There is a lot of information around on the importance of looking after our health, like maintaining a healthy diet and plenty of exercise... Which is all well and good if your aim is just to keep your body healthy. But what about your brain?
From chocolate to coffee and sleep to sharper smarter thinking, join me for an article or three as I share insights, tips and ideas on what it takes to keep your brain operating at full speed, so you can wake up feeling refreshed, happier and healthier every day.
There is a lot of information around on the importance of looking after our health, like maintaining a healthy diet and plenty of exercise... Which is all well and good if your aim is just to keep your body healthy. But what about your brain?
From chocolate to coffee and sleep to sharper smarter thinking, join me for an article or three as I share insights, tips and ideas on what it takes to keep your brain operating at full speed, so you can wake up feeling refreshed, happier and healthier every day.
It’s The International Week of Happiness at Work. Let’s Celebrate!
If you happen to be in Paris, Germany, or the UK you may have noticed one of the 800 screens around reminding you it’s the International Week of Happiness Sept 20th to 26th.
Does this matter?
The trials and tribulations of the modern workplace had been well documented prior to the arrival of the global pandemic. As more businesses gradually return to the office, now it’s time to use the silver lining of flexibility and autonomy to make work, work better.
If you’ve enjoyed working from home, have considered moving to a more rural setting because you feel better, work more effectively and are happier then this is our chance to bring about much needed change to the how we do our work.
Are you a bit of a Grumblebum?
We’re all busy and sometimes we take on too much. Too many projects or too much commitment, and the danger is this can lead to rapidly escalating stress levels, that if not adequately managed trigger negative thoughts and unhelpful behaviours.
You can evict Grumblebum by getting better at recognising your limits, sticking to your boundaries and giving yourself permission to work less.
Life’s too short to have Grumblebums. Let’s have less Grumble and more time for Fun and Play.
There’s no doubt we feel better when we are happier. We smile more, we’re healthier, we live longer, we have a lower risk of anxiety or depression and the world seems a less frightening place.
But happiness on its own isn’t the whole story of what creates a good life. There are so many other emotions available to us that add richness to our experiences because they are all a valuable source of data, helping us to make better sense of what’s happening.
Does nurturing happiness matter?
Yes, but as Sydney J Harris said, “happiness is a direction, not a place.”
Which is why chasing happiness is an illusion. It’s the positive actions we take, big and small that create greater happiness in our life.
And it’s the anticipation of a special event that makes us especially happy.
The level of burnout and mental mood disorders at work has been rising rapidly, exacerbated by Covid. But the underlying problem was present long before we experienced the global pandemic.
A culture of expectation has evolved, where to be seen as committed, hard-working, a high achiever, high performer and successful you would always go the extra distance, working harder and for longer than everyone else. This is no place for slackers or going home on time.
If you’re climbing the corporate ladder, it’s expected you won’t complain about being asked to come in early, stay late, or take home the additional work to finish during the evening or weekend. Especially if you’re the boss leading by example.
It’s expected that you’ll have to make sacrifices. You won’t be able to attend your children’s concert, drama production, sport’s day, speech day or graduation ceremony. You will have to pull out (again) from that long arranged social event, long weekend away with your partner, family holiday or anniversary dinner. Even if you can go, you’ll still have your work mobile phone and laptop in case you need to be contacted, or an urgent meeting requiring your presence is needed.
The worst thing about work addiction is that it is socially sanctioned.
It’s been estimated we spend over one-third of our lives at work. While work provides us with the means to pay the bills and put food on the table, what if we spent more of that time feeling happy?