Archive for the Stress Relief Category
How do You Know if You’ve Contacted Adultitis?
Every now and again, I like to bring you short interviews to give you a new perspective on work happiness. During my study of work happiness I have found that there are many paths to the same goal. Some people believe that loving what you do is a must, while other people believe that relationships are vital to enjoying the work that we do. Interviews are a great way to get out of your own perspective and see what other people are doing to be happy at work.
There are so many amazing people in the blogging world, but one of my more recent finds is Jason of Escape Adulthood. He and Kim (his wife) have created a business out of bringing the fun back into life.
The first impression of Jason was a video that I watched of a water balloon fight between Jason and Kim. They were sitting in chairs and throwing water balloons over their garage to see who had the better aim. It was right then that I was hooked. Having fun in life is a big part of being happy, so I’m glad to bring you an interview with Jason.
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Energize Your Workday with a Spiritual Meditation
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Susan C.
I’m a big believer in relaxing with our work. I’m not talking about laziness. I’m talking about finding your rhythm that allows for optimum levels of performance. Knowing when you need a break and knowing when to keep working because you are in the zone. Today we talk about: Using meditation to expand mindfulness.
This mindfulness meditation has its roots in an earth-based (pagan) spiritual path and was inspired by a short morning ritual in Yasmine Galenorn’s book Embracing the Moon. Ideally, it’s great to be able to do this outside, but it works just as well indoors, in which case, looking out a window can help to initially bring our focus to the natural world. One could do this mindfulness meditation at any point in the day, but it’s a nice way to start the day.
Let’s get started
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What I Learned from Working on My Habits
As I’m looking over January’s theme “Relaxing with my work”, I’m beginning to really see how hard I am on myself. I expect myself to master concepts that only great writers, CEO’s, and Zen masters fully understand.
Just because I tell myself to breathe all nice and deep and relaxed over the next week when I’m feeling stressed out doesn’t mean it will happen right away.
Maybe that should be a theme of the month. Stop being a big bully to myself.
I wanted to publish this review of my theme two weeks ago, but I felt like I was still processing my information. Now that I’m ready, let’s begin the review…
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10 Ways to Unclutter Your Mind
The clutter in our minds can prevent us from feeling good. We can’t focus. We feel like we are just spinning our wheels.
I know that when the clutter covers my brain like a fog, I feel like just giving in and surfing YouTube. After countless times of just giving in, I decided to create a plan.
So how does a person unclutter their mind?
I have some tools you can use on a daily basis that will help you obtain clearer thinking. The more you use these tools, the easier it will be to maintain a clear mind.
1. Eliminate noise
I know I have a hard time focusing when there is a lot of noise around me. You probably are easily distracted by noise too. So, try using noise canceling headphones or ear plugs to eliminate the noises that can pull you away from your work.
2. Find a way to laugh
A laugh releases endorphins. These endorphins are like dead cell sweepers. They increase the blood flow and push away the clutter. Try going to a secluded spot, thinking about a recently funny moment and chuckling to yourself. Once you get that laughter going, you’ll notice the lighter feeling. This may feel strange at first, but I promise it helps.
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Walk to the Bathroom Very Very Mindfully – Work Happy Tip
Every week I like to bring you a work happiness tip that can help improve your mood, relationships, productivity, or reduce your stress. The idea is to put you back in the driver’s seat. This week’s tip: Walk to the bathroom very very mindfully.
Our minds love to follow distractions. It makes sense.
We like to be distracted. So even when we are walking to use the bathroom, we notice a co-worker’s cough, which makes us think about our own throat, and this leads to a reminder to go to the doctor for a check-up, then we are done.
We finished in the bathroom and we are back at our desk. 99% of our focus is not about enjoying where we are, but rather random thoughts.
I advocate developing your mind at work because it will help you to become happier and more productive. The reason this works is because you are focusing your energy on the part of you that matters the most. Without developing your emotional intelligence, you are flatlining your ability to feel good.
It works like this…
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Hard, Fun and Beautiful – Calming Tea Edition
Where we are free to talk about the hard, the fun, and the beautiful of our work week. The best way to learn from our experiences is to step back, be honest, and reflect on pain and joy of our work week.
Using my blog to meet amazing people has been a huge perk. I’ve interviewed Steve Pavlina (Personal Development Master), Jonathan Field (Career Renegade), Tony Hsieh (CEO of Zappos) and many others.
I’m saying this because I’m interviewing someone else that I’ve admired for a long time. She is an amazing writer and business woman. You’ll find out very soon. I can’t give it away yet. A little suspense is good for the soul.
Without all my hard work this never would have happened. None of these interactions would have happened.
We create our own luck. The harder we work, the more opportunities arise.
