During these uncertain and stressful times, more than ever, we need joy in our daily lives. Whether at work or home. A smile can change someone’s day from gloomy to joyful; showing some compassion when a coworker is at their breaking point or providing a little laughter can help everyone get through these unusual circumstances.
A good laugh heals a lot of hurts. — Madeleine L’Engle
What are the benefits of laughter in the workplace?
Laughter can lower stress and boredom, strengthen the immune system, and enhance team engagement, collaboration, creativity, and well-being. It relaxes the body and defuses conflict.
Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. — Victor Borge
Reflections Questions:
How can you brighten someone’s day with a little laughter?
When were some times you and your team laugh at work?
What can you do to encourage laughter in the workplace?
Patti discusses establishing a work schedule to help you get into a flow and get things done; working from home can be challenging, especially when the family doesn’t understand your work demands, obligations, or time constraints with deadlines.
Patti: Established set work hours and communicated them to family and friends. Here are the hours and days I am working this week. Another way to communicate is to post your calendar/diary on the wall/door or give family access to your digital schedule that reflects availability. Another approach is to post a daily or weekly calendar in view (maybe in the kitchen) or text your unavailability for that day to the whole family. There are many creative ways to communicate that you are working and unavailable. Sit down as a family and ask them how they want you to let them know. This way, everyone is part of the decision-making. Do you want a daily text or a do-not-disturb sign on the door?
Angela said, I found the sign official, making it straightforward for others not to knock. In the building I used to live in, we had a lot of traffic going past my front door. People who delivered parcels would knock on the front door, which would be picked up on my calls or recordings. However, the worst thing about knocking on the front door was when I was doing meditation. Sounds and knocks during meditation can be dangerous to your body if you are in deep meditation, and give you a heart attack. That forced me to make a sign to post on my front door, “Please don’t knock. Meditation is in progress; if possible, leave parcels.” The sign also allowed some people in the building to be quiet when passing the front door too (if they read it!) I will use another sign on the door in my office at home to be clear about meditation time or when I’m recording, as people may have no idea what you are doing in the office, and the sign makes people more aware of the noise.
Angela: When working at home with family these days, looking at your physical workspace is really valuable. Do you have a space that’s appropriate for doing your work? Do your kids have a space that’s appropriate to focus on learning? And space is not just physical like a desk; it includes sound and light. I’ve seen many people being creative with working at the kitchen bench, buying a fold-away desk for the bedroom, and other bits of furniture like a screen or divider to section off spaces in the house or to create workspaces.
Sometimes, you won’t be able to have a quiet workspace, and people are more forgiving in these times if they hear kids and the kitchen in the background, but how does this affect you?
Are there changes you need to make without necessarily spending much money, but perhaps using your house differently?
What could be something that naturally gives you the flow you need to put in your schedule to help you with the changes we are now facing?
For Angela, it’s definitely movement. In the coming months, I will share some of the results of my movement classes, which I plan to share so that more people can discover their own natural rhythm.
You can stay in touch with Angela’s gentle movement classes by signing up for the newsletter.
This day is to raise awareness to balance work and home life by encouraging the overachievers to schedule time away from work and enjoy life outside of work demands.
What is the definition of a Workaholic? According to Wikipedia:
A workaholic is a person who works compulsively. The term originates from alcoholism. The person works at the cost of their sleep, meeting friends or family. While the term generally implies that the person enjoys their work, it can also alternately imply that they simply feel compelled to do it.
What are some ways to create a little balance in your everyday life?
Do Something Fun
Spend Time Loving Your Family
Journal About the Good Things in Your Life
Smile and Laugh Often
Celebrate Today! 🎉
Schedule a massage or spa day.
Take a slow pace walk with the family and your pet.
Watch a funny movie with your loved ones.
Plan an awesome vacation.
Working all the time will eventually lead to burnout. Take a few minutes out of your day today, do something you enjoy outside of work, and plan a getaway from work. Leave a comment on how you celebrated today. 🙂
Take it easy, enjoy today and, live life to the fullest. ~ Patti
Lately, I have been hearing that the “new” working from home has been very hard for some. They are saying they are working more hours then if they were in the office and it is leading to burnout and frustration.
Burnout is not fun. When you reach that point, you are exhausted physically, emotionally and mentally. Sometimes, you don’t even realize what happened. You have changed within. You feel confused, angry, and so tired of everything and everyone and no patience.
How did you get to this point?
