Work Smart Live Smart with Beverly Beuermann-King

Gone are the days that some well-meaning teacher would take their knuckle and drive it into the middle of your back and tell you to sit up straight.

The Chiropractic Association has found that even young children are suffering from back pain much earlier than previous generations. Though a major cause of back and neck pain is kids and their backpacks, it is also our overall poor posture.

Hours of computer slouching, hunching over while texting and laying around as a couch potato have serious repercussions on our posture. 

The good news: there are easy things people can do to Reduce Your Stress By Correcting Your Posture.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Correct Posture Month:

Practice the wall stand.

Back up to a wall so your heels, buttocks, shoulders and head all lightly touch the wall while you keep everything level, relaxed and aligned– and take 3 slow breaths, feeling your body’s best posture.

Shoes matter.

For women, there is no such thing as a good high heel for your posture. Trade in the stilettos for a shoe that gives you the proper support.

It is critical to understand that the body impacts the mind. Standing up straight and walking tall will help you to think and feel better. Reduce Your Stress By Correcting Your Posture and remaining calm, more relaxed, and more physically and mentally healthy.

Discover how to take small steps towards a healthier, happier, less-stressed you by visiting my website at worksmartlivesmart.com

It is hard to understand how a child can experience depression. 

As caregivers and parents, we need to remind ourselves, that while a child’s problems may seem minor to us, they can be overwhelming to them. Your first warning signs will probably be changes in behaviour that may suggest a troubled and unhappy state of mind.

If a student becomes depressed, they are unlikely to talk about it. Very likely, a depressed child will think that no one else feels the same way and that no one will understand their problems. Often a depressed child will feel that they are disliked.

Clinical Depression is more than just the ‘blues’. It is a “biochemical disorder where a person feels very sad for an extended period of time and where this state interferes with their everyday life.” Depression affects about 3% of our children, 8% of adolescents and 10% of adults. Stress can act as a ‘trigger’ for Depression.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Mental Health Week and Childhood Depression Awareness Day:

Be aware of the signs and symptoms of Depression. As an employer, hold awareness sessions for your employees.

Provide support and understanding.

Be aware of the signs of suicidal thoughts – Suicide is one of the top killers of our youth.

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.

Love this advice…If your shadow is shorter than you are, you should seek the shade.

Do you annually check your skin?  Wear your sunscreen faithfully?  Do you go and see your doctor for regular check ups?

If so, you are helping to ensure that you prevent skin cancer or at least ensure that you catch it in its early stages.

The spring is an easy time to forget to use your sunscreen. It is essential that we protect ourselves and our kids and know the early signs of Melanoma, that way we can all be safe in the sun. 

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Melanoma Monday…and Being Safe In The Sun

Check it out.  Melanoma can be found anywhere on the body, but it is most common on the legs, back, head and neck. Do an annual scan to check for changes.

Visit your doctor regularly and make sure that they do a body scan too.

Be safe in the sun.  Enjoy the spring, summer and fall sunshine, but cover up and use your sunscreen.

Cancer changes lives, impacts families and hinders workplace productivity. Employees coming back to work after cancer treatments describe a variety of challenges that employers may not be aware of/or consider in their return-to-work accommodations. As a leader, look for ways to educate on prevention and look for ways to successfully support a team member who has been impacted.

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

Do you know where pink lemons come from?

Two 12 year-olds were left with a sour taste in their mouths after officials shut them down for not having a permit when they started selling lemonade in a dog park to raise cash for new soccer uniforms for their team.

Today we celebrate Lemonade Day.  A day which is designed to introduce children to having their own business. I still remember when my boys decided that they were going to sell lemonade at the end of the street when we held a garage sale at their great grandpa’s. 

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

It is May and the weather is getting nicer, but we are not able to set up a lemonade stand…not yet.

What we can do though is talk to our children about what type of business they would run if they could or what kind of business do they think they could run now. The idea is to have a conversation around what would be involved, who their customers might be, and how would they let their customers know that they were open for business.

Fun Fact….

The Greeks were the first to make pink lemonade. They made this so that while the adults were having wine at celebrations, the children would also have a special treat. When the Greeks dyed the lemonade pink by adding wine, the common myth in the community was that this drink was made from pink lemons that grew in a forest that no man could enter and come out alive. They made the children believe that these magical pink lemons were brought back by a noble king. Now there is marketing

If you like today’s wellness tips, let me know. You can leave me a review on amazon or through your #alexa app.

Looking for more tips to build your resiliency? Look for my book on Amazon called Stress Out. 52 Weeks To Letting More Life In

Being burned out and being stressed out are not the same thing. Many of us can tell when we are stressed out, but often, we cannot tell if we are burned out.

Burnout may be the result of unrelenting stress, but it isn’t the same as too much stress. Stress is often about too many pressures that need to be dealt with.  Burnout is about feeling empty, lacking in motivation, and beyond caring. Employees experiencing burnout often don’t see any hope of positive change in their situations.

Burnout may occur over a short period of time or take several years to manifest.

So Here are today’s Hot Tips For Combatting Burnout and Celebrating Mental Health Week:

First:

Slow Down. Take a break. Cut back whatever commitments and activities you can. Give yourself time to rest, reflect, and heal.

Change What You Can. 

Maintain Balance.

Talk to a Professional.

And Make A Plan. Part of the problem with burnout is the lack of control that’s associated with it.

Burnout can be a serious consequence of an unbalanced life and of an environment where the individual experiences little control and high demands. Leaders can help by ensuring a clearer understanding of what their job is and is not, providing as much control as possible, ensuring that demands are realistic and by recognizing the employee’s contributions and achievements.

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