Work Smart Live Smart with Beverly Beuermann-King

EP 875 – Get A New Name

Do you know who Dianne Belmont was? I think that she was a comedic genius. Still not sure?
Dianne later became known as Lucille Ball.  

Have you ever wished you were given a different name by your parents?

If so, today is the day, as it is Get A Different Name Day. If you could, what new name would you give yourself?

In some religions they have or had a practice or ceremony during which you selected a new name. Sometimes taking a new name is a case of a celebration, such as getting married. Some actors or musicians choose a new stage name, especially if they had a hard to pronounce name.

Taking on a new name can help affirm a new identity, like when transitioning from one gender to another. It’s all about getting a fresh start, and that’s what Get A Different Name Day is about!

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Get A Different Name Day:

If you are not seriously looking for a new name, have fun with a different name anyways, just for today.

Choose a character from a movie or TV show or from folk lore and post it on your social media to let your friends and family know about this new or hidden identity

Are you a Sheldon Cooper, a Zena Warrior Princess, Taz for Tasmanian Devil, or a Lucy because of your sense of humor?

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

EP 874 - Are You A Successful Leader?

Though everyone may want something unique from their job, there are some common things that employees want their job to provide.

Employees want to gain a sense of confidence, competence and control.

What motivates employees is having interesting work that challenges them, along with increased responsibility, autonomy, and recognition for a job well done. These motivating factors fill our need for growth and achievement, and bring about long-term happiness and fulfillment.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Leadership Success Day:

Successful leaders build confidence, competence and control by treating their employees with respect and by giving positive recognition for performance and dedication.

Successful leaders focus on building two-way trust within the organization.

When employees feel that they are trusted and respected, they will share issues openly and are more productive and creative. They are more likely to develop meaningful relationships and take pride in contributing their skills and abilities. All of this increases overall confidence, competence and control.

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

EP 873 - Do Your Best To Be Electrific Today

Electrific. I have no idea what this word means, but isn’t it a great word’  When I hear it, I think of great, terrific, electrifying, bubbly, energizing…..

How can you be electrific?

Often, we find ourselves just going through the motions.  Days run into each other.  Life can become boring and stagnant.

If we don’t purposefully attack each day, we can become anything but electrific.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Electrific Day

Share a smile with those around you.  Greet your family the way you wish to be greeted

Do something fun – just because

Say thank you to your co-workers, to your boss, to your spouse

Think of something positive to say to each person that you connect with today

Get plenty of sleep so that the energy you have bubbles out from you

Wear something bright to pick you up from the winter blahs

Do your best to be electrific 🙂

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

EP 872 – Connectedness Matters

Did you know that people with few ties to others had 2 to 5 times the death rate as those who had more ties?

Support and connectedness can be a powerful tool in preventing illness by acting as a buffer to the effects of stress. We benefit from the emotional support of a community during difficult times.

Connectedness is so important to our overall well-being that workplaces are also recognizing the value of support to the success of their organization.

It is unfortunate that the busier we become, the easier it is to let our existing friendships go by the way-side, let alone develop new connections.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating International Friendship Week:

Look up. Smile and say hello to those around you

Try to connect with your co-workers about things other than the task at hand

Participate in social programs

Call, text, or email those friends that you have lost touch with

Connectedness and group involvement have exceptional powers in decreasing our stress, if we venture to put ourselves ‘out there’.

Looking for resources to build your resiliency?
Check out my Live Smart blog at worksmartlivesmart.com

EP 871 – Read In The Bathtub To Help Relax

CEO Jeff Bezos admits that he reads in his bathtub. He takes a one-gallon Ziploc bag, and puts his e-reader inside it. Book in hand…safe and sound.

An interesting way to combine two popular stress-relieving past-times. I am not sure that I am co-ordinated enough to master this even with a Ziploc bag.

Bathtubs are the picture-perfect scene to the end of a hard day for many people. I have trouble sitting in a tub. I don’t find it very relaxing and my mind usually wonders off to what else needs to be done.

