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What if you couldn’t connect using your computer or your cell phone? How would that impact your communication?

Interesting questions and a bit of a reality check as a while ago I found myself with no internet service. I felt very lost, as I had to change the way I carried out my business and they way I communicated with family and friends.

Take One Action Today To Build Your #Resiliency! So how does this all relate to effective communication?

Two studies were released within days of each other that I found interesting. One found that we are working more non-standard hours and that we are feeling time crunched. The other saying that almost half of us are feeling vacation deprived, yet we are not using up all of our allotted vacation time.

We need to be more deliberate in our communications and connections with others.

So Here are today’s Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Effective Communications Month:

Take the time to slow down and talk to your family about their day. Let the elderly members of your family know that you care about them not just care for them.

We often take our ability to communicate with others quickly and effectively for granted. However, recent research has shown us that we are often connected when we should be disconnected.

Vacations are a great way to get reconnected so take all that you are allotted. However, turn off your phone and put away your laptop. Take the time to find out what is important to the people around you. This can only be done by talking, listening and sharing.

Remember, If you like today’s wellness tips, let me know. You can leave me a review on amazon or through your #alexa app.

Looking for more ways to build your resiliency? Take my free on-line resiliency test at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.

#mentalhealth #hr

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Coping with stress is simple…though not always easy.”

We hear so much about stress. Most of it negative. Most of it about the sources or symptoms. Some of it inaccurate. And much of it not helpful.

Tomorrow is SOS To STRESS Day

This day was conceived because we need to hear more about how to deal with stress and build our resiliency. We already know that it is bad to be “under” too much stress. We need to know what options we have to deal with it.

Take One Action Today To Build Your #Resiliency!

Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating SOS To Stress Day:

SOS To STRESS Day is about coping. It is about finding the right strategies to take care of the situations and ourself.

What Do Sleep, Sex and Sweaty Palms Have In Common?

They are all impacted by stress. Stress plays on our minds and keeps up awake at night. It can lower our libido. It brings about headaches, high blood pressure and sweaty palms. So, how do we determine the right strategies to deal with so many different sources of stress and such a large variety of symptoms?

The S-O-S Principle helps us to ensure that no matter what we are facing we are able to best take care of the Situation and Ourselves and be Supported while we are doing this.

There is no one way to deal with stress…despite what others may suggest or tell you. It is about designing a plan with sufficient strategies to be successful, healthy and happy.

Remember, If you like today’s wellness tips, let me know. You can leave me a review on amazon or through your #alexa app.

Looking for more ways to build your resiliency, take my free on-line resiliency test at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.

#mentalhealth #hr

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I have been married for over 25 years…and yes, to the same person. I love the way that we fit together. We have our own interests and our own, very different careers. We share in the chores and in being the ‘bad’ guy to our children. I like hanging out with him. I miss him when he is gone away. He can make me laugh.

Is it perfect? No. We argue, we’re loud, and we go to bed angry…but not very often.

Statistics show that about 90% of adults will get married at least once in their lives but many of them get disappointed because in the end, it is not the stuff that fairy tales are made of. It isn’t all “lovey dovey” or hot and passionate.

Take One Action Today To Build Your #Resiliency!

Here are today’s Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Happy, Healthy Marriage Day:

I was doing a web search of how to have a happy, healthy marriage…here are some of my favourites…

Marry someone that you enjoy listening and talking to.

Compliment more than you criticize.

Remember that people do fight. It’s how you do it that matters.

Never pass up an opportunity to say “I love you“.

Love isn’t always a feeling, it’s a decision.

Never compare your marriage to others. What you see on the outside is not always what it is on the inside. The grass always seems greener until you get there.

Remember, If you like today’s wellness tips, let me know. You can leave me a review on amazon or through your #alexa app.

Discover how to take small steps towards a healthier, happier, less-stressed you by visiting my website at worksmartlivesmart.com

#mentalhealth #hr

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Our lives can become filled with anxiety, fear, and uncertainty and with little information on where to turn, we find ourselves struggling on our own. We know that this stress can have a profound effect on our health and the lives of those around us.

Traumatic events can bring about an extreme stress disorder. Whether it be living through an earthquake, surviving childhood abuse, witnessing violent acts of terrorism or being a first responder to an accident, all of these can bring about PTSD. Post-traumatic Stress can seemingly creep into our lives when we least expect it.

Take One Action Today To Build Your #Resiliency!

Here are today’s Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating PTSD Awareness Day:

Treatment depends on the severity and persistence of symptoms. Support, debriefing, therapy, and medications have all been shown to be effective ways of managing PTSD.

We do know that having the opportunity to share your feelings and memories with others who have also experienced similar tragedies can be helpful in processing and recovering from a trauma.

The number one tip is: Don’t Be Afraid To Reach Out For Support

We must develop our supports as they can provide a protective barrier. Talk to friends and family about your fears. If they seem overwhelming contact your doctor or a counselor. Your workplace Human Resources Department or Employee Assistance Program may also be a valuable support.

Remember, If you like today’s wellness tips, let me know. You can leave me a review on amazon or through your #alexa app.

For more information on coping with mental health issues, sign up for one of my on-line courses at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.

#mentalhealth #hr

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The United Nations estimates today that more than 240 million people in the world suffer from illicit drug use. This represents 4.7% of the world’s population. The breadth of the global drug problem carries a heavy burden on public health systems and workplaces with respect to treatments, care and prevention.

