Wellness

This past year, I’ve focused a lot on fear and being more vulnerable (I could listen to Brené Brown all day).

A recent favorite find is Fold magazine’s article on author and life coach Hilary Gallo’s fear hacking method. The process is intended to help address and acknowledge personal fears.

Gallo’s tips to enable confidence and personal growth include:

1. Make fear your friend.

2. Dig into fear.

3. Ask “what evidence do I have?”

4. Separate danger and fear.

5. Normalize “imposter syndrome.”

6. Grow your comfort zone.

7. Make fear your road sign.

8. Reframe anxiety into excitement.

– Morgan Fayard, The Atlanta 100

As you prepare your children to go back to school, now is the perfect time to renew your commitment to protecting the environment and to encouraging healthier lunchtime habits.

• Invest in see-through water bottles – many schools require transparency, and this is a good reminder to stay hydrated.

• Purchase reusable food-storage containers instead of single-serving snacks, and pack them with nutritious apples, carrots and peanut butter.

• Check local secondhand stores to give new life to school uniforms, vintage backpacks or desks.

WM offers complimentary tool kits on RecycleOftenRecycleRight.com, to help you recycle right at home or school.

– Stephanie Kissinger, Waste Management

Workplace success used to depend on spending 40+ years climbing the corporate ladder or having connections. While those tactics are still around, a more sound approach is working to develop emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence refers to the capacity to identify, evaluate and manage our own and others’ emotions. The concept of emotional intelligence (known as your EQ) was introduced by psychologists Peter Salovey and John Mayer (not that one) in 1990.

Key principles include self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. Leaders with high emotional intelligence use their social skills to foster rapport and trust with their employees.

– Chris Keene, The Arkansas 100

With today’s hurried pace, it’s important to create time to chill out. Meditation can help return the focus that’s often lacking. You don’t even have to go to a retreat. Check out these apps (even for kids) that can help you keep your mind and body tranquil:

Calm – Offers three-to-25-minute guided sessions, unguided sessions, breathing exercises and sleep stories. Free with trial. iPhone. Android.

Headspace – Geared toward beginners, this app also provides reward and buddy systems. Free with trial. iPhone. Android.

Insight Timer – Provides more than 4,500 guided meditations. Available for free on iPhone and Android.

– Chris Keene, The Arknasas 100

Professional networking is necessary for individuals and small businesses to get a foot in the door. In-person networking is effective for making connections. Nearly 100% of people surveyed by HubSpot said face-to-face meetings are essential for long-term business relationships.

Networking events are a great way to get your name out there in a professional yet comfortable setting. From seminars to after-hour events, networking events offer both social and educational benefits.

In cities across the country where connections are everything, never pass up an opportunity to meet new people, learn new things and grow your business.

– Haley Pegg, New Orleans Chamber

Here’s a fun resolution for 2018: Practice better self-care. Here are some ideas:

– Spend five minutes a day doing something for you. Enjoy a nice cup of coffee every morning and stretch before bed.

– Meditate. Spend a couple of minutes of quiet time focusing on your breathing.

– Declutter your spaces. Get rid of things you don’t need.

– Pay for fitness memberships and carve out time to go. It’s good for both mind and body.

– Cook healthy meals for yourself as often as possible. You’ll save money and feel better.

– Journal. It helps you stay in tune with your emotions.

– Amelia Ables, The Memphis 100

I remember on a cruise celebrating my 40^th birthday I found that I couldn’t sit still in my lounge chair. Wasn’t there something I needed to do or somewhere I needed to be?

In the world we live in, relaxation is a lost art. Well, it’s time to get back in the groove. Here are seven things YOU can do to relax:

• Read a new book

• Laugh out loud – live comedy is great!

• Journal your thoughts and ideas

• Cook dinner with a friend

• Invite your favorite people over for a stress-free meal

• Practice yoga

• Master deep breathing techniques

– Tara Goodwin, The Boston 100

Workplace design is in the throes of a renaissance, according to Steelcase. Rapid advances in technology, innovation agendas, the war on talent and employee disengagement are converging to create an “anti-corporate” backlash against traditional, uninspiring work-spaces.

As neuroscience sheds light on what inspires people to achieve more, efficiency as a design objective is becoming secondary to enriching people’s emotional, cognitive and physical wellbeing.

Thinking about space through the lens of wellbeing humanizes the workplace. By balancing the desire for openness with the human need for solitude, you can create spaces that support focused work as well as rejuvenation.

– Louise Mezzina, Mojo PR