Part of the S-O-S Principle that I developed involves finding strategies that get your mind off of the stressful situation. The key is to find something that works for you.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating National Read In The Tub Day:

If you have trouble slowing down to relax, ask yourself why. Are you too caught up in what needs to be done next’ Keep the superhuman syndrome in check – we need to take time to take care of ourselves.

If the bathtub or a good book don’t do it for you, find something else that does. Find something that changes the speed, changes your focus and helps to renew your energy.

If you are still willing to try the book and bathtub combo to relax, start with a magazine or book that doesn’t matter if it gets wet.

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

EP 870 – Does Your Employer Care

A study found that 20% of workers felt that their employer didn’t care about them. Imagine what that would look like in your organization. What impact do you think that this would have on productivity and engagement?

Quality leaders are aware of the value of recognition. During Leadership Week, I encourage supervisors, managers, directors and the C-Suite to look closely at the relationship that that they have with their employees. A poor relationship – one in which employees feel powerless, uninformed, disrespected, used and stressed – will lead to high rates of heart and cardiovascular problems, anxiety, depression, and alcohol and drug use. It can also leave the company with higher rates of absenteeism, lowered productivity, higher rates of job turnover and more difficulty in attracting and retaining high quality workers.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating International Leadership Week:

Quality relationships take time to develop. They require that leaders allow for participation in decision-making, provide information and support on stress, develop support strategies between team members and that the leader ensures the proper resources are available to get the job done.

Challenge yourself to evaluate your leadership skills. Would your team consider you a quality leader?

Want to check out more health and wellness related celebrations?
Visit my wellness calendars under the resources and courses tab at worksmartlivesmart.com

EP 869 – Refuse Shame

Accept Yourself. Accept Your Body. Celebrate Yourself. Celebrate Your Body.

Fact #1 Eating Disorders affect people of all gender, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic class, ability, race, and ethnic background.

Fact #2 Eating disorders are not choices, but seriously biologically influenced mental illnesses and need to be treated as life threatening conditions

Fact #3 You can’t tell by looking at someone whether they have an eating disorder.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Bringing Awareness To Eating Disorder Week:

Whether you're a parent concerned for a child, a friend or someone who just wants to make a difference, there are many ways to shine a spotlight on eating disorders to help those in need and celebrate people who have made a recovery.

Find ways to show your support. US News & World Report recommends:

Be honest: Tell the person you're concerned about his or her health.

Be sincere: Compliment the person on their intrinsic qualities – like their ability to make people laugh or their ability to work as a team player.

Be caring, but firm: Let them know that you care and want to help in the recovery process.

For more tips on how to Promote Mental Illness Awareness check out my website at worksmartlivesmart.com under the Resources and Courses tab

EP 868 – Caring With Compliments

They are free, easy to give and receive.

They make people happy.

They make you happy.

If you are having one of those days, you can shift your attention from all the things going wrong in your day and put it on making someone else’s day a little sunnier by paying them a compliment.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Pay A Compliment Day:

Celebrating today is so easy to do.

All you have to do is find something nice to say about someone and say it to them!

If they are not around tell others how great that person is.

Watch how they light up when they hear the compliment.

What a difference you will make in their life and your own.

We all have a desire to be acknowledged. When someone else notices even the slightest thing about us, it can boost our self-esteem, motivation and happiness.

Small acts of kindness go a long way these days.

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

EP 867 – How Not To Be Exposed

Last week we celebrated Have Fun At Work Day and today is Working Naked Day. Well…I guess this is one way to have more fun at work. I think that working naked is more for those of us who work alone and at home…with no chance of a customer dropping in. In fact, a recent study found that 1 in 8 male teleworkers and 1 in 14 female teleworkers actually work naked.

Some suggest that working naked, means that you work alone, without the support of a corporate group around you. If this is the case, I guess I do work naked. Being in business for yourself means that you have to push your limits, test new waters and find new paths. Without supporters around you, you can feel exposed and vulnerable.

Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Working Naked Day:

If you are literally going to work naked today, it is best to ensure that no one else is around. It is very difficult to use the celebration as a line of defense with your boss.

If you are an entrepreneur, working alone, celebrate that you have courage. Though many wish to work for themselves, it takes true courage to actually go out on your own and sink or swim on your own merits.

