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Honoring Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Jaclyn Baker

May is a time to honor and recognize the achievements in past generations of Asian American and Pacific Islanders throughout history. During this month, we remember the lives of many through the numerous stories either told from loved ones or written down in the textbooks we read. 

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is about celebrating the contributions and influences made in the past that have paved the way for our future. It’s important to acknowledge and understand those who have come before us whether it’s through watching a documentary, reading a nonfiction book, or having an open discussion with friends. To learn more about the history and culture, you can also attend online panels and listen to knowledge passed down from key speakers. 

Get involved this month by signing up for online events hosted by the Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, and much more. You can learn more by visiting asianpacificheritage.gov. 

Be the Change

Darcy Knight

 

In remembrance of George Floyd and the hundreds of other people of color that have died during interactions with police, we wanted to share this message from former President Obama as he recognizes the struggle while still looking for the hope.  We have made strides, AND there is still a lot of work to be done.  Let’s continue to work together to do our part to bring about systemic change.

 

“George Floyd was murdered one year ago today. Since then, hundreds more Americans have died in encounters with police—parents, sons, daughters, friends taken from us far too soon, but the last year has also given us reasons to hope. Today, more people in more places are seeing the world more clearly than they did a year ago, it’s a tribute to all those who decided that this time would be different—and that they, in their own ways, would help make it different.”

If you want to find ways to take action, there are some good resources here

 

Happy & Healthy Relationship Habits

Jaclyn Baker
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Every couple is unique, but when it comes to maintaining a healthy and happy relationship, some factors do overlap.

Letting Conversation Flow

Open communication is an important part of any relationship. It all comes down to feeling comfortable talking about anything and everything.

Being able to openly talk about light and heavy topics can help you learn about one another on a deeper level. 

It’s all about keeping the communication lines open and not holding anything back. 

Laughter

Amongst mutual respect and acceptance, laughter can help make a couple stronger. Many years from now, you may not remember every activity you and your partner did together, but you will remember the laughter. 

Listening

Everyone deserves to feel heard and seen – and your partner is no exception. 

Paying attention to the small details can make the biggest difference. 

Authentically wanting to listen to your partner is one of the many ways you can show them you care. You may not always see eye to eye, and that’s okay. All you can do is listen and be there. 

Creating a Sense of Comfort 

Being able to relax and be yourself around your partner is so important. You should always stay true to who you are and do what makes you happy. There is only one you, and you should never feel like you have to change your interests, ideas or values to please someone else.

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Feeling Drained? Here’s How to Recover

Jaclyn Baker
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Have you ever had one of those days where you came home feeling completely drained and all you wanted to go to bed?

We all have those days where we feel overtired – but too much of anything isn’t healthy. If you constantly feel drained or experience a lack of energy, you may be experiencing burnout.

If you’re ready to say goodbye to those feelings, keep on reading…

Let Your Body Rest

The next time you catch your motivation and energy levels declining, don’t ignore it! The longer you ignore those feelings the more intense they will become. 

Instead, check in with your body. 

Ask yourself what you think your body needs at that moment and respect that. 

Don’t be afraid to put yourself first – even if that means skipping an event or going to bed a few hours early. 

Pinpoint the Problems

It’s so important to be honest with yourself (even if it’s hard). 

If you feel like a certain activity is too much or not working for you, it’s completely okay to walk away or ask for help. 

Here’s an example. Let’s say you volunteered to take on an extra project at your job because you thought you could handle it.

But after a few days, you realized you underestimated the scope of work.

All of that extra work and pressure can lead to burnout and unnecessary stress.

In those situations, the best thing you can do is be honest with yourself and your team. The sooner you let them know how you feel, the sooner you can come up with a solution together. 

“Remember to take care of yourself. You can’t pour from an empty cup.” – Unknown

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Embracing Change Even When It’s Scary

Jaclyn Baker
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Change can seem scary because of all the unknowns. 

The thing, going out of our way to avoid change will only make it that much harder to grow. 

Mindset Is Key

When something is new, it can be so easy to let our imaginations run wild and immediately jump to waste case scenario thinking. 

Once a seed of doubt is planted, it’s easy to let it bloom in a flurry of anxious thoughts and worries.

You have the power to challenge your worries and change the narrative. Instead of thinking about all the things that may go wrong, think of all the things that may go right. 

Changing your mindset can help put things into perspective. 

Take Control Of The Risks 

Yes, risk-taking can be a little uncomfortable. But it’s part of life. 

With every risk comes reward in any capacity. You either have an excellent experience, or you learned what doesn’t work. It’s a win-win. 

Every new turn is full of opportunity. 

Let Yourself Fall And Get Back Up

Every day may not be smooth sailing, and you may experience a bump or two in the road on your journey. 

