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Hope, Health, and Happiness. Would you like to live your life with less stress and more happiness? Discover how to take small steps towards a healthier, happier, more resilient you. Stress is a powerful force in life. It can bring about illness, destroy relationships and cause chaos. There is not a one-size-fits-all coping strategy for dealing with stress. Our goal is to put a plan together that helps us to deal with the sources of stress, take care of ourselves during those stressful times, ...
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Listen to today's podcast... Most of us do it and some of us even started. It is frowned upon publicly, but privately, it is often indulged in. If you're a professional gossiper, then you can make money through publishing it in magazine and newspaper columns or even through your own talk show. However, in some places around the world it is seen as …
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Listen to today's podcast... “We love coming to your class. You are such a great role model for our kids.” That blew me away. I didn’t really think of myself as a role model. I am just the karate Sensei at the front of the room. But I guess I am a role model. I let the kids know how tough it is for me to go to a tournament and compete. And how nerv…
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Listen to today's podcast... Should have. Could have. Would have. I should have taken that other job. I should have talked to my friends before I spent all that time and energy. I should have just left it alone. Do you find that other people should all over you? You should do this. Or you should act this way. Most of us have things that we regret, …
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Listen to today's podcast... Do you believe in magic? Did you know that there is a magic spell that can relieve your stress? It goes like this: Magic moon burning bright, Let thy will be done tonight. Answer now my earnest spell. Let things with Beverly all be well. Not sure about the spell? Not sure you believe in magic, but wishing that you could…
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Listen to today's podcast... Do you forget things? Is it because you forgot to write them down somewhere or tell Alexa to remind you? Sometimes we push it out of our mind because the task doesn't rank in importance or urgency. Sometimes it's because we want things to turn out just right and then we get overwhelmed by the details. I love this quote.…
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Listen to today's podcast... Today is the day to spend time alone. In seclusion. However, it is a Tuesday, and you are likely at work or at school. Most of us never will - or want to - live in a cave for years and years like an actual hermit, but we can still celebrate Hermit Day. We can consider using seclusion at least once in a while as a way to…
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Listen to today's podcast... I love Halloween. I love getting dressed up now almost as much as I did as a kid. I have decorations everywhere. I even created a haunted bush path through our trees when my children were small. Take One Action Today To Build Your #Resiliency! Here Are My Tips For Building Resiliency And Celebrating Halloween Safety Wee…
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Listen to today's podcast... Do you have those days when you are more prickly than others or feel that you woke up on the wrong side of the bed? Sometimes we have these types of days when everything seems to just go wrong. We couldn't find our keys. We had a battle with our teenager. We got stuck in traffic or we're getting a cold. Today is the day…
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Listen to today's podcast... Though everyone may want something unique from our job, there are some things in common that unite us. One of them being that we want to know that we are making a difference. A good leader knows how to recognize and value their team members, to let them know that they matter. They make a point to notice, show respect an…
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Listen to today's podcast... This is health literacy month. So what do you know about medication safety? I knew that my medicine cupboard had been neglected when I found a jar of Vicks Rub from when I was a kid. Yes, that was a long time ago and yes, it was about time that it was thrown out. Medication safety isn't just about an expiry date. It's a…
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Listen to today's podcast... There is nothing more relaxing than having a skilled massage therapist, work out the tension from an overly taunt neck and shoulder muscles. But how is a massage an important component to mental health? Massage can increase circulation by manually applying pressure and movement. It stimulates nerve receptors causing the…
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Listen to today's podcast... According to the health index almost 45% of people don't put their health at the top of their priority list and for some it's not on the list at all. Many of us will experience a critical illness at some point in their life. It's just a matter of rolling the dice. Medical advances mean that we have a better chance of su…
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Listen to today's podcast... Our goal is to stop rewarding irritating behaviours and attitudes. To do this, we must understand what employees expect to gain from being so difficult. Celebrate Mediation Week. Understanding why some co-workers may become difficult or negative, and when they are more likely to act that way, can prevent the buildup of …
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Listen to today's podcast... But you look so good! 96% of illnesses are invisible. These people do not use a cane or any assistive device and may look perfectly healthy. 60% are between the ages of 18 and 64. It's hard to know what to do when a person has an illness. It’s even harder when it's virtually invisible. Take One Action Today To Build You…
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Listen to today's podcast... Well everyone lobs a snarky remark here and there. A sarcastic person expresses humor in verbal irony by making statements that defy their literal meaning. For some it's as natural as breathing. Some say that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, but the highest form of intelligence. Whether sarcasm is a sign of intelligen…
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Listen to today's podcast... Do you have balance in your life? Have you ever had balanced? What does balance mean to you? Without taking the times to evaluate how things really are, it’s nearly impossible to make the changes you need to make in order to create the life you wish to lead. Evaluate your life day is an opportunity to sit down and revie…