Minimize your exposure. Surround yourself with those who will cheer you on, give you honest feedback, pick you up, dust you off and send you back out.

Looking for more tips to build your resiliency?
Look for my book on Amazon called Stress Out. 52 Weeks To Letting More Life In

EP 866 - Do You Have A Hobby

With many of us today riding on the roller coaster of life, it is incredibly important to have activities that help to slow the pace, regulate our rhythm in life and add a sense of fun. Hobbies can provide many hours of relief from stress and worry.  A hobby can boost creativity, self esteem, passion, pleasure and accomplishments. Hobbies have no deadlines, no rules and no pressure to be successful.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating National Hobby Month:

Adopt a hobby that you can have fun at and that you look forward to doing. You don’t have to be great or perfect – you don’t even have to be good. The most important part is enjoying it just because.

Here are a couple of my favourites:

Gardening can be a great stress reliever for many reasons, including getting you into the sunshine and fresh air and creating more beautiful surroundings to come home to.

Whether you take pictures of your friends, family, or nature, photography can be a great hobby. Seeing the world through the lens of a camera may help you to see things from an entirely different perspective.

Reading opens a window to the world; giving us a vision of things we never dreamed possible. When you curl up with a good book, you put the rest of the world at bay.

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EP 865 – Foiling The February Blahs

I am really glad that February is the shortest month of the year, as it always seems tough to get through. I often get hit with the blahs during this time. Sometimes it is because of the busyness around me and sometimes it is weather related. Sometimes it is both.

Have you ever been caught up in the blahs and you aren’t sure that things are going to ever pick back up? Do you worry that you may feel this way forever?

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating National Blah Buster Month:

Getting together with a friend is a sure way to put the blahs at bay. Social connections ground us.

Declutter Your Closet. Go through your clothes and pull out the things you no longer wear. Donate those items. Organizing and Decluttering open up space in our environment and our minds.

Get Active. Exercise is a mood enhancer and will naturally lift your spirits.

Go to the light. I often get caught staying indoors during this month, but the more I get outside the better I feel.

Finally, try something new. A new activity. A new recipe. A new technology. All of these can increase your brain’s plasticity and add a bit of a spark to a tough month.

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.

EP 864 – Self-Care Is Like Oxygen

Have you found that when your plate is overloaded with work and family responsibilities, or when you are in a professional, financial, or relationship crisis, your self-care tends to fly out the window?

For some of us, self-care is a luxury that we feel that can not afford to indulge in. There is a quote that I like that says, “How thin can I spread myself before I no longer exist’”

Self-renewal is about transforming yourself. It can give you a fresh take on life. You feel better and more able, more competent and more effective. Self-care is like oxygen. It is essential in order to live a balanced and fulfilled life. If grit is what keeps you going, and resilience is what picks you up, self- renewal is what helps you stay energized.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Self-Renewal Day:

Tip #1 Do A Body Scan. As soon as you wake, ask yourself, “Physically, emotionally, or spiritually, what do I really need to focus on today’” Self-renewing activities include looking after your well-being.

Tip #2 Find Your Tribe. “Build your support network,” When we gather together to “tend and befriend,” our body releases more of the stress-reducing hormone, oxytocin. This makes us feel more hopeful, grateful and resilient.

Looking for resources to build your resiliency?
Check out my Live Smart blog at worksmartlivesmart.com

EP 863 – SOB Spunky Old Broads

Have you met any S.O.B’s lately?  I mean the good kind.  The feisty, spirited ones kindly referred to as, Spunky Old Broads.

These are the ladies who live life to the fullest, regardless of their circumstances.  They have learned to push forward, find humour and share their spirit with those around them.

I’ve been fortunate to meet some very Spunky ladies – Liked my mom’s cousin Linda, who makes me laugh every time I see her, Virginia who ran her first marathon at the age of 50 and who shared her message of hope with those who were also dealing with severe depression, and Shelle who travels the world for business and still takes the time to make me laugh and be my mentor.

