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The Next Time You’re Feeling Anxious Try These 4 Things

Jaclyn Baker
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These 4 steps can help you better understand your anxiety, relax your mind and control negative thoughts.

Acknowledge Your Anxiety

We can’t control everything that happens to us in life, and that’s okay.

When we’re worried about something, it’s not uncommon to immediately jump to unrealistic worst-case scenarios. Again, none of us can see the future, but there are a few prompts that can help us figure out how realistic our thoughts/worries are.

1) Is there any solid evidence that my fear will happen?

2) What are the chances that the thing I’m afraid of will actually happen?

3) Can I handle the worst possible outcome?

Schedule a Worry Break

Sometimes when we start worrying about something, it can be very difficult to stop. Now, you may be thinking to yourself, “Okay, that makes sense. I just won’t let myself worry.”

Although that may sound great in theory, it’s not always ideal. The more you try not thinking about something, the more you tend to think about it.

Try not to think about pink elephants. See – not so easy.

No need to worry. There is a happy medium. Simply schedule short worry 10 – 15 minute worry breaks once a day.

During that time, you can reflect upon all the things on your mind and express them in a healthy way. You can either express your thoughts to a friend or jot them down in a journal. 

Healthy Distractions

Doing at least one activity a day that brings you joy can help you deal with existing worries and prevent new ones. Our minds can’t focus on so many things at once. It’s just the way our brain works.

The truth is, anxiety can be exhausting. Setting aside some time to participate in activities you love can act as a healthy distraction and even increase energy levels.

Listen to Your Anxiety

Anxiety is not this terrible thing that should constantly be avoided at all costs. Sometimes our fears and anxieties can help guide us in the right direction.

Your anxiety could be trying to tell you that you’re taking on too much or warn you if something isn’t a good idea.

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6 Hacks to Transform Your Work From Home Routine

Jaclyn Baker
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When you work from home, there will always be little distractions that pop up. 

Everything from kids to pets to dirty dishes can be very distracting and take up a lot of time and energy.

Oh, and let’s not forget about social media and the TV! If you’re ready to say goodbye to those distractions, you are in the right place. 

Set Fixed Hours

Working from home does give us a lot more flexibility hours wise, which can be both a good and bad thing.

Have you ever had one of those days where you were in the zone and the day just flew by? As much as we love those days, they can also throw us a little off course.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to go above and beyond.

But at the same time, life is all about balance.

Working unrealistic hours is not healthy, and can lead to frustration and burnout.

Study Your Creativity

We all have our own focus styles. Some of us are more creative in the afternoon, while others are more creative in the mornings. As we stated earlier, working from home does give us a lot of flexibility.

If you prefer doing difficult tasks that require a lot of creativity in the morning, then plan your day around those tasks. That way, you can spend your afternoons doing more mundane tasks such as catching up on emails. 

Let Your Family Know When You’re in Meetings

Almost all of us have had our children interrupt a very important meeting at least once.

The only thing is, that sometimes it can be tricky to get back into the zone after being interrupted. The next time you have an important meeting or strict deadline, don’t be afraid to give your family a heads up first. 

Spend Time Outside

Getting out of the house at least once a day is so important for our overall creativity and energy levels. You can take a walk around the block or read a book on your porch. 

Get Organized

“For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.” – Benjamin Franklin

When we have so much going on, it can be tough to know where to even begin. Writing out all of your to-do’s in order of importance can help prevent a lot of guesswork and decision making during the day.

Take Plenty of Email Breaks

Don’t get us wrong – email is an incredible thing.

However, you don’t want to become glued to your inbox. Replying to emails can be incredibly time consuming and exhausting.

Yes, some emails are urgent – but not all of them! 

Before answering an email, ask yourself if the email can wait a few hours, or if it needs to be taken care of right away. Prioritizing your email correspondents can potentially save you hours, if not more every month.

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Embracing Discomfort in 2021

Jaclyn Baker
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You never know what you’re capable of unless you try. Every time you say no to something you want to do, you’re missing out on a potential opportunity to grow!

The longer we avoid something, the scarier it tends to become. When something scares you, sometimes the best thing you can do is jump right in.