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Listen to today's podcast... ‘The change’, ‘the time of life’ – call it what you will, it is an unavoidable fact that all women go through menopause as they age into their 50’s, and 60’s. However, for some women this natural process is a time of anxiety and distress. Menopause is influenced by hormones – or more correctly, by a change in hormone le…
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Listen to today's podcast... Children have been back to school now for a month and we're starting to see the rise of colds and other ailments, both in our children and in our workplaces. Though these are not usually cases of influenza, it is a reminder that the true flu season is just around the corner, and that we need to protect our families and …
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Listen to today's podcast... Are bosses who are fair, supportive, and kind gone by the way of the dodo bird? If we were to listen to the media, or the complaints from friends and family, you would think that this was true. We hear about cut-throat bosses. Bosses who are bullies. The ones who steal all of the glory for themselves. There are bosses w…
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Listen to today's podcast... All goody two-shoes, beware. You are not welcome on this day. Today is a day for all grouches to celebrate their way of life. According to the Muppet Wiki, a grouch’s mission in life is to be as miserable and as grouchy as possible and pass that feeling on everyone else. Only then will a grouch be in touch with his or h…
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Listen to today's podcast... Do you think the people have always been this stressed? I'm often asked if we have more or less stress than we did a hundred or two hundred years ago. Our lives are stressful today, but they were way back then as well. One of the things that helped people to cope was a sense of support. Back then we lived in smaller com…
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Listen to today's podcast... Squeaky doors. Slow internet connections. No subject heading in an email message. Cracking knuckles. Toilet lid being left up. Being put on hold. Music while on hold. Repeated messages while on hold. Some of our pet peeves can move from simple annoyances into being rude or aggressive. Think of road rage. It usually star…
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Listen to today's podcast... It saddens me when we still hear stories of how employees feel hopeless and helpless to change negative situations, and the stress of it all ends up having a good employee leave. We know that engaged employees help our companies to be more creative, productive, and successful, yet some employers still look at employees …
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Listen to today's podcast... Is financial stress one of your concerns? According to one report, the number of calls related to financial counseling are rising at twice the rate of other EAP services. The top financial issues people were stressed out about were cost of living, credit card debt, mortgage payments, retirement, children's tuition, heal…
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Listen to today's podcast... Today is National Depression Screening Day. There are many who are suffering in silence who are feeling that there is nowhere to turn. The guilt and the shame of not being able to effectively cope with day to day stressors leaves many feeling isolated helpless and hopeless. Thankfully there is an anonymous online screen…
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Listen to today's podcast... We are working in a corporate world where our teams are faced with a variety of stressors and a world where many of our teams are finding that their coping strategies are inadequate or ineffective at addressing the numerous stressors that they are facing. According to research, one in five will experience a diagnosable …
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Listen to today's podcast... I have a social phobia. It produces extreme reactions in me. I get tongue-tied. My voice shakes and my heart races whenever I have to perform in front of others. I hate snakes. They give me the willies. Many people have those things in their life that give them the heebie-jeebies. It may be snakes or it could be heights…
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Listen to today's podcast... True friends are precious, but often we take them for granted. The saying goes that you can't have too many friends. I disagree. Trying to balance too many friendships, plus a lack of time, equals more stress. Friendships can protect your health, so it's important to take the time and make the effort to hold on to the f…
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Listen to today's podcast... For many years I was the educational consultant to the Canadian Mental Health Association in Toronto Ontario in that capacity I developed several mental illness awareness workshops for frontline workers agencies and caregivers. The most satisfying part of that role was going into a group who may have been fearful of tho…
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Listen to today's podcast... It is so much easier to teach our children the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic then it is to develop and maintain a positive mental health and to build positive, healthy relationships. Bully, harassment, disciplinary issues, and conflict often occur because we have not been taught how or have not worked at our…
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Listen to today's podcast... Smiling is a blissful way to live longer Harvey ball a commercial artist from Massachusetts created the smiley face in 1963. That image went on to become the most recognizable symbol of goodwill and good cheer on the planet. Smiling is contagious. It changes our mood. It fights stress and builds your resiliency. Smiling…
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Listen to today's podcast... It's the end of the day and you're exhausted frustrated and wondering if this is what your life has come to. You hear yourself describing your day as if it were someone else using those words. It takes a lot of energy to be positive, to keep things in perspective and to actively look for the good in someone. Take One Ac…
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Listen to today's podcast... A friend confided that her co-worker was a bully, intimidating, and demeaning. He used innuendos to put other people down. She spent most of her energy trying to stay out of his line of fire. Dealing with harassment can be very difficult and unfortunately more than 1/3 of employees have experienced it or been impacted b…