SOB Month celebrates all women over 50, who believe it is never too late to live your dream, be who you want to be, and create and do whatever you want to do.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Spunky Old Broads Month:

I want to be a spunky old broad.  I’m not there yet.  For me, I take things way too seriously and I fret about the little things.  But I believe that it is never too late to learn something new, try something different and strive for all that life has to offer.  So I am going to remind myself to let go and laugh a little more and maybe one day I will be known as a SOB.

Looking for more tips to build your resiliency?

Look for my book on Amazon called Stress Out. 52 Weeks To Letting More Life In.

EP 862 - Take Back Your Time

Does time just slip away from you?

Take Back Your Time is an initiative to challenge this epidemic of time stress.

Studies show that Time Stress threatens our:

Health. It can lead to fatigue, accidents and injuries.

It can threaten our Relationships. As we find less time for each other, our ability to connect, empathize and communicate is impaired.

Preventing illness, slowing down the aging process and living life to the fullest – these are a few of the reasons that we are craving a healthier, more balanced lifestyle. 

So here are Today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Take Back Your Time Week:

Take control of your time by learning how to say no. Say no to things that are outside of your priority. Say no to working late, especially if it is self-imposed.
Say no to extra activities, if you are feeling stretched to thin.
Saying no now, does not mean that it will be a no forever.
When you feel like it is a priority and you have the time to dedicate to the activity without compromising yourself, then it is okay to say yes.

Finally, be realistic with your time. Don’t get caught up in activities that suck away your time, without purposefully scheduling for them. Email, social media and meetings are notorious for eating up more time that we imagine.

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

EP 861– Do You Enjoy The Outdoors

We know that we are not active enough, especially during the winter months. It is cold. It is dark. And did I mention that it is cold?

Did you know that 63% of us are not active enough to achieve the health benefits they need from physical activity.

Did you also know that research shows that as much as one half of the functional decline between the ages of 30 and 70 is due not to aging itself, but to an inactive way of life.

Consider this:

We are awake about 13-18 hours a day, but we only have to be active for one hour and that 60 minutes of activity doesn’t have to be done all at once.

So here are Today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Take A Walk Outdoors Day:

Take advantage of the outdoors, dress your children warmly, get them outside and keep them moving.  Besides just taking a walk, some good winter fun can include: ice skating, tobogganing, and hiking.

At work, get active by taking a “walking” meeting or taking a brisk walk before lunch for about 10 minutes.

Keep track of your active and inactive time.  Awareness is the first step to going from inactive to active.

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

EP 860 – Fun At Work

“Blessed is the person who can have fun while being productive.”

Really, isn’t that what it is all about. Enjoying what you do.

Some people have fun actually doing their jobs. They get a kick out of creating or solving. Some people create fun while they are doing their job by connecting with the people that they work with.

Our research shows that those who have fun at work are more engaged, more productive and are healthier. It is in a company’s best interest then to build more fun into the workplace.

So here are Today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Fun At Work Day:

Create a special theme for the day – decorate, dress up

Bring food to share – tie it to your theme

Share the jokes of the day – or list the best excuses for the day

Set up team challenges

Any job can be transformed. It is how you look at it and the fun that you build around it.

According to one philosopher, the supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.

Looking for more tips to build your resiliency? Look for my book on Amazon called Stress Out. 52 Weeks To Letting More Life In

EP 859 – Let’s Talk

Mental illness is a very common form of human pain and suffering. One of the biggest hurdles for anyone suffering from mental illness is overcoming the stigma attached to it. This stigma brings about isolation and prevents people from getting the help that they need.

So here are Today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Let’s Talk Day:

Language matters. Watch the words that you use that may colour the way we see mental health issues.

Simple kindness can make a world of a difference. Whether it be a smile, being a good listener or an invitation for a chat over coffee, these simple acts of kindness can let someone know you’re there for them.

Break the Silence. Two out of three people suffer in silence, fearing judgement and rejection. Being open to a conversation is the first step towards eliminating the stigma.

When it comes to mental illness, education is key. Having the right tools, knowing the right words to use and understanding how to correctly speak with someone experiencing a mental illness can make all the difference.

You are not alone. There are resources available to help you to feel more competent in providing this support. Check out my on-line courses at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.

