Work Smart Live Smart with Beverly Beuermann-King

EP 1226 - 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 1225 – Curmudgeon

According to the Dictionary a curmudgeon can refer to a mood or someone’s whole personality.

Curmudgeons Day is a day to celebrate the cranky people in our lives or a day to allow the cranky person in us to have a day out in the sunshine. It is also a celebration of WC Field who prided himself on being a real curmudgeon.

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

Take stock of what usually brings about your curmudgeonly side. Knowing this can help you to develop strategies to not bring that mood to your workplace.

Sometimes it is okay to allow yourself a day to be cranky. Doing so can help you to move past these feelings and start to see the world in a more positive light.

Don’t let the crankiness of someone else bring you down. Find ways to buffer yourself against their negativity. Try to show them kindness. Buy a cup of coffee for that co-worker who never seems to have a good day.  Maybe, an act of kindness can change that person’s whole world.

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

EP 1224 – 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

EP1223 – Vanquishing Vacation Stress

You have one hour to get to the airport, but you find yourself still stressing out about what clothes to pack and where you’ve hidden the sunscreen.

Stop letting the vacation stress get to you, start breathing, and focus on the next step. If you don’t, you’ll be running around like the proverbial ‘chicken with your head cut off’ and it’ll only get worse.

Vacations are to great to restore resiliency. They can be rejuvenating, but they require planning

So here are Today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating National Plan For Vacation Day:

There is no such thing as the perfect vacation, the first step is to pick and choose your activities wisely. Choose activities that meet with your particular goals. Is your upcoming vacation for relaxation, celebration or relationship renewal’

Remember to plan for when you return home. Ease into and out of vacation mode. There is nothing worse than a person returning from their vacation saying they need a vacation from their vacation.

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 1222 – 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 1221 – Opposites

Did you ever play ‘Opposites’ in school? Any time you were asked a question you had to give the opposite answer. You wore your clothes the opposite way around, and you ate your lunch in the opposite order.

Opposite day is a day to have fun and be silly. Especially as you kick it back up into high gear after summer vacations. Some celebrate Opposite Day a month after Christmas, other’s today…the idea is just to add some fun to your life.

Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Opposite Day:

Adults can get in on this silly holiday.

Try having dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner.

Eat, write and use your mouse with your non-dominate hand.

If you are the super achiever, ask for help.

If you are a procrastinator, try getting the tough stuff done first.

Flip that button-down shirt around and wear opposite coloured socks and shoes.

Just be sure to let your family, friends and colleagues know that you are celebrating Opposite Day. Otherwise, it could get very confusing for everyone around you.

Have a great day. Sorry, I mean hello, how are you?

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 1220 – Belly Laugh For Health

Author CW Metcalfe, writes that Humour can help you thrive in change, remain creative under pressure, work more effectively, play more enthusiastically, and stay healthier in the process.

It has been shown that a big old belly laugh, reduces physical and emotional tension for as long as 45 minutes. The heartier, the more relaxing it is and the longer the positive effect.

A good belly laugh can stimulate your internal organs, increase your circulation, raise the level of oxygen in the blood and boost the immune system. A group of researchers found that laughing boisterously 100 times a day will give you the same impact as 10 minutes of rowing or 15 minutes on an exercise bike.

Studies show that those who are able to laugh at work are more productive and less distracted than their humourless counterparts.

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

Find funny friends and co-workers who can make you laugh.

Develop a Humour First-Aid Kit and fill it with your favourite jokes, clippings, and stories

Watch funny TV programs, movies and videos

Being able to laugh about our situation and ourselves helps us to release the tension, regain our perspective, accept that which we cannot change and experience joy. Not only that, but, it also gives us the physical energy and mental resilience needed to survive.

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 1219 – 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 1218 – Sticks and Stones

Words Hurt. Name Calling is a form of Emotional Abuse.

Many of us have worked for or with someone who was emotionally abusive. According to research from  Employment Law Alliance, 45% of us reported being abused in the office.

People who are the target of emotional abuse are made to feel insignificant and incapable.

So here are Today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Bringing Awareness To No Name Calling Week:

There is a thin line between joking around and causing harm to each other in the office. Nicknames are bound to pop up in the office. But once the name calling is unwanted and based on gender, sexuality, or ability, it's no longer a friendly exchange.

If we are bullied, we might think it's because we are not a good worker, or perhaps not a good person. In other words, we start to believe what the bully is saying about us. We start to blame ourselves.

Don't give in to the lie.

Document your experience. If you don't keep track of what is happening, then, in the eyes of the law, it didn't happen.

One of the bully's tactics will be to isolate you from fellow workers. Keep your relationships with co-workers as strong as you can.

Let them know what is going on and let them know that you need support during this time.