It’s okay to fall. You just have to remind yourself to get back up. Every fall has something to teach you. Every setback can also make you stronger and more confident. 

You know what they say. Confidence is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. 

“The art of life is a constant readjustment to our surroundings.” – Kakuzo Okakaura

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Procrastination Can Be Prevented – Here’s How…

Jaclyn Baker
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Even the most well-thought-out projects don’t always turn out as planned, which can bring on anxiety and procrastination. 

It’s interesting. At times just thinking about a task can be more anxiety-provoking than the task itself.

Even though it’s far easier said than done, sometimes the best thing you can do when faced with a difficult task is just jump right in. 

Facing a block in the road doesn’t mean you’ve hit a dead end. All it means is you need to look for a new route.

There Is No Such Thing As a Bad Idea

The next time you’re faced with a challenge, don’t give up. Instead, set some ground rules for yourself. 

Give yourself a time limit to brainstorm as many potential game plans as possible. You can even set a timer if that helps. 

During that time, you can put all your energy into brainstorming instead of worrying.

Once the time is up, you should have a pretty long list of ideas in front of you. 

Now, not every idea on your list may be appropriate for the given situation.

But just because an idea wouldn’t work today doesn’t mean it may not work in the future. 

So often, the initial fear of beginning a project can prolong procrastination. Having a long list of potential game plans can help make starting a little less scary.

Take Short Frequent Breaks

No matter what you’re working on, it’s very important to take breaks. Frequent short breaks can help prevent burnout and keep you motivated.

However, it’s key to ensure that your breaks aren’t too long. Sometimes after a long break, it can be difficult to get back into your creative flow.

Even if you don’t have many ideas at the time, just do what you can. 

“Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.” – Roger Crawford

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Raising Confident Children

Jaclyn Baker
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You can guide your child to believe in themselves and gain confidence by…

Building Self-Esteem Brick by Brick 

None of us are perfect and we all make mistakes. 

Reminding your child that we all fall down can help them embrace and accept their mistakes. 

Paying Attention to Your Words

Be mindful of the phrases you use when you’re around your child – especially the words you say about yourself. 

Here’s an example. 

Let’s say you and your child are in the car, and you accidentally miss your turn.

We’ve done that more times than we can count and understand how frustrating that can be, especially when time is of the essence.

When things like that happen, it’s so easy to say things like…

 “I can’t believe I did that. I take this route every day.” 

Or,

“That was so silly. I should have been paying more attention.”

Events like that happen all the time, and in the future, when your child starts driving, chances are they will miss their turn often as well.

Truth be told, there is a very good chance your child didn’t even notice you missed the turn. The best thing you can do is stay calm and laugh it off. 

Missing your turn isn’t always so bad. You and your little one can spend the extra time playing car games or listening to their favorite radio station. 

Letting Them Figure Things Out on Their Own 

The next time your child is trying to figure something out, don’t rush the process and let them take the wheel. 

As a parent, it’s normal to want to jump in and save the day. But children need to learn how to do things on their own – even if it takes them a while.

Remember how excited you were when you read your first book by yourself or successfully tied your shoes for the first time?

Those milestones are very exciting for children and play a key role in building their confidence.

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3 Secrets to Sleeping Better at Night

Jaclyn Baker
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Ever have one of those nights where you spend more time staring at the ceiling than you do sleeping?

Yes – those nights are not fun.

We all have tough nights from time to time, and that’s okay. But you know what they say. Tomorrow is another day. 

Go Easy On Yourself

When you can’t sleep, it’s so easy to get nervous and start calculating how many hours/minutes you have before your alarm goes off.

Even though it’s much easier said than done, the best thing you can do is try and relax and see where the night takes you.

Even if you don’t end up getting as many hours of shut-eye as you’d like one evening, there is always tomorrow.

Ditch The Devices

Texting, watching a video or reading the news before bed can take a toll on your sleep.

It’s so incredibly easy for time to fly by while texting a friend or playing on your phone. A few minutes of intended before-bed screen time could easily turn into an hour or more. 

On another note, watching or reading something stressful can make it that much harder to relax and unwind. 

If you’ve gotten into the habit of spending time on your phone before bed, that’s quite alright. All you need to do is replace that with another habit.

You practice light stretches, read an easy book or journal. 

Listen to Your Body

Paying attention to the tell-tale signs of tiredness can work wonders for your sleeping patterns. 

If you feel your eyelids starting to get heavy or a yawn coming on a couple of hours before you typically go to bed, don’t try to fight it.

Even if your mind is still awake, lean into what your body is trying to tell you. Get comfortable, lay down and let your muscles relax. 

This technique also works in the opposite direction. 

If one evening you don’t feel tired, respect that. Trying to sleep when you aren’t tired can be very frustrating.

Instead of hopping into bed, you can participate in a relaxing activity until you start feeling tired.

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