High-achievers should continually be on the lookout for the warning signs of burnout because they don’t always see it coming. The doers are passionate about their work progress and tend to work long hours. They take on heavier workloads and put high expectations on themselves, which may lead to burnout if not monitored by pausing with some self-care techniques. Trying to be everything and anything to everyone, putting work 24/7 above rest, relaxation, a little fun, family, and friends. That’s how.
Is there a way to reverse it. Of course, but you have to take some time away from work mentally, emotionally, and physically. Not stepping away for a while could cost you your career, health, and relationships.
“Sometimes it takes an overwhelming breakdown to have an undeniable breakthrough”. ~ unknown
What is burnout?
It is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.
What are some warn signs?
🦋 Cynical, critical, pessimism, anger or irritable at work
🦋 Disliking the job, forcing yourself to get up and go to work or having a hard time getting started
🦋 Irritable or impatient with others, coworker, boss, customers or clients
🦋 Lack of energy or low productivity or chronic fatigue or loss of appetite
🦋 No focus, mind wanders, forgetfulness, or hard to concentrate
🦋 No satisfaction from achievements, feeling unappreciated for all the extra work effort
🦋 Feelings of disillusionment about career, isolation, depression, and anxiety
🦋 Using alcohol, drugs, or food to feel better or not to feel at all
🦋 Change in sleeping patterns, maybe insomnia or oversleeping
If not addressed, burnout can leave people feeling empty, exhausted, depressed, and unable to deal with daily life’s demands.
How to change?
🦋 Focus on your recent and past accomplishments 🦋 Stop self-criticizing yourself and others 🦋 Create a happy space to spend time in for self-reflection, meditation, and prayer 🦋 Make and write in a daily gratitude journal
Change your workflow! 🦋 Stop multitasking and focus on one task at a time towards completion 🦋 Take regular breaks 🦋 Limit working overtime 🦋 Journal about things that are bothering you and come up with solutions to resolve them.
If you are experiencing some of these symptoms, it’s time to take some action to reverse it. Self-reflect and make some changes to reduce stress and anxiety. Take control of your workload and have reasonable expectations about what is achievable.
Do you have a happy place?
If yes, where is it? I would love to hear about your happy place. If no, why not?
This mini course is for leaders who are crazy busy, working 24/7 and want something more in life beyond their career. 7 easy hacks to create some personal life balance in this so-called busy life!
I am sure everyone has had a life situation where we wish we told someone how we truly felt. Whether it was a childhood crush or wished we spoke up at a group meeting or knew something was happening that wasn’t right.
Fear can immobilize us not to act. Then Guilt or regret lingers on and on inside of us. It may continue throughout our lifetime. Guilt or shame can leave us feeling empty, unsatisfied, or longing for something we didn’t have the guts to pursue. We all probably heard the old saying, “Time heals all wounds.”Does it really?
“Time Heals All Wounds.” Does it really?
Some wounds will never heal until addressed. I know this is easier said than done.
How many of us have been ghosted sometime in our life?
It may have been a relationship, a job offer, a networking acquaintance, or a business deal.
Did you want to know the reason why?
Unfortunately, most of the time, a reason why will never come.
Overthinking about the situation can really take a toll on a person. It may cause depression, anger, suicidal thoughts, sadness, ulcers, overwhelm, uncontrollable crying, anxiety attacks, and so much more.
“Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.” ~ Roy T. Bennett
Time may soften the disappointment, regret, and hurt, but it’s still there deep down inside. Time is not the healer; it is the inner work of dealing with the emotions that heals you. Healing requires constant mental work of positive self-talk and the ability to let it go.
How do you get over it and move on?
🦋 Recite positive affirmations for healing and to eliminate negative thoughts.
🦋 Create a gratitude journal. Every day in the journal, write one to three things you are grateful for in your daily life.
🦋 Be aware of your emotions and feelings. Work on halting the complaining and overthinking about the situation.
🦋 Spend time with positive, happy, and motivated people.
🦋 Pick your battles. Sometimes chasing the person may cause more damage to you. If the recipient doesn’t want to hear from you, they won’t respond. Start focusing on want you want in life.
🦋 Hire a life coach or therapist to help you let go of the hurt and disappointment.
“Your peace is more important than driving yourself crazy trying to understand why something happened the way it did. Let it go!” ~ Mandy Hale
Takeaway:
Isn’t it time to be happy? Being upset, angry, and overthinking really isn’t working. Love yourself and those around you enough to let it go. A huge part of healing is believing you deserve a better life of peace, joy, and love. ~ Patti 🦋
Did you find this helpful? If so, please share this blog post with others! Comments are always welcome. You may use your initials or anonymous for your name, if this makes you feel more comfortable to comment. 🙂 Thank you for following and supporting me.