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

EP 1217 – Sugary Sweet

Could you go with out eating refined sugar for even one day?

Eating well and maintaining energy throughout the day can be a difficult feat in today’s busy workplaces.  When we are time pressured, we tend to make poor nutritional choices.  Often, we skip lunch and grab for a soft drink, cup of caffeine or an energy drink to keep us going. 

These poor food choices can promote obesity, illness and negatively impact productivity. 

Companies are looking for simple ways to promote health and support healthier nutrition. 

Some are adding vending machines that have more healthy choices and others have taken a harsher stance and eliminated the “pop and chip” machines altogether. 

Some company cafeterias have added a premium fee to “fast food” items or subsidized healthy meals and snacks. 

So here are Today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Sugar Awareness Week:

Examining the nutritional needs and habits of your employees, makes good business sense.  When designing your workplace wellness program, look for ways to educate, support behaviour changes and promote a healthier environment. 

The results may not just be reduced waist sizes and decreased benefits usage, but more engaged and productive employees.

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

EP 1216 – 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 1215 – Hows Your Memory

1-519-527…….

I use to be able to remember my friends birthdays, their phone numbers and the good times that we had together. Now, I find myself forgetting even my family’s birth dates, their phone numbers and who I met yesterday.

I blame it on aging, but in reality, it is not really so much about aging, as it is about being so busy that I don’t take the time to file the information away.

So here are Today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency Celebrating Good Memory Day:

A good memory is nurtured by a healthy, common sense lifestyle. This requires a healthy body, mind and spirit.

Participate in activities that stimulate your brain, such as reading, crossword puzzles, playing cards, and other mental exercises.

Be social. Maintaining a network of friends will increase your overall level of brain stimulation.

Exercise daily. Physical activity significantly lessens the chance of cardiovascular complications that could cause dementia.

Manage stress through techniques such as relaxation, meditation and yoga.

Finally, Find a healthy work-life balance. Learn to slow down and be in the moment.

One of our biggest fears as we age is losing our memory. By taking care of ourselves and by learning to slow the chaos down, we allow our brains to access our memories more effectively and efficiently.

By The Way…Good Memory Day was two days ago!

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

EP 1214 – The Hunt For Happiness

Happiness, for some can seem like an elusive dream and for others it is a constant reality. The difference is a mindset that looks for the best in a given situation.

If we spend our time waiting for life to be perfect…the children are polite and well behaved…there is enough money in our savings account and retirement fund…the renovations are finished…we have the right job…we have the best partner… we may be waiting for a very long time and we may be disappointed that happiness doesn’t seem to come our way.

True happiness is not putting a smile on our face and saying that everything is great, but it is problem solving the difficult situations and looking for the things in our life that are going well. In the workshops that I deliver, we talk about looking for the awesome. What are the cools things that are around us everyday that often we miss because we spend too much of our time looking for the things that are not quite right’

So here are Today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Hunt For Happiness Week:

Look for the awesome

Be thankful for the things that are true blessings in your life

And understand that you have the final say in your own happiness

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

EP1213 – 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

EP 1212 – Life Balance

It is a gorgeous July morning. I have finished watering my newly planted grass seed and now it is time to focus on my business. I am finally feeling like my life is in balance.

This was a reflection on life that I had several years ago.  It didn’t mean that my life wasn’t chaotic, but I was feeling satisfied with the time and energy that I was spending on the various aspects of my life.

Sometimes my ‘balance’ lasts for a long time, other times, that balance is fleeting. Balance to me, does not mean equal. Balance means satisfaction.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Life Balance Month:

My First Strategy is the belief that I have a purpose in this world and that this world has a purpose.

Second, is being comfortable with who I am. I am not superhuman. I try my best to take care of myself. My family and my business need me to function.

Third, I enjoy the little things and look for the awesome.  In my reflection above, my day started outside, watering and weeding. For me, this is nature at its most glorious and it helps to ground and center me.

Each day I experience different challenges, but these beliefs keep me satisfied with where I am going. How do you create more satisfaction and balance in your life?

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 1211 – It’s Time To Get Organized

How we organize our self can either help or hinder us in the way that we deal with stress. Clutter can add more chaos. But, being too worried that everything is in its place can stop us from being productive and creative as well. Your personal organization should help you to move forward, give you a sense of control over your space and help to decrease the stress that you feel.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Get Organized Month:

Try cleaning off your desk and see if you notice stress relief from being more organized and neater.

Purge periodically – it takes time but gives you more space and you may find that it can trigger your creative juices.

Use baskets to gather project materials together, unread magazines/journals/computer accessories etc

Ensure that you have enough desk area to work comfortably

Don’t touch junk mail more than once – do something with it or throw it in the recycle box

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

Don’t forget that you can find more tips for coping with mental health issues, by checking out my Live Smart blog at worksmartlivesmart.com.

