Tag Archives: Stress Management

‘Tis the Season to Help Staff Manage Festive Stress

The advent calendars are out; radio stations are digging out the Christmas classics; and the shops are in full-blown selling mode.

It can only mean one thing: The holiday season is well and truly upon us.

But while there’s much to celebrate and be grateful for, most people endure a great deal of stress during this time of year as well.

According to a recent survey in Healthline, 60% of respondents said they experienced some level of stress during the holidays.

And with workplace stress at an all-time high, the cost of living rising, Covid-19 still impacting the world and a recession looming, employees are unsurprisingly feeling under pressure.

So what is it that companies and leaders can do to improve employee wellbeing at this specific time of the year?

Here are a number of strategies to consider implementing:

To read the full article in TNLT, click here.

Corporate Wellness Programs Need an Overhaul — Starting with These 3 Components

In the past, having an employee wellness program was a nice perk for companies to offer. But as we enter the third year of the pandemic, mental and physical health are stretched thin. Amid the Great Resignation, having a comprehensive employee wellness program has now become essential in attracting and retaining top talent. Now more than ever, companies need to create more effective wellness programs, as employees need these wellness programs in order to be resilient and still succeed during these difficult times.

According to a 2020 survey conducted by Deloitte, 80% of 9,000 surveyed respondents identified well-being as being important or very important to the overall success of their organization. Employees are some of the greatest assets an organization can have, and designing a workplace culture along with programs that keep them healthy, happy, productive and engaged, is critical for meeting company goals and objectives. Employees need to consistently feel their best in order to consistently perform at their best.

As we progress through the pandemic and experience continued uncertainty as to what the future holds, it’s critical for employee wellness programs to be prioritized and also evolve and grow according to the latest world developments, workplace trends and ever-changing employee needs. Providing employees with timely and useful well-being tools can strengthen their connection and loyalty to the company over time.

Here are three essential components every corporate wellness program should have in order to be successful.

To read the full article in Success Magazine, click here.

Five Reasons Why Having an Employee Wellness Program Is Now Essential

According to The Future Workplace 2021 HR Sentiment survey and Forbes, 68% of HR leaders gave employee mental health and wellbeing a top priority rating. This survey also revealed that the corporate wellbeing market is expected to reach approximately $20.4 billion in the U.S.  and is predicted to reach $87.4 billion over the next four years.

Based on these findings, investing in an employee wellness program is now essential for most, if not all, organizations. Below are five important reasons why.

To read the full article in CEO World, click here.

Stress Is a Normal Part of Life

Stress is an inevitable part of life and being human, and living a stress-free life is just not realistic. Everyone experiences stress on a daily basis just through everyday tasks. Taking a test at school, being handed a new project at work, playing competitive sports, or public speaking can all be sources of stress. And feeling a little anxiety in these situations is normal and totally expected. Major life events such as moving, marriage or having a baby, can also cause stress. Traumatic events such as living through a pandemic, or having a death in your family, can cause stress as well. The good news is that you can manage stress by channeling your energy into certain activities.

The key in managing your stress levels in these various life situations, big and small, is to pay attention to how they’re affecting you physically, mentally and emotionally. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, if you’re temporarily feeling your heart rate increasing, your breathing getting faster and your brain working harder, that’s normal. Your body is just going into fight or flight mode. You can use that stress as a motivator to perform at your best in the moment.

If you reach a point where stress becomes chronic and affects your sleep, moods, blood pressure and digestive system, or causes major anxiety or depression, it has become a bigger problem. These symptoms suggests you could be dealing with an unhealthy amount of stress. In this case, it’s important to deal with it right away so it doesn’t turn into bigger health issues later.

Here are six tools you can use to realistically manage any kind of stress:

To read the full article in Grit Daily, click here.

4 Tips For a Healthy Heart

February is American Heart Month, so it’s a good time to take stock of your heart health.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 30 million Americans have been diagnosed with heart disease in the past few years. And now that we’re in the midst of a pandemic, COVID-19 poses an even greater risk to the heart, given it can damage the respiratory system, which makes it even harder for the heart to work.

Following are four tips for maintaining a healthy heart during the month of February, the pandemic and beyond.

To read the full article in the Los Altos Town Crier, click here.

The Power of Journaling

Journaling is such a powerful tool to have in life and now more than ever, it has the potential to help us get through the challenging times we’re facing in the world today. According to Pyschology Today, journaling is beneficial for our mental and emotional health and it can also have a positive impact on our physical health as well. Journaling can reduce stress, anxiety and blood pressure and can boost our immune systems, moods, mindset and self awareness.

