4 Key Habits for ResiliencyHow to Become Resilient Image

Habit #1 — Debrief Daily. Before going to bed, think about the ups and downs of your day. This will help you realize your stressors and things that uplifted you. Identifying the triggers will prepare you to deal with them in the future.

Habit #2 — Be Good to Yourself. Discover things that renew and encourage you. Enjoy at least one of them daily (e.g. your pet, exercise routine or spending time with someone special in your life, etc.)

Habit #3 — Live in the Moment. Stop yourself from constantly worrying about the future and pay attention to what is going on right now in your life. Focus on good things happening in the moment.

Habit #4 — Give Thanks. Write down things, people and situations that you are happy about in your life. Do it every day. This activity helps to keep life in perspective.

Resource: Bounce: Living the Resilient Life, by Robert Wicks, PsyD

The Flames of BurnoutBurnout Image

“37% of full time employees say that they are now doing the work of two people; 30% say they are burned out.”

Careerbuilders.com, October 2009, based on a survey of 4,435 full time employees

Burnout is a state of emotional, mental and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. As stress continues, burnout seems to take on a life of its own.

People feel pulled from all angles of their lives in an increasingly complex, fast paced world. The negative effects may spill over into every area of life – work, social and personal.

Continue reading “The Flames of Burnout”

Survive and Thrive with EQ Flexibility

  Survive and Thrive with EQ Flexibility Image

A few years ago on vacation in Mexico, my husband and I visited a water park. There we experienced a float bridge of sorts.

While crossing the water, the bridge ebbed and flowed with our every movement. The more resistance that we showed the more the bridge seemed to want to dump us into the water.

It was clear, we learned with experience, that we needed to “go with the flow” in order to safely get across. Be flexible and we would make it.

Flexibility, as defined by Reuven Bar-On, author of the EQ-instrument, is the “ability to adjust one’s feelings, thoughts and behavior to changing situations and conditions.”

Continue reading “Survive and Thrive with EQ Flexibility”

Stress, Workplace Success and Emotional Intelligence

  Workplace Stress Image

Leaders who demonstrate strong emotional intelligence are able to better build relationships, drive teams to improve performance, adapt to change and deal with difficult job demands.

In a national study of over 1000 working Americans aged 18 and over done by Legar Marketing and Multi-Health Systems, stress was found to have a detrimental effect on emotional intelligence.

Continue reading “Stress, Workplace Success and Emotional Intelligence”