EP 1210 - Find a mentor. Be a mentor.

A successful mentor is someone who sees how remarkable you can be and constantly holds that image for you.

We all need someone to hold that mirror for us – And we need to be able to hold that mirror for someone else.

Who can you reach out to for that boost and who around you could use that lift?

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating National Mentoring Month:

Mentoring is a learning relationship where someone more experienced puts time and energy into a less experienced person’s development. Successful mentors know that they need to focus on nurturing the person, not just performance. Since mentees may be reluctant to expose their shortcomings to a superior, the mentor needs to demonstrate it’s safe to do so.

The strongest relationships are based on mutual respect and as a mentor, you don’t just want to be a solution provider.  Discern when it is appropriate to offer a direct answer versus when it’s better to coach a mentee through their question or problem.

As a mentee, clarify your goals: explain to your mentor what you want from your career, and from mentoring.

Strong mentoring programs not only provide support for new hires but also help create an open, inviting culture that emboldens all workers to contribute their ideas for improving the company.

Don’t forget that you can find more tips for coping with mental health issues, by checking out my Live Smart blog at worksmartlivesmart.com

EP 1209 – How To Make Your Dreams Come True

We would all love a magic lamp or a fairy godmother to make our dreams come true.  But in their absence, it is up to us to make our dreams come true.  This requires effort on our part.  Not just wishful thinking, but hard work and intention.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Make Your Dreams Come True Day:

Create your dream list.  Write it down.  Put it into pictures.  Make a Dream Board.  This makes it real and more likely to come true than if your dreams stay locked up inside your head.

Decide what steps or actions you need to take to make these dreams come true. 

Watch out for negative self-talk, and fears that can sabotage you before you even start. 

Bronnie Ware is an Australian nurse who spent several years working in palliative care, recording her patient’s epiphanies.  Here were the top five wishes of those patients:

The wish that they had the courage to live a life true to them self, not the life others expected of them.

The wish that they had not worked so hard.

The wish that they had the courage to express their feelings.

The wish that they had stayed in touch with their friends.

The wish that they had let them self be happier.

 So what are YOU going to do TODAY to move closer to making your dreams a reality?

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 1208 - What You Need To Stay Safe

I have been taking karate for quite a few years now.  I’m a second-degree black belt, so not quite a beginner.  It takes lots of hard practice to get this far…yet I am pretty sure that I would still have a great deal of trouble using it against an attacker, especially one with any size behind them.

Early in my university years and again when I was working within a college, I took a couple of basic self-defence courses.  They did two things. They enhanced my awareness of the dangers and gave me ideas for options that I could use.  They were definitely worthwhile.

Fear is powerful.  And so it should be.  Fear keeps us on our toes.  It warns us to not be in dangerous situations.  Even the best karate move is not to be there when the attack comes in.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Personal Self-Defense Month

Consider your answers to these questions.

Do you know what to do if someone grabs you? If not, you may need to take a course on basic self-defence strategies

Are you aware of your surroundings? Don’t become complacent, even in familiar situations.

Are you confident in yourself and do you carry yourself in a confident way? Learn how to walk with confidence. This can be the difference of a potential attacker thinking that you are an easy target and them moving on to the next person.

Take your personal safety seriously.  Be prepared.  Be Aware.  Look like you know what you are doing.

Want to find more strategies to coping with stress? Check out my website at worksmartlivesmart.com

EP 1207 – Wear Your Milk Moustache Today!

Have you worn a milk moustache today? January 11th is milk day, the anniversary of milk being first delivered in glass bottles.

I grew up on a dairy farm. Milk was a part of every meal.  I can still remember my dad skimming the cream off the milk for his cereal and the first time I stayed with my aunt who ‘bought’ her milk from the store, and thinking that it was so watery.  Nothing at all, like what I was used to.

Even after 7000 years of drinking it, milk is still very controversial. Many say we need it for bone growth, but there are those who say we shouldn’t drink it, as it can increase our risk for certain diseases.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Milk Day:

Watch what you drink.  Add more water and milk to your diet as opposed to pop and other sugary drinks. Studies show that kids and adults who drink milk are less likely to consume sugary drinks which add no nutritional value to their diet.

If you are having trouble sleeping, try a cup of warm milk.  The chemicals in milk, along with the warmth of the drink, can help to produce that sleepy feeling.

So to honour my dad and brother, here is a little milk day humour…..

Q: What did the farmer call the cow that had no milk?

A: An udder failure.

Don’t forget that you can find more tips for promoting health, by checking out my Live Smart blog at worksmartlivesmart.com