your broker. These software platforms can draw most charts for you by entering a couple of parameters and viewing the result.

It is recommended however that you learn at least the basics of charting and statistics before you start trading live.

You can save a lot of money by growing your own perennial plants from seeds. The only downside to starting from seeds is that you might have to invest a little bit of extra time to grow your plants. However, for many avid gardeners half the fun of growing plants from seeds is the fact that the seedlings grow slowly and take a bit of tender loving care. After all, anybody can walk into a store and purchase a plant with beautiful flowers that has been raised in a commercial nursery and stick it in the ground. Growing a plant yourself from just a little seed is something to be a proud of.

In order to get started you’ll want to study, organize and plan for the type of garden you want. In particular you’ll want to choose which plants to grow and what the growing requirements are for the different types of seeds you plan to purchase. Different seeds will have different growing requirements in order to germinate properly.

Certain types of plants including plhox, delphinium, and bleeding heart will need to be started outside in the fall. You can usually learn the unique requirements for different types of seeds by reading the package and following the directions. For seeds that require cold treatment you can arrange them in flats and set them outside for between 30 and 45 days. After this they should be placed inside under lights.

Be sure to purchase your seeds instead of gathering them from mature plants. That way your seeds “come true” and grow into the kind of plant you expect. Usualy when seeds are collected from mature plants the results are not what you’d expect. The offspring often do not grow into plants that look like the parents.

You’ll need to purchase soil mix and seed-staring inserts after you buy your seeds. Be sure to get the right type of soil mix for your seeds as different types will have certain growing requirements. The seed-starting inserts are then placed inside fits. Usually 20-row inserts are good to buy because they will fit nicely inside 20 inch long flats.

A lot of gardeners use an indoor portable greenhouse to keep their seeds growing under lights while they wait for them to germinate and grow large enough to be planted outdoors. There are many different sizes of portable greenhouses available to suit your needs. Usually you’ll find a larger selection online that what you’ll find at local stores.

Most forex traders analyze and predict the future direction of currencies using fundamental or technical analysis. The craftier among them use the combination of both to predict direction of forex markets.

Fundamental analysis uses study of economic forces whether they are financial or socio political that affect currency markets in the long run. Technical analysis also know as Charting studies the past price action charts to make predictions about the future price action in forex markets.

Most of you who have been trading stocks must be familiar with the term: The January Effect. The January Effect is based on an observation that during the last few days of December and the fifth trading day in January stocks tend to perform very well.

The explanation of the January Effect is simple. During the last few days of the year, many investors are concerned about their tax returns. They try to realize capital gains or losses to file their tax returns. Many corporations also use the end of the year to face lift their balance sheets favorably at the end of the year.

Now the interesting fact is that seasonality is not common to the stock markets. Forex markets also show seasonal effects. Seasonality is defined as a trend or pattern that occurs at some particular part of the year.

The January Effect also takes place in forex markets because most of the investors who are liquidating their stock positions try to convert their local currencies into dollars at that time.

However, the January Effect is more pronounced in certain currency pairs as compared to others. For example, dollar shows pronounced January Effect against some currencies but not other. The Summer Effect also takes place when dollar shows a summer seasonality when it tends to rise in USD/JPY and USD/CAD in the beginning of July and give back its gains by August.

There are many other seasonal patterns in currency pairs. However, it does not mean that you should believe in these effects blindly. Just keep them in your mind when trading.

Seasonality only shows that there are strong chances that during a particular time of the year, the chances of a particular currency pair going up or down are more.

Forex traders should keep these seasonal patterns at the back of their minds while trading during that period.

In the Deep South roses during May are now perhaps in full bloom; in the Louisville area large buds are about to burst forth in a blaze of glory; in the extreme north new growth is very small and tender; but wherever you live nature is doing her best.

Many things help produce blue ribbon winners, but three things are absolutely necessary if rose plants are to grow even halfway satisfactorily and continue blooming after the spring or early summer crop.

Lets have a look. Without sufficient water no plant part functions properly; fertilizers and nutrients cannot be taken up and digested; living cells especially in the foliage cannot divide and increase but decrease in size and amount, the process of manufacturing food via the green matter in the cells and sunlight is limited. In fact if the soil becomes too dry, the moisture already in the plant may be drawn back into the soil and in due time the plant will wilt and die.

Soil is seldom very dry in the spring or early summer, just another proof that nature is going to produce seed if possible. Sometimes water must be furnished to promote maximum growth. How much depends on how the rose beds are mulched (you do, dont you?) and the soil type. If mulched heavily (two inches for most materials) the soil will not dry out so quickly. A fine earth mulch is achieved by scratching the surface one-half to one inch deep as soon as the soil is workable after each rain or watering. I do not believe it as satisfactory in our area (Texas) as a good fibrous or refractory material. Refractory or solid materials are expanded by heat to form light, porous particles such as perlite, expanded aluminum silicate, vermiculite, expanded mica ore, or expanded shale. These are inert, add no humus but are long lasting because they do not decay. They should be raked up and removed before mounding with soil for winter protection but may be reused next year.