A couple of weeks ago, a friend told me about her work situation and why she decided to give her notice. She brightens up people’s days with her friendly demeanor. She worked in the front lobby. Having a friendly employee as the first contact with your customers is crucial. Customers will continue to come if they feel welcome, the same for employees.
Why do good employees leave?
🦋 A shortage of appreciation, praise, acknowledgment, or recognition from management
🦋 The Manager only pointing out what went wrong
🦋 Lack of trust in employees
🦋 Bad communication – Not sharing important information or changes in company policies
🦋 Unsatisfied relationships with coworkers and/or management
🦋 Employee feeling unchallenged or bored with their work
🦋 The organization culture or the companies vision
🦋 Little growth and no promotional opportunities
🦋 Blatant employee favoritism
🦋 Lack of work-life balance, being over-worked, feeling over-stressed, and having no work boundaries (on duty 24/7)
How can we show up as a better leader and save good employees?
Build a trusting environment. Give opportunities for employees to learn new tasks and give them clear verbal instructions with written procedures. When a situation arises, be truthful. Come up with the right solution together. Acknowledge good work performance. Share policy changes in person and written form. Be open to answering employees’ questions. Care about the job and value staff.
Did you find this helpful? If so, please share this blog post with others! Comments are always welcome. You may use your initials or anonymous for your name if this makes you feel more comfortable to comment. 🙂 Thank you for following and supporting me.
As a leadership and work-life balance coach, I am always open to new ways to banish stress and anxiety and sharing different techniques with others. In today’s blog post, I will be discussing worry stones and the method of rubbing away stress and anxiety.
The practice of rubbing worry stones has been around for centuries. When I was a kid, instead of worry stones, there were pet rocks and colored stones. I have always enjoyed looking at rocks by stopping, picking up the stones and admiring them. Their beautiful shapes, sizes, and colors.
What are some other common names for worry stones? Fidget stones, feeling stones, soothing stones, sensory stones and thumb stones.
According to Wikipedia the origins of worry stones: As a folk practice implement, worry stones have many origins. Variations on the concept originate in ancient Greece, Tibet, Ireland, and multiple Native American tribes. The concept of a worry stone began by the simple action of picking a smooth stone and fiddling with the stone.[3] Worry stones made by sea water were generally used by Ancient Greeks.[4] Native American tribes would continuously give them to younger generations, creating a sense of connection from previous family members.[3] They also believed these worry stones were considered a sacred item and they were extra special if they were made out of quartz.[4]
What is a Worry Stone? A worry stone is a smooth flat rock about the size of a thumb. When rubbing the stone between thumb and fingers, it has a calming effect. The stones are small enough to carry around in your pocket or purse. Stones come in all different colors, sizes, shapes and minerals. They can be river stones, crystals, sea glass, tumbled gems or a smooth flat rock from your backyard. You can purchase stones at craft and arts stores, amazon, mineral-rock shops and rock and gems shows. Some worry stones have an indent inside the size of a thumb. Other stones may have inspirational quotes, one-word sayings, affirmations, religious symbols, etc. Also, painting flat rocks is another way to relax and a way to make the stone more personal to fit your personality or style.
I recently watched a YouTube video called DIY Worry Stones on how to make worry stones from colored baked clay.
How Do You Use A Worry Stone? Place the flat stone in your hand between your thumb and index finger and rub the stone back and forth.
Does Rubbing on a Worry Stone Help Reduce Anxiety and Stress? A worry stone works as a form of reflexology or nerve pressure when rubbed. While rubbing the stone it touches the reflex areas in your thumb and fingers creating a sensation of relaxation and calm within the body. Reflexology is commonly known for applying gentle pressing on certain parts of the body, usually on the feet.
My stone: It is a smooth clear thumb size stone. I purchased it at a mineral-rock store. I like the feel of it in my hand. I do rub it from time to time. When using the worry stone, I will switch up my hands while rubbing it. Using just your dominant hand is fine.
When are good times to rub a worry stone?
🦋 While sitting at a doctor’s office.
🦋 Before taking a test.
🦋 Before giving a presentation.
🦋 When feeling anxious or upset.
🦋 While a customer is yelling at you on the phone.
🦋 Before delivering bad news.
🦋 While contemplating on a big decision or large purchase.