I’ve been journaling for over 20 years. I recently went through all of my old journals for inspiration as I’ve been working on writing my first non-fiction book this summer. It was a deeply emotional, sentimental, enriching and motivating experience and really took me down a path of self discovery and rediscovery.

Throughout the years, I’ve journaled about my personal relationships, faith, core values, college and graduate school experiences, internships, jobs, motherhood, the struggles and opportunities I’ve experienced with being first-generation-born Indian-American, insecurities, fears, burnout, career transitions, goals, dreams, passions, travel destinations, bucket list experiences, dissapointments, failures and broader topics around racial injustices, women’s rights, affirmative action and more.

In reading through these entries, it’s been amazing to see how much has changed within myself and the world and yet, how much is still the same. What was powerful for me to see about myself is the fact that my faith, core values, personal relationships, passions, career dreams and desire to help others and make a positive impact on the world haven’t wavered at all over the years and are still every bit as important to me today as they were back then. Those are the foundations of who I’ve always been and always will be and that was a very empowering realization.

I also realized by journaling, I was manifesting all the wonderful things that have happened in my life, such as moving to and living in California, meeting and marrying my husband, going to college and graduate school, becoming a mother to my two sons, pursuing my passions around health, wellness and fitness and communications through speaking and writing, becoming an entrepreneur, founding and building my company, Passion Fit and the exciting corporate career I had for many years prior in digital media and marketing.

These were not accidents. They were all a part of my destiny and came into existence through hard work, a belief in myself and faith that I was capable of making these things happen, despite the fears and insecurities I had along the way.

From a broader perspective, I also was able to see that while we’ve made some progress in areas like women’s rights and racial injustices, we still have so much further to go and there are still so many glaring issues in these areas within our society today. It made me realize how long it can truly take for deep change and growth to occur and how many lives are still being impacted every single day. It has made me want to do more to help promote change, justice, respect, equality and peace for everyone in society and the world and I truly hope we’re able to continue to grow and get to a much better place in this lifetime.

With that, I want to encourage you all to journal and write about the things that mean the most to you and even look back at what you may have written about in the past. It will help you be more reflective during this pandemic, economic crisis and difficult time within our society. And hopefully you’ll be able to look back in 20 years and marvel at how much has changed and how much has stayed the same as well.

5 Positive Mindset Shifts to Help Cope With the Coronavirus Outbreak

According to the NY Times, over 10 million U.S. jobs no longer exist and there are over one million Coronavirus cases worldwide. We’re facing extremely difficult times and it can be easy to be overtaken by fear, anxiety, grief, sadness and negativity. However, as a world, nation and society, it’s important that we stay strong, resilient and hopeful. Therefore, here are five positive mindset shifts we can make to help cope with the Coronavirus outbreak we’re currently facing.

To read the full article in Thrive Global, click here.

5 Ways a Consistent Yoga Practice Can Transform Your Mind, Body and Life

According to a study by the Yoga Alliance and Yoga Journal, the number of people doing yoga over the last several years has increased from over 20 million to 36 million. While yoga has become a very popular form of exercise, it’s not just a passing fad, as it’s been around for centuries and originally was founded in India. Therefore, in honor of National Yoga Awareness Month, here are five ways a consistent yoga practice can transform your mind, body and life.

To read the full article in Thrive Global, click here.

Don’t Worry, Be Happy: Five Ways to Leverage Positive Psychology

According to the recently released Gallup World Emotions Report, Americans are among the most stressed and worried people in the world at 55% and 45%, respectively. Causes for these negative emotions include workplace pressures, especially for women and working moms; increased competition within companies, schools and universities; frightening news events; political upheaval; and an overuse of social media and technology.

Now more than ever it’s important to prioritize health and well-being to overcome these statistics and help create a brighter, healthier and happier future for our country. While stress is an inevitable part of life, it can be managed effectively with the right tools.

Following are five ways to leverage positive psychology to decrease stress and anxiety and increase happiness and well-being.

To read the full article in the Los Altos Town Crier, click here.

Importance of Mindfulness for Children and Teens for Battling Stress

According to a 2018 survey conducted by Globe Newswire, 45 percent of teens said they’re stressed out all the time, and based on data from the American Psychological Association, 44 percent of children reported trouble sleeping due to stress.

While we often hear about the impact of stress on adults, the impact of stress on children and teens is just as prevalent and real these days, and is something to pay attention to. Children and teens are facing different types of pressures than ever before, including more competitive academic environments; increased use of technology such as mobile devices, social media, video games and on-demand programming; bullying in school and online; and notably busy schedules that include homework, several after-school activities and sports.

To read the full article in the Los Altos Town Crier, click here.