Plants must have plenty of water, yet the soil must drain well and not be waterlogged. You can easily determine if water is needed by taking a small trowel, remove a small amount of soil midway between two bushes to a depth of at least six inches”if it sticks together without exerting much pressure water is not needed. If the soil must be squeezed hard to stick together water is needed. lf it crumbles after considerable pressure it has become too dry and some feeder roots have already dried up. Should soil ever become this dry at least two inches of water will be needed (run hose for two hours in one spot). Do not let it get that dry. lf you dislike digging watch the weather report ” if rainfall of less than one inch has fallen in a seven day period use the hose. Better yet if there is a rainfall of less than an inch use the sprinklers to add the difference. A light watering on dry soil in hot summer is much worse than no watering. My beds usually have at least two inches of mulch and will take ten days to dry out but when water is applied there is enough to go ALL the way to the deepest roots. Only overhead sprinkling system soaks all surrounding areas thus preventing movement of moisture from the rose beds to drier areas.

Spraying for insects and fungus should not be done on a haphazard basis, a regular schedule must be maintained for good control. The thrips are now moving from the south, they will follow the spring bloom on north and much damage will be done every day. One spraying per week will help but not control (at least I have found nothing that will). You may kill all in your garden today but many more will fly in by tomorrow, and as new blooms open there will be unprotected petals for their feeding.

The bloom such as rose blooms is the primary source of infestation, that is all you need to concentrate on when you are planting a rose garden. Hold the spray high, let it fall right on the tips of the buds and into the open bloom. This does not take long and if done two or three times a week during the blooming period you will have good flowers. After the first big bloom crop the thrip problem is lessened and frequent spraying will not be needed. At least once each week check for insects, under as well as on the upper surface of the foliage (I usually do this when removing old blooms). There are plenty of good control materials on the market. lf the material you use is not doing the job, you better check your sprayer and the one doing the spraying.

Those little rabbits are mighty cute right now. hopping and playing in the moonlight but they may be the parents of several more before winter. How are they to know those plants are not growing for them to chew up when winter snow comes? Eliminate them right now while young and dumb. Cruel? Perhaps, but it will keep your blood pressure down next January.

We have discussed pinching buds off one or two of the new basal breaks to buildup the plant. It does pay dividends later on. As soon as the bud is large enough to definitely see which is the top set with five leaflets pinch off the bud just above this five leaflet. Let the weaker stems bloom, they wont make much in hot weather but those pinched will.

Soil is the gardener’s bread and butter, much like dough is for the chef. Without good soil all the effort in the world can come to naught, just as poor dough can lay to waste even the most extravagant culinary effort. Soil varies by area into three broad categories, and also varies in quality from area to area. The categories that soil falls into are claylike, sandy and silt. Ideal soil contains a good mixture of the three types, and is called good garden loam. Clay soil possesses the greatest water-holding capability, while sandy soil possesses the least.

Humus is an organic substance that helps bind soils together. It also makes the soil more receptive to water, actively absorbs light from the sun and fertilizes and improves the texture of the soil by pulling beneficial compounds from plants. Humus can be found in organic fertilizers such as manure and compost heaps, and can also be purchased as a stand-alone product.

Like the grass, trees and plants that take root in it, soil is a living thing, composed of millions of organisms. The four key ingredients needed to maintain an optimum soil health are sunlight, water, food and bacterial activity. Save for the sun, the other three elements can all be added to the soil through organic fertilizers.

Many people maintain a compost pile at their residence, some with the express purpose of using it as fertilizer, and the benefits of doing so are enormous especially in working to achieve a tropical looking landscape. To keep a quality compost pile, the bottom of the container must first have a layer of inactive material added to it, such as dried leaves or weeds, followed by a thin layer of soil, then another layer of material, and so on. After decomposition has reached a suitable point, the compost can then be added to the soil.

This compost or another organic fertilizer like manure can then be added to an inorganic fertilizer if desired to make an ideal meal for your soil. Organic fertilizers come with ratings that designate the parts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium that they contain, and this knowledge is important based on your soil and environment type.

For large fields, planting certain cover crops can also have the effect of fertilizing the soil organically. Cover crops are an easy way to fertilize large stretches of land, though it will take a full season before their full effect is realized. Alfalfa, soy-beans, legumes and other similar crops have the effect of adding nitrogen to the soil when planted, and also provide a boost of nitrogen when plowed over. Nitrogen levels of these cover crops are at their peak just before maturity, and should be plowed over at that point for optimal results.

Another effective means of fertilizing soil is by mixing an either an organic or an inorganic compound with a dose of water and then adding it to the soil. This provides even distribution of the fertilizer and promotes quicker absorption. Another method is to spread the fertilizer by hand (please use gloves when spreading manure) and then hose down the lawn or relevant area afterwards.

In areas with less calcium rich soil like the Atlantic Coast, you should consider using lime to offset this deficiency. Pulverized limestone, which is high in organic materials can be used sparingly for this purpose.

By knowing your soil type and quality, you can take the measures necessary to ensure it achieves the right levels of nutrients and elements needed to survive, which will further ensure the survival of anything else growing in it.

A forex tutorial is definitely the first thing that you need to avail of if you want to start a career in forex trading. This is because a forex tutorial is the best source of knowledge about the intricacies or complexities of the forex market which you need to know to be able to do forex trading correctly. A good forex tutorial will serve as a foundation for an aspiring forex trader since it will arm him or her with the basic skills and the basic strategies and the different ways of implementing them to achieve optimum effects. It will also enable a budding forex trader to know how to interpret forex signals and to use them to their advantage in the process.

During the advent of the forex market, a forex tutorial is not a very common thing, probably because media for information dissemination is not as high tech as it is today. It was almost impossible to look for a decent forex tutorial since most of things you need to know in forex trading are usually just discussed thoroughly in banks and financial institutions only.

Today, a forex tutorial is available almost anywhere, especially since the use of the internet is no longer a want but a need. Almost all households in the United States have internet subscriptions of sorts. Gone are the era of snail mail, purely classroom learning, and conventional means of doing business. Now, almost anything can be done online, even forex tutorials!

Forex trader wannabes can equip themselves with the right forex tutorial through a variety of choices. They can solicit the services of individuals well-versed in the forex market, or opt for a group class, or just opt for – yup, you got it right – an online forex tutorial!

Choosing where and how to have your forex tutorial depends on you, of course. Doing the forex tutorial online will allow flexibility, but then, there’s only you and the computer interacting all throughout the tutorial. If you have it along with a class, then you need to arrange your schedules so as to be able to accommodate your forex tutorial sessions, but it will give you the benefit of having your forex questions answered real-time with almost no room for misinterpretations since you can ask all the questions that you want answered to your heart’s content.

Whether you decide to have a forex tutorial online or through the conventional method, either way, if you really make time for it and put all the things that you will be learning to heart, you will become knowledgeable in the forex trading industry and, eventually, be trading-savvy.

Here are 15 HEALTHY habits of positive coping skills exercises. I say “habits”, because that is what they need to become. You need to post these in a place you can think of when you are having your crisis moment.

Read this list one-by-one until you find the exercise that best works for you. These exercises are healthy alternatives to any kind of hurtful behavior we may use while trying to cope. You can redirect your mind away from the crisis you are experiencing while using these 15 coping skills.

Healthy Alternatives for Coping with Depression or Anxiety

1. Change your surroundings by taking a long walk. You can wall in the park at the mall or along walking trails.

2. Make yourself feel better by listening to some feel good music that can lift your spirits. Avoid angry music, since it stimulates the negative feelings you are trying to overcome.

3. Get some support. Call, text or email a supportive family member or friend. Make sure they are supportive, since there are times when family or friends may think they are helpful, when actually they cause us even more feelings that are hurtful. Find that person you can trust and talk with them.

4. Watch a funny show/movie on video or DVD. I collect my favorite comedy shows on DVD and when I am having a “moment” I pull one out and it makes me laugh and get out of that moment.

5. Have a special treat. Treat yourself to something special when you are feeling down in the dumps. This can help you feel better as well as create a happy moment for you.

6. Take yourself and a friend out to eat. You can treat yourself and a friend to breakfast, lunch or dinner. Ensure that the friend you do take is supportive and someone you can trust and then enjoy each other’s company.

7. Play a board or card game with yourself or a friend/family member. Even a computer game can be fun! This will help direct your mind away from what is upsetting you.

8. Read a good NON-THERAPY book/novel. I spent so much time reading therapy books; I forgot the joy of being transported to another time or place by reading a good non-therapy book. You need to give yourself permission to take a “therapy” break.

9. Get you feelings out by journaling or drawing. This is an all time favorite of many individuals. You can write anything you feel or the experiences you are going through. You can choose to keep it private or you may want to share it in therapy. Drawing is a great release. You may want to get your own color crayons or pencils to work with.

10. If you have a pet-play with them or just sit together and feel the unconditional love! If it is a dog, take them for a walk. If it is a cat, sit and listen to it purr. You pet could even be fish! I had a fish tank at one time and would sit and watch then swim. It was so peaceful.

11. Go for a relaxing bike ride on a riding trail. Most of the trails are hidden away from the roads and can transport you to another world. Enjoy the sights and sounds of nature!

12. Join a gym and exercise anxiety and depression away. This not only changes your surroundings it also helps you do something great for yourself.

13. Do some volunteer work at your local hospital or nursing home. You will be useful as well as have the opportunity to help others. Volunteering always feels good!

14. Join a local or online support group. You will have to be the judge of how much of your personal information as well as your inner feelings online or locally for others to hear. Some individuals become too overwhelmed for this to be helpful, while others make good use of this resource. It is a personal decision. Listen to your inner voice to help you know whether this is a resourceful idea for you.

15. Puzzles are a great outlet when you are suffering from anxiety or depression. You can work a puzzle alone or with your family and friends. You may want to choose a small puzzle that you can complete in just one sitting or you may wish to work a large puzzle by having to return to it from time to time.

When you feel overwhelmed by negative thoughts and feelings, you will find that these coping skills exercises can be most beneficial to you. Print this out and then pencil in any of your ideas for coping with stress. Remember to post them somewhere that you will see them when you are experiencing a hard time, as they can be very resourceful for you.