🦋 Before going to sleep.
Does it work? For me, it is a pleasant distraction because I am focusing on rubbing the stone and it does help me gain a new perspective.
For others, I think it depends on the individual and being open to the process. When taking those few moments of rubbing the stone, it can settle the mind.
Takeaway: Carrying a worry stone around with you, especially when feelings of anxiety, anger, or frustration occur. By rubbing your thumb and fingers across the stone it will hit reflex areas and the movement relaxes your mind, body, and spirit.
Please share your answers to the following questions in the comments below:
🦋 Have you rubbed a worry stone?
🦋 What was your experience like?
🦋 When do you use your worry stone?
🦋 What color is it?
🦋 How did you chose it?
🦋 Share a photo of your stone.
🦋 If not,After reading this blog post would you try one?
Did you find this helpful? If so, please share this blog post with others! Comments are always welcome. You may use your initials or anonymous for your name, if this makes you feel more comfortable to comment. 🙂 Thank you for following and supporting me.
Interested in one to one coaching with me?To schedule “one on one coaching” with Patti – click on the “Schedule Now” button below:
Why are you killing yourself for a job that will replace you in a week if you died? Take care of yourself!” ~ Unknown
Lately, I have been seeing more and more people posting this quote on social media and as a work-life balance leadership coach; I should probably address my thoughts on this quote.
Throughout my work life journeys and coaching experiences, I have come to the realization that maybe this quote may absolutely be true. However, my goal is to change this through my coaching.
It is important to work hard and be a diligent loyal employee but thinking about work 24/7 is not good for you mentally or physically. Everyone needs to take vacations and get away to rest and relax.
“Why are you killing yourself for a job that will replace you in a week if you died? Take care of yourself!” ~ Unknown
Lately, I have been seeing more and more people posting this quote on social media and as a work-life balance leadership coach; I should probably address my thoughts on this quote.
Throughout my work life journeys and coaching experiences, I have come to the realization that maybe this quote may absolutely be true. However, my goal is to change this through my coaching.
It is important to work hard and be a diligent loyal employee but thinking about work 24/7 is not good for you mentally or physically. Everyone needs to take vacations and get away to rest and relax.
Why are employees feeling this way?
From what I hear, people are working themselves into overwhelm and burn-out. Some employees care way too much about their jobs to the point of making themselves physically sick. While others do the bare minimum not to get fired and appear to be the happiest.
Why is that?
I hear this scenario repeatedly that the people who do the least amount of work get promoted while the dedicated doers get passed over time and time again. The Doers are conscientious about their job duties day in and day out, work late, and get the job done with little to no praise or acknowledgment and are slowly killing themselves in the process. They have high anxiety, stress, diabetes, heart disease, no work-life balance strategies, no work boundaries, and so on. While the lazy worker is smiling, laughing, playing on their cell phone all day, and content with collecting their paycheck, while everyone else is covering their job, stressed-out and resentful.
Why do leaders let this happen?
Leaders need to spend time with their employees and know them instead of locking themselves in their offices. Don’t they want to know what is going on? Someone once told me, because the Leader doesn’t care. Reviewing staff’s workload and time management is vital to assist with eliminating overload and overwhelm. Coaching the lazy worker to do their share of the workload is essential for the supervisor. The Doers need to feel comfortable to honestly state to their manager they are overwhelmed and need assistance and the ability to say no to more tasks when they have too much to handle.
Why doesn’t the Leader care?
When loyal, hard-working employees leave by either transferring to another department for the same or less salary or go to the competition or just leave as a Leader, you should be asking this question! Why are they leaving?
Losing good employees hurts the business and the bottom line. Yes, they may make a high salary, but the cost of training new staff and their expertise is now gone, and this alone is very detrimental to a company.
A good leader finds out what is going on within their company. They don’t just sit in their office with the door closed; they ask questions and want the truth, not lip service. They know who is doing the work and who isn’t. They care about the staff and want them to succeed. When hiring internally, the excellent leader recognizes the right person to promote since they know their quality of work, interpersonal skills, and the right fit for the job.
What are some solutions to change this concept?
Find the strengths of the complacent worker and give them those projects.
Coach the complacent employee on doing their work tasks and pulling their share of the workload.
Meet with them daily on their progress for 10 to 15 minutes, getting updates on where they are with their work assignments.
Have them set up daily goals on their work tasks and review their progress.
Is this concept a forgotten principle?
Would love to see your thoughts, comments and your experiences on this subject. ~ Patti
