Wellness Archives - Sharon M Weinstein

April 24, 2021 By Sharon Weinstein

Survive and Thrive

As an advocate of work/life balance for nearly 20 years, necessitated by working 100 hours weekly, 3 countries per week, with no life of my own, I believe in sharing the merits of life in #balance. I believe that our biggest goal for 2021 and beyond is to #Survive and #Thrive! How about you?

In a time when our work and home lives have intertwined like never before, do we really ever turn off our devices? Do we set boundaries, or do we let the world of connectivity overwhelm us? If you are open to setting boundaries, I suggest the following:

Presenteeism – You know that there are those who take up space, but who are not present in the moment. When you are working from home, be present. When you are homeschooling your kids, be present. When you are on those continuous-feed Zoom calls, be present. Work hard when you are working, and relax when it is high time for social and family encounters.
Prioritization – Everything does not have a “now” deadline. Separate your must-do list from your to-do list and share the accomplishment of crossing off what has been done and look forward to more must-do’s tomorrow
Self-care – We all have responsibilities, some more than others. We are all on the same journey, but perhaps in different boats or cars. Schedule time for yourself (in your calendar) and take that time to rest, relax, reset your battery, and be good to yourself.

If you are employed, be grateful, but take time for yourself. If you are freelancing, job hunting, working from home, self-employed, or finding yourself, take the time for balance. Your greatest task for the remainder of 2021 is to Survive and Thrive. Answer this question, “Do you work to live, or live to work?” What’s your story?

Artwork credit: Bhavya Poonie/Mashable India

April 24, 2021 By Sharon Weinstein

Join me for a Nurses’ Week Celebration…2021

National Nurses Week begins each year on May 6th and ends on May 12th, Florence Nightingale’s birthday.

International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world on May 12th of each year, and this year, once again, the theme for Nurses Week continues…the year of the nurse and midwife.

The Coronavirus has shifted priorities; hospitals and health systems would now be finalizing plans for The Year of the Nurse, and the opportunity to celebrate nurses and nursing. Nursing the World to Health is precisely what we are doing!

Priorities may have shifted, but nurses remain on the frontlines 24/7/365, providing care, often with limited resources, and making us proud.

In the midst of social distancing, anxiety, and fear of the unknown, and to honor all that you do, I’ll provide a series of complimentary sessions addressing key topics for the nursing community:

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 – 11 am ET

Compassion Fatigue

Today, more than ever before, compassion fatigue is a possibility. Awareness of the problem is critical to developing an intervention. We find ourselves wanting to be all things to all people, and we realize that we cannot do it.

Objectives:

Discuss signs of compassion fatigue
Describe coping strategies
List possible interventions

Friday, May 7, 2021 – 11 am ET

Life as a Balancing Act- Family Matters

We all have responsibilities, whether caring for children or elderly parents or pursuing personal interests, activities, or hobbies. Some of us are in the “sandwich generation; we’re juggling the challenge of homeschooling and vulnerable parents or family members. We must be equipped to resolve personal and workplace issues, juggle conflicting responsibilities and balance personal and workplace roles. Are you ready to learn how you can balance your act – when family life matters?

Objectives

Identify challenges of work/life balance during a pandemic
Discuss the power of three
List 3 ways to ensure that family matters

Sunday, May 9, 2021 – 11 am ET

Stress and Crisis Management

Watching TV, listening to special reports, reading the newspaper (online or live), we have been inundated with reports that stress us to the point of exhaustion. Our ability to interact as members of teams drives our sense of belonging, inclusivity, collaboration, and trust. The Coronavirus has shifted our focus, leaving team members frustrated, tired, and anxious. As a team, you care for others, well aware of their fears, while concern mounts about transmission to your own family, exposure, and overall well-being. Social distancing has removed our ability to reach out and touch someone, to hold a hand, to wipe a brow, and to enjoy fellowship.

I’ll share tips for surviving and thriving during a pandemic. Yes, you can make time for yourself, stay in touch, exercise, stay safe, and keep your distance. This is your chance to learn how.

Objectives

Describe anxiety levels around Covid-19
Identify tips for surviving and thriving
Discuss the gratitude gap

Tuesday, May 11, 2021 – 11 am ET

Self-care is not selfish

Now is the time to be your own cheerleader; I’ll share content related to Self-Care along with a 32-page Playbook featuring a special section on Tips and Techniques for Self-care.

Objectives

Discuss healing environments
Read and interpret your body’s signals
Describe mindset

Attend this 4-part series of FREE programs in honor of nurses and nursing. Enroll now, at no charge, and receive a copy of the 32-page Playbook! http://bit.ly/3lx9cez

December 27, 2020 By Sharon Weinstein

Say goodbye to 2020, a stressful infodemic

What a stressful year it has been! Call it what you want, but 2020 has been the year of Information Overload, aka info anxiety, info explosion, and in some cases, an infodemic. In the past, thoughts of information overload stemmed from a packed inbox and the fact that we were drowning in information. We had an abundance of content and little time allocated to processing. At the time, information overload was considered by some to be a source of stress, reduced job satisfaction, disruptions in social and professional relationships, and poor health. The symptoms were benign, and those afflicted often suffered in silence.

