Work Smart Live Smart with Beverly Beuermann-King

They are true heroes in our public healthcare system. They save lives daily in communities across Canada, US and around the world.

At some point, many of us may need to rely on the skill and abilities of these EMS workers.

However, our EMS workers are at risk.

Funding cuts to healthcare have resulted in increased workloads. They deal with shift-work stress and burnout. And they are at great risk for PTSD.

When extremely difficult and life-threatening situations are mixed with common everyday stressors, it can be hard to effectively cope.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Emergency Medical Services Week:

While EMS workers are trained to care for others, when it comes to their own well-being, the training may be lacking.

• If you are an EMS worker, loss of sleep, and not eating on a regular schedule can push you over the edge. Be very focused on ensuring that these basic needs are taken care of.

And finally, to combat burnout, focus on an attitude of gratitude, and increasing your awareness of the positive aspects of your life.

Remember, If you like the tips in this briefing, please leave me a review on amazon or in your #alexa app.

For more information on coping with mental health issues, sign up for one of my on-line courses at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.

National Employee Health & Fitness Day was created to promote the benefits of physical activity for individuals through their work site health promotion activities.

There are two types of fitness:

Performance-related fitness - Linked to athletic performance and is tied to speed, reaction time, and coordination.

And Health-related fitness - Linked to fitness components that may lower risks such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or low back pain.

Health-related physical fitness includes:

Aerobic fitness – which is the ability of the heart and lungs to deliver blood to muscles

Muscular strength and endurance – enough to do normal activities easily and protect the low back

Flexibility – which is the ability to move your many joints through their proper range of motion

Body composition – not too much body fat, especially around the waist.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Promoting National Employee Health And Fitness Day:

As an employer provide and promote opportunities for fitness:

help employees to measure and track their fitness level

co-ordinate lunch hour walking or running groups

offer off-site fitness center discounts

encourage sport team participation

sponsor step by step challenges

promote community fitness groups

and reward fitness involvement

As an individual find an activity that you can get excited about.

With our busy lifestyles it is important that we make the time to take care of ourselves. Make the commitment to do one thing to increase your health-related fitness.

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

I found it very hard and often stressful staying connected to family and friends.  Our lives were too busy and setting up time to connect seemed like a major exercise in the calendar shuffle.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to visit with them, it was just that there never seemed to be enough time to do it all. Now we are physically distancing and I would so love to be visiting, even though I am still just as busy.

I loved visiting my grandma, especially when we would just sit and play cards for a while.  I can still remember the family reunions at the local community center with everyone sitting out on the grass, playing baseball and eating all that amazing food that was set out on the picnic tables, or our Christmases where Santa would come to surprise everyone with a gift or two.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Visit Your Relatives Day:

Family and friends can provide the support system needed to get us through these hardest of times.

Visit Your Relatives Day was intended to give us the opportunity to get closer to our relatives, stay connected to family and friends, and to strengthen family ties and relationships. It is still a good day to consider how you are keeping these special connections strong during this time.

Even though you can’t go and visit them, research suggests that even just viewing photos of family members prompts brain activity that can positively affect how you feel about them and even yourself.

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

May is Hypertension Month and health professionals from across Canada are encouraging Canadians to know their numbers to help prevent and control hypertension and avoid its serious and deadly complications.

Hypertension is the leading preventable cause of death and disability around the world, and can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and dementia. Over 7.5 million Canadians have hypertension, and 7.4 million more have high blood pressure that will lead to hypertension without preventative action.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating World Hypertension Day:

In those who have hypertension, about 30% is related to increased salt consumption, and about 20% related to low dietary potassium, so chose foods wisely.

Physical inactivity is related to about 20% of hypertension, so get moving and active.

Obesity is related to about 30% of hypertension, so keep your weight in check.

Excess alcohol consumption also causes hypertension, so don’t over-indulge.

Being tobacco free is especially important for people with hypertension.

High blood pressure often has no symptoms. Most individuals with hypertension are unaware that their blood pressure is high, so get checked and keep your blood pressure in check.

Looking for more ways to build your resiliency? Take my free on-line vulnerability test at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.

You remember those times…You had one hour to get to the airport, and you find yourself still stressing out about what clothes to pack and where you’ve hidden the sunscreen.

Though we may not be able to go on vacation right now, it may be the perfect time to plan what you would like to do for your next vacation.

Time away from work is needed to restore our resiliency. Vacations were meant to be rejuvenating, but sometimes our expectations around having the perfect vacation lead to further stress.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Vanquishing Vacation Stress Month:

Even researching and daydreaming about your next vacation can be good for your mental health, so look at pictures, and explore the possibilities for when the time is right.

Remember that there is no such thing as the perfect vacation, so stay flexible in your thinking.

When you get a chance to actually go on vacation, choose your activities wisely. Choose activities that meet with your particular goals. Is your vacation for relaxation, celebration or relationship renewal?

Plan to ease into and out of vacation mode. There is nothing worse than returning from a vacation saying you need a vacation from your vacation.

Finally, take the time to breathe deeply, laugh and nurture your soul now. You don’t have to wait for your vacation to spend time on protecting your mental health. 

Remember, If you like the tips in this briefing, please leave me a review on amazon or in your #alexa app.

Looking for more ways to build your resiliency? Take my free on-line vulnerability test at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab.