July 2018 – Happy Schools

Life Balance: Myth or Possibility?

July 26, 2018

Stress is a fact of life, but it doesn’t have to be a way of life! How long have we talked about needing life balance and at that same time BEEN doing everything we can to go faster and to do more! At work and at home, people expect to do more with less and in less time. Families are LIVING in the ‘nightmare of the two career couple,’ where both partners are working, bringing up children and probably looking after their aging parents. More single parents exist than ever before. Change is constantly swirling around us – at work, at home and in society. In short, life is chaotic and lived at laser track speed! As life continues to…

Email and Productivity

July 19, 2018

Stevef

Communication

Emails were meant to be a massive productivity booster: speed up communication to save time, access multiple items with attachments, communicate to multiple people at once, etc. … all hail the mighty email … I rarely hear people say how much they love emails. What I do hear is people defending emails so they have proof of communication yet in the same breath complain about the sheer number of emails and the lack of communication in the organisation! By 2019 we are going to be receiving at least 260 emails per day with three quarters of those emails requiring some sort of interaction. To be productive you must take back control of your emails. I was recently asked to mentor and train…

Helping Others Boosts Your Mood

July 12, 2018

Stevef

Resilience

We know that doing something to help others can make us feel good. Engaging in acts of kindness is one of the more reliable ways of boosting our mood. This is no surprise. But the science of positive psychology has furthered our understanding with these research findings on the impact of acts of kindness on the person who performs them. Choosing to do things for the benefit of others, activates pleasure centres in the brain. The release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter released in response to other pleasurable activities including sex, eating or receiving money is also released when being kind to people. Other altruistic acts with similar effect might include donating blood, visiting a friend in hospital, providing someone with a…

10 Keys to Happier Living

July 5, 2018

Stevef

Resilience

Working in schools can sometimes feel as though we are running on a never-ending treadmill, constantly in pursuit of the lifestyle we aspire to. At times it can feel like our work is not appreciated. The website ActionForHappiness.org provides the following guidance on 10 keys to happier living. Awareness – Taking time to switch off autopilot and be “in the moment” is important to combat stress. Pay attention to your senses – what can you see, hear or feel around you? Choose a regular point in the day to reflect Emotions – Positive emotions can build up a buffer against stress and even lead to lasting changes in the brain to help maintain well-being. Take time to notice what you…