The Toxic Behavior of Judging

I have been facilitating a lot of corporate wellness programs lately and am pleased to see there are companies who see the value in giving their employees new information and tools to use to manage their stress and work/life balance.  The ROI is quite eye opening. Not only does this proactive approach cut down on health care costs companies incur but it also helps alleviate employee turnover. People will get disengaged in their job performance if they feel they don't matter, are not appreciated or don't see any opportunities in their employment. People are working longer hours, are required to handle more responsibility with less pay and in many cases working the jobs of two people as companies cut back on expenses and have become lean.

It's no wonder stress shows up, work/life balance has jumped out of the window. As human beings, we only have control over how we react to outside triggers. We can choose to handle and manage our stress through making time for habits such as deep breathing, physical activity, listening to quiet music, being outdoors in nature, etc. Or, we can choose to just be frantic, worried, anxious all the time. One helps us stay young, keeps us healthy - mind, body and spirit and calm or one will age us quickly, cause health issues and relationship issues. It's a personal choice we have to make.

I like to educate people on the factors of what causes stress and how it impacts the mind and body; help people discover their triggers and where it shows up and then guide them to figure out how to manage it, the most important part of our discussions. Sometimes we have to get an accountability partner to help us implement a change in behavior or we see the value in hiring a coach who will help guide us to long-lasting change.

If you are reading this and you don't handle stress or work/life balance very well. Step back and ask yourself: How is this impacting me and those around me? What would I like to change or add to my life that is nurturing and calming? What needs to change? Why is this important? It's never too late to grab a hold of our lives and decide that some things aren't working anymore and needed changes have to occur. As Nike says - "Just Do It".