EP 858 – Supportive Conversations

"I never realized how prevalent Depression is in society...Very sad. We need to do more to combat this issue."

This was the feedback that I received after delivering a webinar to a group of leaders. 

A person who is dealing with Depression spends an incredible amount of energy trying to keep their world together and hide that they are struggling. 

When you address the issues and offer support and information, you show that you value them and that they don't have to be alone in dealing with this issue.

So here are Today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Reducing Stigma:

Depression is complicated and it is not an easy road for someone who is experiencing it.  Time does not just 'fix' the person like it does for someone who has a broken arm. Time often sees the person's ability to cope degrade even further.  Early detection and intervention help the person regain their life more quickly and with fewer negative impacts.

Approach your colleague in a caring and supportive way.  This will carry into the conversation and your colleague will be more likely to trust and open up to you.

Identify what you have noticed, especially how it is impacting their ability to perform at work.  Be specific.

 Leaders are in a unique position of being able to lessen the anguish of mental illness through supportive workplace conversations.  These conversations are difficult and emotional, but absolutely necessary, to ensure that our colleagues are not struggling on their own and that they do not fall through the cracks of an imperfect mental health system.  Start the conversation with everyone in your workplace.  Provide opportunities to educate and discuss the issues surrounding mental illness by offering workshops, lunch 'n' learns, pamphlets and other reading materials to your leaders and colleagues.  It is only through these positive and supportive conversations that we can ensure that everyone gets the help and supports that they need to get back to being happy and successful.

You are not alone. There are resources available to help you to feel more competent in providing this support. Check out my on-line courses at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.

EP 857 – Connecting With Your Spouse

Have you ever been in a good mood, and then one conversation with your spouse can turn your mood around?
Research shows that moods and emotions are highly contagious.

We can literally catch each others’ emotions like viruses, a phenomenon known as emotional contagion.

I love my spouse and hopefully, if you have one, you can say that too.

However, the mood I bring to the home and that he brings home affects our conversations and connections with each other.

Research has found that wives were not affected significantly by their spouse’s stress. Husbands, however, experienced lower marital satisfaction when their wives reported higher stress.

So here are Today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Spouse’s Day:

Self-awareness is the first step toward bringing moods under control so that they don’t continually impact your relationships.

Make an effort to enter into a conversation in an upbeat frame of mind.  Change your routines if you are irritated by the rush-hour traffic.

Watch your body language. Research has shown that when people are trying to “read” someone’s mood they rely heavily on that person’s body language for cues. So make sure your posture, gestures, and facial expressions send the right signals.

Be proactive about managing your moods. Learn a few stress-management techniques that may help you avoid negative moods altogether. Mood lifters may also include talking to a funny friend, listening to music, or going for a walk.

Take care of your health. Bad moods can have physical causes, including hunger, fatigue, and pain. Build your resiliency to buffer yourself against these.

Remember that emotions are contagious and your relationships are precious.

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.

EP 856 – Are You Feeling Blue

It is Blue Monday….the most depressing day of the year.

The date was calculated by using many factors, including: weather conditions, debt level, time since Christmas, time since failing our new year’s resolutions, low motivational levels and feeling of a need to take action.

This isn’t a scientifically true formula, but it does point out several things that we already know.  Our stress levels are impacted by many things such as negative weather conditions, lack of finances, unrealistic expectations and unmet goals.  If all of these things come to a head at the same time, it certainly can make for a stressful or depressing time in our life.

So here are Today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Blue Monday:

Get outside. Go for a walk.  Even if it is a snowy, winter’s day, the benefits of getting a light break, beat staying indoors and moping around.

Turn today into a celebration.  Plan special activities at work or going out with friends. 

Start planning a vacation.  Even just looking at beautiful vacation pictures has a positive impact on our mood.

Know though, that sometimes, it is okay to indulge in the blues.  Wrap up in a cozy blanket, turn on that sappy movie, and let all of your emotions flow out.

If you think that you have moved beyond the blues, talk to your doctor.  Seasonal Affective Disorders and Depression are serious and can spiral out of control quickly.  The sooner you do, the better.

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