Declare a personal two-day holiday...It's good for your health.

It's a new year and everyone is going on a diet. Forget it!

If you're interested in getting healthy, don't stop eating�stop working. Now that I look back on that sentence, I guess if you stop working, you'll automatically stop eating�no money. But I wasn't talking about quitting your job.

In order to get healthy and stay healthy, it's time to stop lying in bed worrying about what you need to do tomorrow. It's time to slooooow doooown. Give your mind a rest.

Have you ever read the Desiderata? You should. That says it all and the funny thing is�it was written by Max Ehrmann in 1927. The advice is still pertinent today. Just reading it brings a sense of peace and warmth to your mind and body.

But getting back to the work thing�you need to know when to work and when to stop.

Take next weekend off. You're the boss of "you." Declare a two-day holiday. Grab a friend, or a member of your family, and make time for some personal enjoyment activities.

• Dine out
• Go see a movie
• Have a DVD marathon (I recently enjoyed an entire Saturday watching NCIS episodes with my granddaughter)
• Go to the park, take some deep breaths. Inhale positive energy; exhale all of the negative energies, and then go enjoy an ice cream sundae. (Gosh, the total opposite of what the rest of the world is doing�Heaven forbid!)
• If you are spending your downtime alone, relax and read a book (the entire book, from cover to cover, without feeling guilty because you should be running the vacuum)
• Take a bubble bath
• If you're crafty, spread all your supplies out on the table and create

Right about now, you should be starting to feel the stress fall away from your body as you think about your "work-less weekend."

Oh, and if you still feel it's necessary to start a diet. That's okay, too. But remember, it's not enough to whip your body into shape, your brain needs attention, too. Give it a breather.