A study of brain activity found that those who just pledged to spend money on a friend saw more brain activity associated with altruism and happiness. According to the same study, small acts of generosity had the same effect as large acts. Another study concluded that the positive effects of generosity on blood pressure are equal to those from interventions like medication and exercise. Other reports show...
If you are a Seinfeld fan like me, you may recall and appreciate the freak-out of character George Costanza’s freak out character when his friends would connect with his fiancé and vice versa. In his bubble of safety, these worlds should be on two different planets. Well, this is how I have managed my work and home life throughout the last five wonderful and busy years in nonprofit leadership.
Today, with the pandemic, our world has changed. There are daily reminders in the news of COVID-19 attacking the respiratory system, patients being intubated, and shortage of ventilators. Life is difficult now and has turned our routines upside-down. Daily life is not the same and our lives have been affected. Can all this stop? How can we make sense of it? How can we handle it? It may seem to be spinning out of control… STOP… Just breathe!
At 6 a.m., I was briskly walking the length of my house from front door to dining room carrying hand weights while listening to NPR’s “Morning Edition.” This wasn’t how I had planned to celebrate 40 years of morning workouts. However, it’s the new normal until my gym re-opens.
Quarantine means that we don’t have our usual opportunities for physical activity. Parents may be used to going to the gym or yoga studio. Children are used to running with friends at recess, going to PE class, and participating in sports. During this time of physical distancing, it’s important to re-evaluate exercise routines as a family and make sure that everyone is getting their needs for physical activity met.
Throughout the course of my life I have had to work hard at something. Whether it be work, my relationships, sports, my attitude, my finances, school, or my personal health and wellbeing, there has always been a time when I have needed to be better or do better. During those times I have leaned on my family, good friends and mentors, growth opportunities, my faith, and great books. So many books! One of my favorite authors of the many books I have read is Brene Brown – I have learned so much from reading her material, listening to her podcasts, and engaging in her work.
As one of the newest board members of The Wellbeing Partners, I am thrilled to be part of this dynamic organization as we build wellbeing into all the places people work, live, and play. Sarah and Theresa asked me to introduce myself and share a little bit about what we’re doing at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska (BCBSNE) to advance that same mission.
Spiritual wellbeing: to translate it into simply ‘religion’ or even ‘faith’ would miss a large part of the importance and relevance that spiritual wellbeing has for all people. Spiritual wellbeing is much larger, and can be understood as “finding purpose, value, and meaning in your life.” Because our spiritual wellbeing is tied to our sense of purpose, it acts a lot like emotional wellbeing in how it relates to the other dimensions: purpose within a community (social), purpose and value at work (occupational), educational goals (intellectual), and so forth. Our sense of purpose and the value and meaning we find in our lives impacts our mental health directly in how we think about and see ourselves.
Recently food advocates involved in Share Our Table, a regional coalition focused on food security, gathered virtually to discuss COVID-19 and its impact on food security here in the community. To help during this uncertain time, we pulled together some resources for food advocacy organizations and those you serve. Please feel free to share with your networks.
Right now, our country and the world are experiencing a public health crisis that we were not prepared to handle. It is obvious that COVID-19 is causing many changes in our communities and workplaces and that the effects of this pandemic are something that we will continue to experience in the coming weeks, months, and maybe years. However, not all changes that will result from COVID-19 will be negative. As we have seen over the past few weeks, more and more workplaces have adopted or expanded their paid leave benefits as a response to COVID-19.