In the world, a third of all substance abusers are women. Women are more inclined to consume opioids and prescription tranquillizers compared to men, who would be 3 times more likely to consume cannabis, cocaine and amphetamines.

Take One Action Today To Build Your #Resiliency!

Here are today’s Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking:

Substance use may cause issues at work by impacting a person’s judgment, alertness, perception, motor coordination or emotional state which also impacts working safely or making safety sensitive decisions.

Certain elements of work may contribute to the use of substances such as high stress, high demand/low control situations, low job satisfaction, long hours or irregular shifts, and fatigue.

Employers need to design policies which outline what is an acceptable code of behaviour and what is not. By establishing or promoting programs such as an Employee Assistance Program, employees can gain better access to community services.

Education is the key. Managers and supervisors should continue to be educated on how to recognize and deal with substance use issues, and employees should continue to offer educational programs about positive coping strategies and where to go if help is needed.

Remember, If you like today’s wellness tips, let me know. You can leave me a review on amazon or through your #alexa app.

Looking for resources to build your healthy workplace? Check out my top 10 tips under Resources and Courses at worksmartlivesmart.com

#mentalhealth #hr

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Some days when things are so hectic, I forget where I am supposed to be or I leave important notes and items back at my office. I struggle daily with trying not to be a perfectionist. Sometimes my total focus is on family issues and I haven’t tackled any of the jobs on my desk. Other times when I am so pressured to meet a deadline, that even saying good night to my family seems too much of a distraction.

There are habits and strategies that I use to keep me, and my family organized, and to maintain my health. My afternoon nap allows me to recoup from my working day and gear up for my evenings spent teaching karate. Spring and summer are my favourite time of year and there is nothing better than a day spent away from my office gardening, cutting the grass, or just sitting on the patio.

Take One Action Today To Build Your #Resiliency! So Here are today’s Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Rebuild Your Life Month:

Finding the right balance is important for ourselves and for our organizations.

Life is busy and often we are pulled in many directions. Balance is not about equality in all areas of life. It is about making choices and living in a way in which you feel motivated and satisfied with the way your life is going.

If your life is not exactly how you want it to be, take the time to rethink your strategies and look for ways to rebuild your resiliency.

Remember, If you like today’s wellness tips, let me know. You can leave me a review on amazon or through your #alexa app.

Discover how to take small steps towards a healthier, happier, less-stressed you by visiting my website at worksmartlivesmart.com

#mentalhealth #hr

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Taste, touch, sight, sound and smell.

We are often bombarded and feel that we are on sensory overload.

Most everything we know, feel, understand, and struggle with comes through our senses, including pain and pleasure. But how often do you actually pay attention to your specific senses?

By focusing on all five of our senses, we can promote health and wellbeing in our workplace. We can use these individual senses to boost our creativity, productivity and happiness.

Take One Action Today To Build Your #Resiliency!

Here are today’s Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Celebration Of The Senses Day:

Look for ways to boost each of the five senses in your workplace.

Taste. Did you know that chewing gum can help you stay focused for longer on tasks that require continuous monitoring? And that chewing gum can improve concentration in visual memory tasks?

Touch. I like having squish toys to play with while I am on the phone or listening to an on-line learning course. It helps me to concentrate more on what is being said. And research has found that these fidget toys are most beneficial to those who are more kinesthetic learners.

Sight. Try adding a bouquet of flowers. One study found that including plants and flowers in your work environment improved productivity and creativity.

Sound. Research from Cornell University found that employees who listened to happy music were able to cooperate and make group decisions better than employees who worked without a background soundtrack. If you’re going to play music in your workplace, the most important thing you need to do is match the type and tempo of the music to the task and level of concentration required.

Smell. Scents are tied directly to the part of the brain that is linked to memory and emotion, so scents can influence both. Some scents are known to reduce stress, others are known to improve productivity. Play around with mild scents in your workspace to see what you prefer, just remember not to interfere with your colleagues and their ability to enjoy their workspace.

Remember, If you like today’s wellness tips, let me know. You can leave me a review on amazon or through your #alexa app.

Discover how to take small steps towards a healthier, happier, less-stressed you by visiting my website at worksmartlivesmart.com

#mentalhealth #hr

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Make it a point to never regret. Regret is an appalling waste of energy. It is only good for wallowing in.

Regretful Situations and Difficult People.

These can play on our minds and lead us to becoming angry, frustrated, hurt, guilt-ridden or even embarrassed.

Moving past these situations can be difficult. Your logical mind wants to work it out so that it doesn't happen again. You focus on the “what if’s” and “if only’s”. You replay the situation over and over. Letting go feels like we are admitting that we were wrong in some way.

Holding on to pain doesn’t fix anything. Replaying the past over and over again, doesn’t change it, and wishing things were different, doesn’t make it so.

Take One Action Today To Build Your #Resiliency!

Here are today’s Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Let It Go Day:

Identify those situations or people that pushed your ‘buttons’

Try to look at the situation or person without judgement. What lesson can you learn, and appreciate that you have learned that lesson

Recognize the emotions behind these situations and then do something to relieve the tension. Try deep breathing, a hobby or exercise

Positive self-talk. Reaffirm that you are doing the best that you can and that letting go is not 'wrong'

Finally, rely on your positive supports to keep the situation in perspective

Remember, If you like today’s wellness tips, let me know. You can leave me a review on amazon or through your #alexa app.

Looking for resources to build your healthy workplace? Check out my top 10 tips under Resources and Courses at worksmartlivesmart.com

#mentalhealth #hr