Let’s begin…
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Work Happiness Tip – Buy a Plant
I was having a rough day at work. I couldn’t seem to get any words strung together to teach you about work happiness.
How could I teach you when I wasn’t feeling it?
I couldn’t give up that easily!
Then I realized what I did when I first sat down. I got a cup of water, was about to sip it, then I looked over at my bamboo plant. It needed water more than I did.
I leaned over and slowly poured the water into the small pot.
The world felt right again. I’m not going to blow smoke up your butt and tell you that I went on to write three blog posts, book a keynote, and sell a Work Happy Now package to a company. This would feel great, but it would also undermine everything I stand for. Working happy is not just about feeling great. Working happy is also about finding ways to stay emotionally balanced so we don’t fall into a depression and wreck any chance of achieving good results over the next few weeks.
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Why France Telecom Suicides Never Should Have Happened
You may have heard about the 24 employees at France Telecom who committed suicide because work was too stressful. I’ve been thinking a lot about this problem.
Many employees are afraid to speak up for fear of being fired or looked down upon by their peers.
France Telecom is going through a restructuring in order to stand out competitive communication industry. They are trying to trim the fat and fix the problems. This isn’t easy in France where demand for employee rights is very strong.
I was thinking about the times in the past when I was depressed and worn down by work. That’s why I quit that old job.
I really think people should quit instead of putting their lives at risk.
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Hard, Fun and Beautiful – Backyard Sledding Edition
(Can’t see the video? Then try watching it at Work Happy Now – Hard, Fun and Beautiful – Backyard Sledding Edition)
Where we are free to talk about the hard, the fun, and the beautiful of our work week.
If life was just about dealing with our own pain, then life wouldn’t really be that hard. When we open up to other people’s pain then it can get tricky.
A good manager is able to open up to his/her staff’s problems because they affect work. By listening and empathizing, a manager can make better judgments. A manager might want to encourage an employee to go home and be with his/her family during tough times.
Which brings me to my situation…
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Hard, Fun and Beautiful – Dancing Delight Edition
(Can’t see the video? Then try watching it at Work Happy Now – Hard, Fun and Beautiful – Dancing Delight Edition)
Where we are free to talk about the hard, the fun, and the beautiful of our work week.
As the year begins to wrap up (no pun intended), I’m noticing a lot of shifts within myself.
The fear isn’t as overwhelming as it once was with a lot of the projects that I’ve been working on. It goes to show that putting in the time with you has really helped me grow. I’m getting better in front of the camera as well as doing interviews over the phone.
I look forward to my first TV interview. That will be a blast. Nothing booked yet, but I know it’s coming soon.
I’m also noticing that my ability to love has grown so much. I care more about you (the people who read this blog) and how I can make your working life more enjoyable.
Before I start. I hope you are spending this day with loved ones. If you are away on business then try putting a prayer in and you’ll feel closer to your loved ones. I promise.
OK, let’s begin…
Hard
Low energy level.
My energy level has been very low this week. I don’t think it’s the food or lack of sleep. I just think it’s a mental thing.
When Friday comes around my enthusiasm and energy wane. Now that the end of the year is coming, it’s hard to stay focused. I want to just relax and be with my family.
Earlier in the week I was chatting on Twitter and I hit a wall. I couldn’t stay focused. I knew it was time for bed. This was an hour before my usual bed time. I just went with it and still felt tired the next day. Go figure.
Fun
I started creating a theme of the week.
What I like about having a theme of the week is that it keeps me focused.
I’m focused on staying relaxed, finding fun, or staying creative.
I realize that I do better when I can micro-focus on an important part of my working growth. I was creating a workbook for an upcoming product and I couldn’t figure out which direction to take. I looked at my Twitter stream and remembered that I’m supposed to be enjoying my frustration.
I should just be with the emotions and not want life to be different.
It worked. I giggled at myself and switched to a new project for an hour. When I came back to my workbook, the answers came right out of me.
Beautiful
The first thing that pops in my head when I think of beautiful is my son, but I’m not going to talk about him every time.
So the most beautiful thing this past week was watching a woman drink her Starbucks coffee.
She had delight dancing in her eyes. She was going to enjoy that drink because she was so focused on all the goodness she was about to experience. There was no way she couldn’t enjoy its deliciousness.
Now that’s focusing on the beauty in her world.
I was going to wrap up my theme of the week in this post, but since I’m already wrapping up the week I’ll wait until next week. A little suspense is good for the soul.
What about you?
What has been hard, fun and beautiful in your life? I’ll see you in the comment section.
* Are you on Twitter? Then check me out at @workhappynow. I give stress relief tips, happiness ideas, and thought provoking quotes.
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