Expectations about information and response times changed, and smartphones, social networks, smart TVs, and other devices flooded us with information and left little room or time for a personal recharge. While technology plays a crucial role in information management, how we manage that information, and the choices that we make, affect our ability to deal with the disruption. Those choices include delegation, escape, filters, and rejection. Have we changed amid the current disruption of a pandemic? Is the coronavirus an infodemic in addition to being a pandemic?

One thing is sure, the pandemic took stress levels to an all-time high, and it’s the first pandemic in history in which technology and social media have been used on a broad scale to keep people, safe, informed, productive, and connected. When we reflect on the year 2020, consider the thought that this tsunami of information, online and offline, included attempts to undermine the global response and impair control of the pandemic. Misinformation cost lives according to the World Health Organization (WHO) briefings. We’ve all been over-exposed to a huge quantity of information; to navigate the challenge, we must assess the source, go beyond headlines, identify the author, check the dates and facts, examine supporting evidence (science), and manage our personal assumptions. As we bid farewell to 2020, let’s focus on flattening the curve of misinformation, an overload that made 2020 the year of “too much.” It’s time to say goodbye! If you need help in managing pandemic-related stress, reach out…to me. As the stressbuster, I’ve been dealing with stress and crisis management for individuals and organizations for over 18 years!

December 14, 2019 By Sharon Weinstein

Is it the end of just the beginning?

With just two weeks remaining in 2019, the time has never been better than to address your stress-relief goals. You have the chance to finish this year and begin 2020 with a new mindset and new results.

What are your three greatest stress triggers? After a few relaxing days off, are you eager to get back to your job, or anxious because of that job? Think about it! You’ve had a great vacation, or even a great weekend. Now, it’s time to get back to reality—to whatever stressed you in the first place and necessitated that important respite. There is so much to do and no time to get it done. The first few days are hectic until you settle back into your routine. Emails and snail mail remain unanswered. Your voice-mailbox is full. What you thought would be an easy transition has become a life challenge, and you wonder how you will get through each day with your mind intact.

Life can be challenging and stressful. Creating work/life balance is critical to success and survival. Living the dream, and overcoming the pain is something else.

In today’s economy, stress may be attributed as much to having a job as to not having one. Layoffs around the country impact workers in all settings. If you fear the loss of your job—even a job you don’t like—you experience stress. How will you feed your family? How will you pay your bills? Will you have to think twice before making routine purchases? We all have different stress triggers, but work tops the list.

Causes of work-related stress include being unhappy in your job, a heavy workload, long hours, unclear expectations of your work, bullying and toxic work settings. Is that what you want to return to? Vacations and holidays come and go, but stress is ongoing. This is reality!

“Reality is the leading cause of stress among those in touch with it.”

– Lily Tomlin

How will you cope now and in 2020?

Apply these simple strategies for finding life balance, and begin to deal with the challenges you would otherwise face:

Create realistic goals.
Manage your time wisely.
Eat healthy.
Learn when to say no and when to let go!

Minimize the pain by choosing one to two strategies to tackle; this process will put you on-track—starting now! Enjoy the holiday season and say hello to being stress-free!

March 24, 2019 By Sharon Weinstein

Are you a meeting planner with too much to do?

Achieving More by Doing Less…what meeting planners need to know-

Are you kidding me?
Is this even possible?
How can I make it happen?
When do I start?

Work-life or workday balance…what is it and why does it matter? Whose responsibility is it? As meeting planners and team players, we share the responsibility of implementing strategies to ensure work-life balance.

Annual conferences, regional meetings…they spell long days, long weeks, and the need to be on- all the time with multiple responsibilities pulling you in multiple directions! There is so much to do and so little time! How can you achieve more and do less?

Is all this a cliché or is it reality? In today’s environment, it certainly seems that it is indeed our reality – a reality of the times in which we live and our expansive scope of work. Balancing work and personal life can be a challenging task. Are you prepared for the challenge?

Is your performance impaired because you are out of balance? Are you caught up in the balancing act, unable to do it all and care only for others in your lives without caring for yourself? You are only as good as you are balanced! If you do not take the time for yourself – yes, even with the array of responsibilities pressuring you now – you will not be the best that you can be. That personal best includes you as parent, partner, friend, partner, professional, educator or event manager. That personal best is what will enable you to reach new heights in your career, to achieve your goals and to maintain your health.

It will start with a successful conference or meeting, allowing you to achieve more and do less, minus the stress. To learn about the five steps needed for balance, opt into https://smwgroupllc.com and receive the secret tool that will get you to, and through, that next meeting.

To start the process: