Getting out of it - Inspired
Work / Life Balance
A song by U2 – “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” describes where we find ourselves at times.
“You’ve got to get yourself together
You’ve got stuck in a moment
And you can’t get out of it
Don’t say that later will be better
Now you’re stuck in a moment
And you can’t get out of it
And if the night runs over
And if the day won’t last
And if your way should falter
Along the stony paths
It’s just a moment
This time will pass”
– Songwriters: Clayton Adam / Evans David / Mullen Laurence / Hewson Paul David
6 Go-to Bloggers for Inspiration
Blog posts on happiness & fun, love & relationships, meaning & passion, mindfulness & peace, change & challenges, letting go, healthy habits and work fulfilment. Tiny Buddha is about reflecting on simple wisdom and learning new ways to apply it to our complex lives, complete with responsibilities, struggles, dreams, and relationships.
Articles on relationships, networking, family, trust and integrity, communication, leadership, life balance, self-help, business management, sales tips and career advice. Frank Sonnenberg is an award-winning author and a well-known advocate for moral character, personal values, and personal responsibility.
9 Activities that will put you in a Good Mood
1. Go for a walk
An hour-long walk (or a 15-minute run) every day has been shown to significantly lower the risk of depression. So, while going outside can be the last thing you feel like doing when you just want to stay in bed, it’s important to give it a red-hot go.
2. Phone a friend
Many have struggled to foster friendships this year. Restrictions and lockdowns have made it tricky to lock in catch-ups with friends, and if you’ve been spending time online job hunting (or bingeing Netflix shows), often the last thing you feel like doing is jumping on a Zoom call. But, connection is so important for our mental wellness, and talking (rather than texting) is a great way to boost your sense of purpose and help you cope with some of life’s difficulties. It may also help you feel less lonely.
3. Help someone
4. Make yourself a "Happy" Meal
When the chips are down, many of us seek comfort in food. But when that food is high in fat and/or sugar, eating can often make us feel worse. Enter stage right: healthy food that tastes amazing and may even lift your spirits.
Fatty fish, like salmon and tuna, are rich in omega-3s and have been linked to lowering levels of depression. Fermented foods, like kimchi and yoghurt, contain probiotics, which foster good gut health (and may also increase serotonin). And berries, particularly blueberries, are high in antioxidants, which may combat oxidative stress in the body. Check out these tasty poke bowls for some inspiration.
5. Get into the sunshine
Exposure to sunlight is essential to our well-being. It helps our body produce vitamin D, important for healthy bones and blood cells. It helps regulate our sleep. And it may boost serotonin, a chemical in the brain that can make you feel calm, positive and focussed. Just remember to pop on some SPF before you head out.
6. Read a book
Apart from being a brilliant way to escape to another time, place or dimension, reading is also a great way to de-stress and relax. A study by Yale University found that reading just 30 minutes a day could extend your lifespan by up to two years.
7. Get your hands dirty
There’s mounting evidence to suggest that interacting with nature, as well as sticking your hands in the dirt and growing things, could be beneficial to our mental health. All that digging and weeding is a great way to burn off a few calories, while gardening itself is said to reduce stress and anxiety. Plus, there’s the added satisfaction of growing and eating your own veggies (that have been grown with love, not pesticides).
8. Give your cat/dog a cuddle
Sometimes, only a cuddle will do. And when you give your dog a cuddle, studies have shown that both you and your pooch experience increased levels of oxytocin, the feel-good endorphin that inhibits cortisol production (the one that’s responsible for stress and anxiety). Don’t have a dog? A cat, family member, teddy bear, or even a pillow, will reap the same benefits.
9. Socialise with your colleagues
There’s a whole host of benefits to socialising with your coworkers. Studies have shown that it creates higher morality within the workplace. This essentially leads to better health for employees, since forming friendships and relationships at work makes us more content and creates a more pleasant working environment. It also develops better communication between coworkers, which means they are more likely to collaborate on work matters effectively, and challenge each other to think outside the box. Every Friday at Grindstone, we spend the end of the day socialising and each take turns to host it. Sometimes, we share an inspiring story or presentation, and other times we play team games. Whatever we do, we all feel the perks from this time together
Balancing work and family life
If you’re finding it difficult to balance your career and family life, you’re not alone. According to a 2018 survey, 30% of South African’s feel their work-life balance is “not very” or “not at all” valued by the organisations they work for. For most of us, our career plays an essential role in our everyday life. Here, at Grindstone, we are thankful to have an employer who is very understanding of the necessity for work-life balance. If you don’t currently feel like you are achieving a good balance, here are some easy-to-implement ways to get better at juggling work life alongside family time.
1. Reduce your stress levels
2. Discuss workplace flexibility with your employer
3. Create a plan
4. Focus on family-friendly workouts
“How do you workout when you have kids?” is a frequently searched question on Google. The answer? Incorporate exercise into your family time.
A 2014 study found that there is a direct link between the physical activity levels of a mother and her children, which offers all the more inspiration to develop a family exercise routine.
Choose activities that will allow you and your kids to workout while having fun. This could be a backyard soccer game, a family bike ride, indoor rock climbing, or even just putting on some music and dancing around the house.
5. Prioritise and delegate
6. Seek out support
If you’ve looked at your priorities, planned out a calendar, and have delegated certain tasks, yet still find that you’re struggling to find a healthy balance between your work and family life, it might be time to seek support. Depending on your circumstances, this may mean: looking at childcare options, speaking to your siblings about supporting you in providing care to elderly parents, or perhaps hiring a cleaner to help you around the house. Go back to your calendar and see what tasks can be outsourced.
7. Schedule in phone calls
When you’re balancing work, sleep, raising children, going to the gym, and spending time with your partner, it’s understandable that other relationships might start to fall through the cracks.
Particularly as many of us are balancing work and family during Covid-19 social distancing, it is so important to maintain these relationships.
A simple way to keep in touch is to set a reminder on your phone to call your parents, grandparents, relatives, or friends. Over the years, researchers have found a clear link between the quality of our relationships and quality of life, so it’s worth investing your time in that daily phone call.
8. Take a technology break
9. Develop a daily routine
10. Take care of your mitochondria
Of course, achieving your career and family goals ultimately comes down to taking care of your health and energy levels. To do this, it’s important to look after your body’s mitochondria: the power banks that generate the energy and health your cells need for your body to function effectively.
When it looks like you are “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” remember that there are many role models out there who came from difficult backgrounds.
Oprah Winfrey
She’s now a billionaire host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. There isn’t a person in the country who hasn’t heard of Oprah. She grew up on a farm in Kosciusko, Mississippi, and was left in the care of her grandmother after her parents split up. Throughout her childhood, she went back and forth between living with each of her parents and facing repeated sexual abuse while under the care of her mother.
She credits her father for saving her life, and under his care, she was able to do well in school, go to college, and get her first job at CBS when she was only 19
Inspirational Quotes to live by Daily:
Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in. –Bill Bradley
When ordinary people decide to step out and be part of something big, that’s when they become extraordinary. –Brett Harris
Words can inspire, thoughts can provoke, but only action truly brings you closer to your dreams. –Brad Sugars
One must not focus on the risk of saying, “Yes.” The greater risk is missing opportunities by saying, “No.” –Charles Sullivan
Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right. –Henry Ford
It always seems impossible until it’s done. –Nelson Mandela
If the words you spoke appeared on your skin would you still be beautiful? –Author Unknown
Having good days is a decision that we make every day before we even walk out the door. –Sumit Gautam
Decide to have a Good day, Every day – Starting TODAY
- Inspirational
- Work Life
written by:
Bernadene Claassens
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