Work Smart Live Smart with Beverly Beuermann-King

What Is Optimism?

Wikipedia states that Optimism is to anticipate the best possible outcome.  Optimists generally believe that people and events are inherently good, so that most situations work out in the end for the best.

Optimism takes work.  Being pessimistic means you are stuck in identifying the problems over and over again.  Being optimistic means you have to move forward and do something about it.

Optimistic people are better at problem-solving - they move quickly from problem-identification to problem-solving. 

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Optimism Month:

Act like an optimist.

Use the word choices and body posture of optimistic people. Use "upbeat" words instead of "upset" words - Challenged vs Overwhelmed.  Optimists take big steps, walk faster and stand taller. Pessimistic people shuffle their feet, take tiny steps, walk slowly and slouch.

Move quickly from problem-identification to problem-solving. We all get angry and upset, but the challenge is to move past these emotions and start looking for strategies and solutions that will help you to deal with that challenge.

Avoid emotional leeches. Minimize your contact with those who look on the down-side of everything, who criticize you or mock or sabotage your dreams and aspirations.

Remember

Optimists enjoy better health.

They find more success.

Optimistic people feel less stressed during stressful times.

Optimists tend to have more supportive networks and resources.

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

Cabin fever has taken on a brand-new meaning during this pandemic.

Cabin fever refers to the irritability or restlessness experienced when a person, or group, is stuck at an isolated location or in confined quarters for an extended period of time.

Along with irritability or boredom, feeling Stir Crazy may leave you sleepy or on the other extreme, unable to sleep. You may have a distrust of anyone you are with, or have an urge to go out somewhere, even when you know that it is not safe to do so.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Cabin Fever Month:

The cure is as simple as getting outside and interacting with nature.

The sounds of the forest, the scent of the trees, the sunlight playing through the branches, the fresh, clean air — these things give us a sense of comfort. They ease our stress and worry, help us to relax and to think more clearly. Being in nature can restore our mood, give us back our energy and vitality, refresh and rejuvenate us. Research has demonstrated that even brief interactions with nature can promote improved cognitive functioning, and overall well-being.

It is easy to let our perspective on life get distorted, especially during times of chaos and challenge. Sometimes we neglect doing the simple things that can help us to refocus, re-energize and restore our mental health.

An easy way to do that is to move from looking inwards at ourselves and our situation to moving outwards and noticing the awesome things that are occurring all around us.

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

But the little boy said…There are so many colors in the rainbow. So many colors in the morning sun. So many colors in the flower and I see every one.

I love this song by Harry Chapin. 

March is Colour Therapy Month and it reminds me that soon, the snow will leave us and the amazing colours of spring will surface.  These colours make me smile, they pick me up and they put the world back into perspective.

Research has found that colour does impact our mood.  Colour therapy itself, is an energy healing method that has been used for thousands of years.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Colour Therapy Month:

Deep breathing and visualization are powerful strategies that can calm and heal us.  You may want to vary this by using Colour Breathing.  While breathing in and out, the participant visualizes the various colours of the rainbow filling their body and then being released.  Red, orange and yellow come up from the ground through the body, to the top and leave through the ground.  Green is visualized coming in horizontally from the world to fill your body and then leaves out the back, while blue and violet come in from the head, to the toes and back out to the sky.

Here are a couple favourites from the Colour Therapy Month website:

Eat a salad that contains all 7 colors of the rainbow.

Take a color therapy bath.

Mix and drink your favorite colorful cocktail or fruit smoothie.

Create a flower display of all the 7 rainbow colors.

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

"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have more than enough.  I have learnt the secret to being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether poor or rich.  I have the ability to face all situations because of the strength God gives me."  Philippians 4:11-13

This is the sign above my desk that I read everyday that I am in my office. I am not there yet, but it is what I strive for.  Contentment.  A belief that things will be okay and that I will be okay.

Spiritual Wellness is generally considered to be the search for meaning and purpose in human existence, leading one to strive for a state of harmony with oneself and others, while working to balance inner needs with the rest of the world.

The path to spiritual wellness may involve meditation, prayer, affirmations, or specific spiritual practices that support your connection to a higher power or belief system.

Spiritual wellness involves having compassion, the capacity for love and forgiveness, altruism, joy, and fulfillment.

Your religious faith, values, beliefs, principles, and morals define your spirituality.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Achieving Spiritual Wellness:

Evaluate your own spiritual wellness with this brief quiz.

• Do you make time for relaxation in your day?

This month focus on the meaning and purpose of your life and try to bring more harmony and balance to it.

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

It can give us life and it can kill us.

Give us pleasure and cause fear.

It can be found everywhere and in 20 years half of us may not have enough of it.

It’s more valuable than gold.

People are dying to have it.

What is it?

Water

It makes up to 78% of our body. To function properly, the body requires around two litres of water per day to avoid dehydration. It is the most important nutrient to our body. It is rather difficult to drink too much water, but it is dangerous to drink too little. Scientists have estimated that by 2030, in some regions of the world, water demand will exceed supply by 50%.

We take water for granted. Everyone pollutes it without thinking of the consequences and many of us waste it without thinking of how valuable it is. Humans can live without food for several weeks, but we would be in dire straits without water, even for only a couple a days.

Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating World Water Day:

Plastic water bottles are convenient but a huge waste of resources and pollute our planet.  Look for alternatives.  Use the water fountain.  Take water in a reusable container.

Turn the water off when brushing your teeth.

Make sure your taps aren’t leaking.

Don’t pollute what you have. Look for biodegradable detergents and cleaners to run in your shower, dishwasher and washing machine.

Want to check out more health and wellness related celebrations, visit my wellness calendars under the resources and courses tab at worksmartlivesmart.com