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Let’s Talk Silver Linings

Jaclyn Baker
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Every event has a silver lining. Sometimes you just have to look for it. Here are 4 silver linings that have come out of the pandemic. 

Family Time

Before the pandemic, most of us would spend the vast majority of our days at work/school, commuting and running errands.

Right now, leaving the house is a very rare event. Now that most of us are working and learning from home, we have so much more free time to spend with our family. 

Families can eat all three meals together seven days a week. 

Siblings can help each other with homework assignments.

And couples can spend more quality one on one time together.

Coronavirus has helped bring so many family members closer together and help deepen relationships. 

Making New Friends

It’s easy to assume that social distancing would only make it harder to connect with friends. But that’s not the case. Not all of us feel comfortable attending large events or hanging out in crowds.  Some people feel more relaxed and natural communicating via video chat or texting.

The pandemic has made it much easier for us to reach out to older friends and even make new ones. 

Comfort + Practically

There’s nothing like having a fully stocked fridge 5 feet away from your workspace. There’s also nothing like working in pyjama pants and slippers every day.

Of course, some people love dressing up and having somewhere to go. But that doesn’t mean they love that every single day. Now, pyjama day is technically every day. 

Professional Development

Networking events are a fantastic way to meet like-minded people and industry professionals. The only downside is, not all networking events take place our backyard.

Virtual networking events have always been around. But they were nowhere near as popular as they are now.  Now, we have the opportunity to virtually network with people all over the world! 

No matter what industry you are in, you can never have too many connections. 

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Positive Outcomes of Divorce

Jaclyn Baker
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Going through a divorce is far from easy. It truly is a loss and can even be traumatic. However, even the most difficult situations have a silver lining.

Here are 4 positive outcomes of divorce.

It’s Liberating:

In life, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.

You don’t have to stay in a relationship that makes you unhappy or brings on stress and anxiety.

We only live one life. You deserve to spend it with people who make you happy and feel like the best version of yourself. 

It’s Hopeful: 

You know what they say. When one door closes, another one opens. Leaving a bad relationship opens up the door for a new and healthy relationship. There are so many people out there in this world, and you never know who you’ll meet. 

You Get Stronger:

You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for.

We all have our own grieving process. It may take weeks, months or even years to recover from a divorce. But things will get better.

Every day you will get stronger. Every day will become easier. 

It Can Benefit The Kids:

It’s normal for couples to stay in unhappy marriages because they think it’s best for the kids. 

However, sometimes divorcing is the best thing you can do for both yourself and the children.

It’s important for parents to model healthy relationship behaviour.

Kids pick up on more details than you may think. Seeing their parents constantly arguing or unhappy can impact them now and later in life.

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The 4 R’s to Managing Stress

Jaclyn Baker
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Ready to learn the 4 R’s to managing stress? Keep on reading to learn more. 

Reject

The first step to successfully managing stress is to eliminate as many stressors as possible. 

Not sure where to begin? Here’s what to do!

Sit down and write out a list of 5 – 10 things that are currently stressing you out.

Once you have your list ready, start brainstorming and see if there is anything you can do to make those situations a little less stressful.

Here’s an example. Let’s say your dishwasher broke, and you’ve been stressing out over all the extra housework. 

You have two choices. You can either do all the dishes yourself, or you can ask for some help. Never be afraid to ask for help when you need it. 

Reframe

Unfortunately, we can’t reject everything that causes us stress.

But we can reframe the events. It all comes down to mindset shifts.

Let’s say driving in heavy traffic really stresses you out. 

Of course, we can try our best to avoid rush hour, but sometimes life doesn’t work that way. 

The next time you are stuck in traffic, instead of feeling stressed, you can take the opportunity to sing along to your favorite radio station or catch up on some podcasts.

Relieve

Next, it’s time to relieve stress.

Sometimes rejecting and refreshing stressful situations isn’t enough. And that’s okay.

There are several healthy activities that can help you relieve stress.

You can go on a walk, take a hot shower, meditate or watch some TV. 

Refresh

Even though we can’t travel right now, there are plenty of ways you can feel refreshed right at home. 

You know yourself better than anyone. Whatever activities tend to relax you, go ahead and do them!

Even going to sleep an hour earlier after a tough day can be very helpful. 

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Secrets to Achieving a Healthy Work-Life Balance

Jaclyn Baker
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Right now, so many of us are either working nonstop or not enough. We all have those days where we work through lunch or lounge around the house for a little too long once in a while. 

But if we aren’t careful those once in a while habits can turn into a daily thing. 

It may take some time, but you have what it takes to work from home successfully. 

Set a Schedule

Have you ever had one of those mornings where you woke up and immediately jumped into work?

Our morning sets the tone for our entire day and starting work right away can be a little overwhelming. A good rule of thumb is to set your alarm around 30 – 60 minutes before your workday begins. That should give you enough time to have breakfast and relax before the work begins. 

Even though you are working from home, you still deserve to have an enjoyable morning routine. 

Stop Replying to Emails After Hours

Have you ever been tempted to reply to just one email at 9 pm?

The thing is, before you know it, that one email can easily turn into five emails.

Just because your office is now at home, doesn’t mean your home is a 24/7 office.

Scheduling phone calls after work hours can cause stress and prevent you from pursuing hobbies and having me-time. You need to set a distinction between working hours and home hours.

Create a Daily Task List

While working at home, it’s easy to become distracted by personal tasks. Writing out a daily task list and prioritizing tasks by order of importance can make your days run much smoother.

Take Your Lunch Seriously

Working through lunch may seem like a good idea at the moment. But that is far from the truth.

Most of us take 30 – 60-minute lunch breaks at the office, there’s no reason lunch breaks at home can’t be the same. If you have a difficult time remembering to eat lunch, feel free to set an alarm.

Lunch is all about breaking up the day and of giving our body the energy needed to keep going.

Say Goodbye to Distractions

We all have our own way of working. Some of us do our best work with a little bit of background noise, while others need complete silence. No one knows the answer to that other than you. 

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Coping With Video Chat Fatigue

Jaclyn Baker
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Since most of us are working from home – it’s not uncommon to spend several hours a week on video calls.

Everything from coordinating the call to dealing with technical difficulties can be exhausting.

Participating in several video conferencing sessions in a row can be stressful and draining. 

The good news is, there are several tips and tricks that can help prevent fatigue and burnout. 

Take Short and Regular Breaks:

Some video conference calls can be as short as ten minutes or as long as 2 hours. 

Two hour-long meetings can take up a lot of brainpower – especially if you’re the one doing the majority of the talking.

Actually, walking away from the screen during a company-wide meeting can feel a little awkward, but there are ways you can work around it.

You can step out of the room for just a few minutes to prepare a cup of coffee or do some light stretching.

You may be surprised how refreshed you’ll feel afterwards. 

Try and Find Other Alternatives:

Now, video chatting is a fantastic way for large teams to connect and bounce ideas off one another. It’s also nice seeing familiar faces – especially while we are stuck at home.

However, video conferencing isn’t always necessary for a quick one on one call.

Life isn’t perfect. Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do. But at the same time, it’s important to listen to your body and give it what it needs within reason.

If you’re having a stressful day, don’t be afraid to ask your co-worker if your Zoom meeting can take place over the phone or via email instead.

It never hurts to ask.

Take a Step Back:

When you’re stressed out or overtired, sometimes the best thing you can do is take a mental health day or pass on a meeting. 

It’s very difficult to do a job and to do it well when you’re burned out or overwhelmed. No one is perfect. No one can do it all. Never feel guilty for taking time for yourself. Learn More

3 Ways Teachers Can Cope With COVID-19 Related Stress

Jaclyn Baker
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If you’re a teacher, this article is for you. COVID-19 has impacted almost all professions in one way or another. Teaching classes online is great – but it isn’t quite the same as being in a classroom and connecting with students.

As you know, teachers do so much more than simply read lesson plans and mark tests.

Teachers keep an eye on their students and watch them grow and thrive.

They are also there to support them and offer guidance. 

Doing all of that isn’t so easy via a computer screen. Especially since it’s difficult to read body language online.

If you’ve been experiencing any stress on the job, keep on reading. 

Pace Yourself

Teaching virtually is a marathon, not a sprint. Of course, it’s normal to want to push yourself in order to give your students the best education possible. But you can’t push yourself too hard. Doing so can lead to burnout, fatigue and stress. 

Just like when we work out, our body needs time to recover and repair itself.

Whenever you have a bad day, the best thing you can do is relax, have a healthy dinner and go to bed early.

Working well into the night will only exhaust you more. 

Don’t Hold In Your Anger

If you’re experiencing anger right now, you are not alone.

Just because you aren’t the only one feeling a certain way, doesn’t always make the situation any easier.

Sometimes we can keep our feelings in and hope they will pass on their own.

The thing is, keeping anger inside can actually intensify it.

It can also make us lash out and say things we don’t mean to the people we love the most.

There are several tried and tested methods out there that help control anger. 

1) Go on a walk.

2) Stretch.

3) Journal.

4) Take a time out.

Let People Help You

Unfortunately superheroes don’t exist. You are only human and no human is perfect.

Don’t get us wrong, it’s a great thing to set goals and try new things. But at the time, you can set unrealistic expectations.

If you’re ever feeling emotionally drained after a hard day but still have to prepare dinner and run errands, don’t be afraid to ask for help.

If there is anything your family can do to make things easier around the house, don’t be afraid to let them know.

Even if they can’t tackle an entire project on their own, they can certainly help! Learn More

Practicing Gratitude During COVID-19

Jaclyn Baker

Sometimes we can forget how lucky we are.

We may not be able to travel, go to restaurants or host parties. But we still have so much to be grateful for.

Spending More Time With Family 

Before the pandemic, most of us would spend the vast majority of our weeks at school and/or work. And let’s not forget about the commute. 

Especially during rush hour, it’s not uncommon to spend 5+ hours a week just commuting. 

Now that we are working from home and distance learning, we have so many more hours in the day to spend with family. 

Good memories last a lifetime. Even though some days may be tough, we can’t let the bad days outshine the good days.

Technology Helps Us Stay Connected

Just think how much more difficult social distancing and Coronavirus would be without technology.

For starters, you would not be reading this article, and it would be very difficult to keep in touch with loved ones.

Before social media and email were popular, we would either communicate in person or on the phone.

Meeting up with friends in person is not recommended right now, and talking on the phone (especially long-distance) can be tricky.

Thanks to the internet, we can instant message anyone in the world in a matter of seconds.

As we said earlier, so many of us use social media on a daily basis. And when we use something so often, we can forget to appreciate it. 

The Ability To Work From Home

Of course, not all jobs allow us to work from home – but many of them do.

Teachers are conducting their classes, doctors are seeing patients and consultants are connecting with clients from the comfort of home. 

We are all different. Some of us love working from home, and some of us prefer going into the office.

Even if working from home isn’t your favourite thing, there are still plenty of benefits. For instance, you can sleep in a little later, wear casual clothing, and save money on transportation.

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Changing The Way You Look At Fear

Jaclyn Baker

Remember this. You are in control of your fears. Your fears are not in control of you. If you’re ready to change the way you look at fear, you are in the right place. Keep on reading to learn more.

Commitment:

Facing a fear is something you need to commit to. Once you’ve committed to it, there is no turning back.

Keep in mind; you don’t have to completely overcome your fear today, this week, or even this year. All you have to do is put one foot in front of the other. Every small step is one step in the right direction. 

Here’s an example. Let’s say you are afraid of dogs and are ready to overcome your fear. 

Chances are, you wouldn’t want to walk into a pet store and start petting dogs today.

But you can visit a local dog park and stand outside the fence for a few minutes a day. Once you get comfortable with that, you can set another goal for yourself. 

Play Out Your Fears:

When we’re afraid of something, it’s very normal to exaggerate and jump to unrealistic worst-case scenarios.

Writing down worst-case scenarios can help us put things in perspective and look at the facts instead of focusing on negative feelings. 

This exercise can also help you realize that your fears aren’t as scary as you played them out to be in your mind. 

Change The Situation:

Fear doesn’t have a set definition. We all think about, and experience fear in our own way. Some of us see fear as this scary thing that gets in our way. While others see fear as a learning opportunity. Feelings are not facts, and you have the power to change the way you look at fear. Learn More

Distance Learning Advice For Parents

Jaclyn Baker

Distance learning doesn’t only impact kids. It also impacts parents. Right now, so many parents are working from home and watching their children at the same time.

We know it’s hard. We know it’s stressful. But the best thing you can do is take it one day a time and remind yourself that you are doing the best you can. 

Reach Out To Other Parents:

We know you’ve likely heard this hundreds of times. 

But we are going to repeat it because it’s true! Millions of parents all over the world are in the exact same boat as you. Everything from school emails to help with homework can be a lot to take on by yourself. 

In fact, it’s more than a lot. It’s exhausting. Reaching out to other parents and bouncing ideas off one another can be extremely helpful. It’s always nice to talk to someone who knows what you’re going through. 

Laugh:

Have you ever felt guilty about laughing or having fun when times are tough? It’s very normal to feel that way. But the truth is, laughing is not a bad thing. Laugher can help decrease blood pressure, soothe tension and release endorphins. Exactly what everyone needs during times of stress. 

Say Goodbye To Perfectionism:

If you aren’t careful, it’s easy to fall into the “I’m not good enough trap.” 

Parenting is not easy, and there is no ultimate secret handbook. So many parenting lessons are made through trial and error. There is no such thing as a perfect parent. There will always be things you wish you could improve upon.

But you can’t forget to celebrate all the victories. Give yourself credit where it’s due. Learn More