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Listen to today's podcast... I am a perfectionist. Are you? Do you know someone who is? Perfectionists are extremely hard workers and they generally accomplish more than the average person. However perfectionists are extremely hard on themselves and on those around them. Perfectionism is destructive behavior and it's addictive. Physical exhaustion …
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Listen to today's podcast... As parents, we often worry about assisting our children to become competent, capable and healthy adults. We're concerned about their self-esteem and their overall emotional health. We often wish we had more time to spend with them. So today being Family Day, it's the day to sit down, talk, eat dinner, and connect with y…
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Listen to today's podcast... Coffee has never been more popular, with an estimated 3 billion cups consumed every day. Caffeine can promote alertness, and it may decrease the occurrence of depression. However, sleep can be negatively affected by caffeine. It can create a never-ending cycle of reduced sleep, fatigue, and a need for increased caffeine…
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Listen to today's podcast... Good neighbours help each other. You can't pick your neighbors but if you are lucky, you have good neighbours. I live in the country and I don’t really have close neighbours, but I do wave to them, as we drive by. And when my boys were little, it was the neighbourhood teenagers that I counted on for babysitting. Neighbo…
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Listen to today's podcast... Who doesn't love receiving a special note of affection from someone they cherish? Well, my boys don't or at least that's what they told me. Apparently, my love notes added to their lunchbox when I was out of town was embarrassing. Opening your lunch bag and having one of these notes fall in front of your friends was hor…
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Listen to today's podcast... Have you ever looked through old pictures and ever wondered whatever happened to some of the people that you were friends with or met along the way? Have you tried to find out where they are or what they are up to on social media? I have. I have looked up long lost roommates, classmates, old boyfriends, teachers, and ev…
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Listen to today's podcast... “You can’t do anything right”. “This is your fault – It’s always your fault”. Those who are emotionally abusive, are just as dangerous as those who are physically abusive. People can be emotionally abusive by: Rejecting the person by undermining self-esteem, criticizing, humiliating, blaming, or ridiculing They can with…
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Listen to today's podcast... If running the kids around was actually exercise I would have been in such amazingly good shape! Unfortunately, as women, caregiving can get in the way of taking care of ourselves. Often, we spend our time looking after the needs of others and sacrifice our own health along the way. “Someday I will get to it”, is a mott…
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Listen to today's podcast... Have You Ever Had The Sensation That Your Legs Are Unable To Relax When Trying To Go To Bed At Night? Has it kept you awake or even made you pace the floors trying to get them to stop tingling? If yes, you may have experienced Restless Leg Syndrome. This is no joking matter for many people. Some research shows that Rest…
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Listen to today's podcast... When you think of stress and food, you are often told to stay away from treats, like ice cream cones. Ice cream: My favourite food. Creamy. Cold. Sweet. Hard or Soft…doesn’t matter. I love ice cream. It can be high in fat and it contains a lot of sugar. And it’s not the kind of snack food that I should have everyday…tho…
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Listen to today's podcast... Have you lost touch with an old colleague? Have you ever thought about reaching out to a childhood friend? In the ‘old’ days, that would have been almost impossible and possibly very expensive. However, today, it is relatively easy to search down most people from our past. With social networks getting smaller and smalle…
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Listen to today's podcast... Has Your Child Gone Off To Post-Secondary? Parents are bound to worry when their kids go off to post-secondary school. Will they eat, go to sleep and wake up without their supervision? Do I think they will be able to keep up with the work? Are they going to make friends or socialize too much? Will the pressure to use al…
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Listen to today's podcast... Have you ever found yourself exhausted or caught a cold after flying for a business trip or a vacation? Whether it's for business or for pleasure, stress from travelling can cause a person to experience many physically and mental symptoms. The stress of being on the move can become overwhelming. Take One Action Today To…
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Listen to today's podcast... I disagree with the usual sentiment. Respect is earned, not given. I believe that Respect is given, first. But you can lose my respect and you may have to earn it back. Our default setting should be to respect every person we meet. Every single one. Respect is not just deep admiration for someone elicited by their abili…
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Listen to today's podcast... Life is too short. Some Day will never come. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Time’s Up Day is here. Today is the day to make the most of your life. It is also the time to get over whatever is standing in between you and someone else: Arguments, disagreements, feeling slighted, jealous, or whatever it is. It is time to addre…
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Listen to today's podcast... Our stress can be negatively impacted by the way in which we organize our daily activities and routines, and by the organization or lack there of in our physical environment. De-junking our physical space can increase our efficiency, our effectiveness and can add to a sense of control which can help us create a calm and…
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Listen to today's podcast... Your image is the way you appear to others Some say that it shouldn’t matter how others perceive you. But life Is all about relationships. And for most of us, everything that we do involves other people. Building a better image is about making improvements in order to change the way we appear to others. It is about ensu…
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