Princeton… Imagine it;  a winter wonderland full of promise, joy and energy?  We know winter can be hard enough on our energy and this year its even more challenging with this Pandemic.  Our area has had an early start to winter- and here’s hoping we can “weather” this winter well.  Think with the end in mind… who do you want to be in a few months?   Coping strategies early can help us after the “magic” of Christmas fades.  Good self-care; nutrition, juicing, blending, sleep, exercise, and laughter are on the top our “favorite things” to gift ourselves as we look Winter straight into her cold eyes.  We agree with Sue Nador, as she writes about the advantage of Light being “life-changing” and we couldn’t agree more Sue!  We are big fans of Light Boxes at the Skills Centre. Sue gives us a few hacks to beat the winter blues and we thought we’d share them with you below. 

Lori Dudley remembers thinking: “I just want to leave on a one-way ticket somewhere and not come back.” At the time, the 53-year-old Ottawa-area resident was experiencing severe fatigue, moodiness and a lack of motivation. The normally driven and energetic healthcare executive eventually recognized a pattern to these symptoms. They would hit her like a ton of bricks in November and abate in the spring. 

Dudley is one of the approximately 20 percent of Canadians dealing with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a form of depression. Makoto Trotter, a naturopathic doctor in Toronto, says SAD occurs on a spectrum. “There’s a lot of people who just feel a little bit blah,” he says. But, like other forms of depression, symptoms can also be much worse.

The good news, as Dudley discovered, is that there are better options than a one-way ticket to nowhere to thrive during the dark days of winter.

1. Light is life-changing

Light therapy, in the form of light boxes and lamps, substantially benefits most users. Trotter explains that these products produce light in the same spectrum as the sun, but without ultraviolet (UV) radiation: “For some people it can be life-changing.” Dudley swears by the HappyLight she uses for 20 minutes a day, placing it at arm’s length on an angle (so she’s not staring into the light) while enjoying a book: “You start feeling lighter. No pun intended.” 

2. Wake-up call

Other light products include dawn-simulator alarm clocks (also known as sunrise alarms or wake-up lights). Rather than being woken by the shrill sound of an alarm on a dark winter morning, these products rouse users gently with light that gets brighter gradually. Research shows our circadian system (the body’s internal clock) responds best to subtle light changes when we’re still asleep, stimulating an anti-depressant response.

3. Your doctor can help

There are also pharmaceutical solutions, such as anti-depressants. Some people try mood-altering natural products, like St. John’s Wort. Trotter cautions that these shouldn’t be taken without medical advice as they can interact with other medications. For one, it can interfere with SSRI antidepressants, such as Prozac.

4. A dose of vitamin D

Lack of sunlight robs us of vitamin D. Trotter says that prolonged deprivation affects bone density and our mood, and increases our risk for autoimmune disease. Canadians can be deficient in vitamin D as a consequence of living in a northern country.

5. Is your lifestyle making you listless? 

Good lifestyle hygiene – diet, exercise, sleep – can also work wonders. Shots of caffeine in the morning because we feel sluggish, and alcohol at night to help us sleep, are not the answer. Trotter advises: “Limit refined carbohydrates and make sure you’re getting lots of protein.” 

6. Tone down the technology

While we may stay under the covers longer when it’s dark outside, it’s important those extra minutes are good-quality sleep. Studies show that using light-emitting devices such as smartphones or tablets in bed suppresses melatonin production, robbing our brains of an important cue to sleep. (Melatonin is a hormone typically produced at night, causing drowsiness and lethargy.)

7. Release the endorphins

Dudley has embraced exercise, breaking the vicious cycle of not exercising because she lacked energy – only to feel even more tired. Now, she walks several kilometres a day with her husband, combining health benefits with quality time. “You feel better about yourself,” she says. It’s no wonder. Trotter says exercise releases endorphins, “the feel-good hormones.”

8. Get ready now

The best way to avoid SAD is to be proactive. Trotter suggests having a plan ready to go by early fall. “Don’t wait too long, because then it can be difficult to get out from under that dark cloud.” Who knows – with the right planning, we may all start to wish those dark winter months were even longer. 

Thanks Sue! 

***Here are few more incredible resources to support your self care: Just click on the links below:

https://www.healthline.com/health/self-care-tips-for-fall-in-quarantine#takeaway

University of Washington’s: Right as Rain

Game Changing Performance- Dark Days of Winter

With the exception of in person “socializing” for now— try to connect via, telephone, email, or video chat 🙂

Additional Green Jobs Labour Market:

https://www.goodwork.ca/

Reskill & Retool your most valuable asset…

Have you every thought about what it might take to keep your amazing brain in tip top shape?  As you enter a new job or are assigned new tasks you are learning, rapidly.  However if you STAY in that same position, or your job becomes monotone or static you could be at risk of a slow brain death.  How you manage your career and its money maker are of huge importance as you leverage employment opportunities and aging well.  At WorkBC we value you, your skills and incredible contribution to the labour market… but do you do Brain Burpees? 