Embracing Discomfort in 2021

It’s time to become comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Be curious. Try new things. Keep an open mind and see what happens.

When you continue to do the same things, you will continue to get the same results.

Just because something isn’t working right now doesn’t mean it’ll never work. You just may have to go about it in a slightly different way. 

The Mind is an Incredible Tool

Our mind is such a powerful tool. It lets us know when things are dangerous and when we should walk away. 

However, sometimes our mind can play tricks on us and make us think things are scarier than they actually are.

Here’s an example.

Let’s say you stumbled across an ad online for your dream job. 

The job is close to home and pays well, but your mind keeps telling you that you aren’t qualified and shouldn’t even try. 

No matter what you do in life, there is always a chance things won’t work out. 

“You can’t let your fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” – Babe Ruth

Just because something feels impossible does not mean it is. Feelings are not facts. 

You Are In Charge Of Your Thoughts

You have more control over your thoughts than you give yourself for. 

You are in charge of your mind; your mind is not in charge of you.

The next time a negative thought pops into your head, don’t accept it. Challenge it!

The process may make you feel uncomfortable at first, but it will be worth it in the long run! 

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4 Ways to Celebrate New Year’s Eve at Home and Make it Special

Jaclyn Baker
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So many of us look forward to New Year’s Eve for months, if not longer. 

January 1st is the start of a brand new chapter and can give us the inspiration and motivation to step outside our comfort zone.

Let’s also not forget about all the celebrations and the ever so famous countdown.

Even though we can’t host or attend parties this year, we can celebrate in a safe and fun way!

Host a Virtual Event

None of us are strangers to virtual events. Since March, millions of milestones have been celebrated via video chat. Weddings, birthdays, graduations, you name it!

New Year’s can be celebrated virtually as well.

You can easily celebrate with all your family and friends from the comfort of home. Even though you will be at home, you can still dress up and decorate. 

Host a Virtual Game Night

If you have kids, a virtual game night could be a lot of fun!

There are several websites and apps out there that allow you to play games virtually with a group of people. 

If you want to go the extra mile, you can even make up your own games and put a New Year’s spin on them.

The Countdown

Whether you are spending New Year’s home alone or with immediate family, you can still countdown and make it fun!

You can even record your virtual hangouts and take screenshots for memories! Just be sure to ask everyone on the call if they are okay with that.

Reflection

Self-reflection doesn’t have to be a chore. There are tons of ways you can make it fun! 

At the end of the evening, everyone can share what they’ve learned in 2020 and what they are grateful for.

The Vista family is very grateful for each and every one of you. We can’t wait to make new memories with you all in 2021.

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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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The Importance of Gratitude And How To Get Started

The Importance of Gratitude And How To Get Started

Ryan Scott

Gratitude and Happiness: Smiling, keeping a gratitude journal and meditation can significantly boost your mood. Remember, grateful people are happier people.

Smile: Smiling has the power to completely transform your mood. When we smile, chemicals are released into the brain that make us happier. Don’t be afraid to schedule “smile time” into your calendar. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but it works!

Keep a Gratitude Journal: All you need for this exercise is a pen and paper. At the beginning and end of every day, take just 5 minutes to write down a few things you are grateful for.

The best news is, there is no wrong way to practice gratitude. Maybe you had a pleasant commute, aced a presentation at work, or ran into an old friend. Whatever you feel grateful for, jot it down!

Meditation: Meditation can help with so many areas of your life, including but not limited to mood regulation and positivity.

Want to hear something interesting? You can meditate anytime and anywhere. At the end of the day, you just have to find a system that works best for you.

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how to foster generosity this holiday season

Emphasize the giving, and the thanks will follow: how to foster generosity this holiday season

Ryan Scott
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For many of us, Thanksgiving is a time for family, reflection and giving thanks. However, emerging research suggests that the spirit of giving—helping others, being thoughtful, practicing generosity—can generate a sense of gratitude that spans beyond a single day of gratefulness. That’s because gratitude and generosity are part of a cycle that we may be able to harness in order to create a kinder, more generous society.

Here are three ways to help the generosity flow this holiday season and beyond:

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