So how do we keep our minds nimble, stretched and firm? How do fearless leaders stay on top of their game? IS Muscle Memory a thing? Can we be too old to be taught new tricks?  

Matthew Solan Executive Editor, Harvard Men’s Health Watch says “active aging involves more than moving your body. You also need to move your brain.”  “When you exercise, you engage your muscles to help improve overall health,” says Dr. Ipsit Vahia, director of geriatric outpatient services for Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital. “The same concept applies to the brain. You need to exercise it with new challenges to keep it healthy.”

A fun way to do this is to sharpen your No. 2 pencils and go back to school. “New brain cell growth can happen even late into adulthood,” says Dr. Vahia. “The process of learning and acquiring new information and experiences, like through structured classes, can stimulate that process.”

About 17% of adults older than age 35 are enrolled at a four-year college or university, or a community college, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. And because more campuses now offer free or discounted tuition for seniors (with no earned credits), there are more opportunities for older adults to explore a variety of subjects and interests.

“The focus is not to earn a degree, or even take multiple classes, but to focus on a class to keep mental activity thriving,” says Dr. Vahia.

It does not have to be a traditional academic course either, he adds. “It can be about learning new skills, like speaking a foreign language, learning how to paint, or to play a musical instrument. You can even study how to improve current ones like fixing a car or becoming more computer-savvy.”  

We’ve been speaking about the changing world and its demands for sharp and skilled workers for almost a decade— This is not new… however, NOW more than ever leaders in World Economics speak to the skills challenges we face globally.  The World Economic Forum is a wonderful resource for those eager to keep up on the rapidly changing Labour Market Landscape.  Learn about the Human Centered and Technology Skills required to compete and bring home the infamous bacon.  Let’s say this in the most non cliche way… “The world needs you! ” primed for Re-skilling, Re-tooling and Re-building.  Come on Princeton let’s get your Skill On!! 

Harvard Business Review hosts a number of podcasts to support the needs of Business Leaders in todays culturally rich field of Human Resources.  From Workplace Dilemma’s,  Mental Health, Ideas, Technology, Women at Work, Crossroads of Business and Culture, to Cold Call Case Studies, there is learning for every leader. This week at The Skills Centre we take a look at the valuable investment of Self Care and Emotional Wellness and the complexities of real life in business.  The trick is to practice what you preach while leading the way in the industry of Leadership and Wellness.  Enjoy!

Balancing Self Care at Work : PODCAST

The Anxious Achiever is a podcast that makes us rethink mental health and work, with candid stories from leaders who’ve been there.

This episode connects with our thoughts this week working with Employers who are truly invested in the well being of their teams.  In this 30 minute podcast you will hear about what’s it like to lead a team when optimizing self-care and emotional wellness is the point of their work? Goop, a company founded by actress Gwyneth Paltrow, explores all aspects of mental and physical health and advocates for a rarefied and often controversial brand of self-care. But does working at a place like Goop create anxiety in and of itself – anxiety to be balanced and perfect and constantly share your emotions?

Host Morra Aarons Mele speaks with Elise Loehnen, Chief Content Officer at Goop, about her own experiences with anxiety at work, how she manages employees and their mental health, and what self-care really means.

Click BELOW To Listen 

PODCAST

The Skills Centre in Princeton welcomes you to contact us if you are looking to support your staff with training, resources or initiatives to move thru the dynamic world of work with the skills and training for your Supervisors, Staff and Leaders. 

Performance… Practical solutions and winning results means putting People first!

Anyone feel unprepared for Thanksgiving?  Other than COVID restrictions, Thanksgiving might be exactly what we need. 

We might be feeling unprepared because its not going to look or feel like past years (and that sucks), or maybe the stress of COVID has successfully take joyful feelings away (and that sucks too).  Maybe on top of COVID, life is throwing a few harsh experiences your way (that really sucks). 

Why might we need Thanksgiving?

Not referring to the turkey or the extra day away from the office (if that is your story), the reference is to what OPPORTUNITY Thanksgiving brings.

The opportunity presenting itself is the opportunity to Take a STOP.  Take a BREATH.  Take a MOMENT.

Breathe it in, GRATITUDE.  Breathe it out GRATITUDE.

The opportunity to take a moment and deliberately focus on finding gratitude is a gift.  Gratitude is an emotional muscle.  The more we use it the stronger it gets.  The stronger it is, the more readily available to us.

Living in gratitude is not living with your head in the sand.  All is not rosy.  Not for any of us.  We don’t want to neglect the important feelings of sadness, remorse, confusion.  But we want to ensure we temper those other emotions with a practice of focusing on the good. 

Focus on what’s missing or how you’ve been wronged

you’ll live as a hostage to self-pity, blame and bitterness.

Focus on what you cannot control,

you’ll live in a state of powerlessness.

Focus on all the potential dangers

you’ll be captive to worry and fear.

You can’t be worried and grateful at the same time

Here’s the Opportunity.  Go outside.  Sit on a bench, chair, stump whatever.  Close your eyes.  Feel the wind, feel the rain or the sun, hear the birds or the cars.  Focus on each on separately.  Breathe in and breathe out. 

Know what that means……You’re Here.  With every moment you are here, is a moment where you have opportunity.  Opportunity for change, for happiness, for self care, for caring for others.  That’s what being here has provided you with.  The yet to be discovered opportunity of being HERE.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.  Peace, Joy, Health

The normal definition of the term disruption is :  A disturbance or problem that interrupts an event, activity or process.  COVID did interrupt our normal way of living day to day.  We are working from home more, travelling less, wearing masks, washing & sanitizing more frequently, exercising social distancing, restricting our group sizes, raising barriers between us and our customers.  That amounts to lots of changes in the way we go about our day to day lives.  

But was it a real disruption?   Are we changed for the long term, or just the short term? Has COVID created the conditions for us to pivot and change the way we live entirely?  Is Dr Bonnie Henry right, “its not for forever, its just for right now“?  Or are there things that have changed, that will not return.  Has the future been accelerated for us.

RBC Thought Leadership has published an interesting synopsis of 8 ways that COVID has changed the way we do things.  Its an easy read, well laid out and succinct.  If you like “rabbit holes” their Appendix of research attached to the article, is full of materials examining what is happening in our new way of being, on all levels.

We are paying particular attention to the changes in how we work, gather and how we learn.  That’s the core of the business down at the Skills Centre.  We are not entirely disappointed that post secondary is having to pivot and offer more programming online.  Certainly as a rural learning organization we welcome the doors opening on more variety in distance programming.  We are watching and readying for any new opportunities to serve our community and make life in Princeton good for everyone.  

Happy to Serve, Have a good weekend.  

WorkBC can spot a Superstar a mile away!  Gloria is nothing short of a dynamic, passionate and caring leader for the Employment Program at Princeton & District Community Services.  Gloria sees the program as a real equalizer for people with all abilities, “I have a job, it makes my life fulfilling, I can save for a holiday, I want that for our clients!” 

Her role is one of community educator;  “everyone has a disability, educating the community to look inside themselves at their Diverse Abilities, then we can have a real inclusive community.”     

Gloria recalls the early days of clients “Work Experiences”. Nobody was paid, it was all volunteer, and that had to change. She literally started asking the community what errands, tasks, or chores they would “pay” to have done.  “I asked each and every one of my friends”!   PDCSS has come a long way since then; the clients all earn fair wages, are employees of PDCSS and covered under WorksafeBC.  

Gloria claims that the key to success is crystal clear communication, and claims that this career is Fun, and it keeps her Young, now that’s a BONUS!   

WorkBC wants to commend you Gloria on your many years of providing exceptional “Superstar Service” to people with Diverse Abilities,  Promoting a workplace of Equity, and contributing to an Inclusive community!!!

This is a special “thinking” piece for People with Disabilities. It comes compliments of The Rick Hanson Website. Recently The Princeton Skills Centre has become “Certified” thru the Rick Hansen Foundation  and we have found incredible resources to share on their website.  This article comes from the lens of a person with a Disability experiencing an anxiety attack.  The article was written by a Guest Blogger and it has incredible resources and links we would like to share with you.   Check Out RickHansen.com

*** Guest blogger Ryan Sturgeon has a Bachelor’s degree in Science degree, a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology, and currently works as a community mental health worker. He’s a husband, and proud father of 4 children 🙂

It felt hard to breathe. My heart was pounding so hard that I could hear it in my ears and feel it in my head. My muscles were tense and tight. I felt lightheaded and dizzy, almost like I would faint. My stomach turned and cramped. My chest hurt. Sweat rolled down my face. Am I having a heart attack? I thought. With each thought that raced through my mind my heart would only beat faster, harder, and I felt more out of control.

If you don’t recognize these symptoms, this is what a panic attack feels like.  You may already know a little about panic attacks, anxiety, and depression, but they are much more common than you realize. The World Health Organization cites that one in four individuals have a mental health concern. That’s a huge number of people. It’s also important to know that many people experience anxiety or depression as a stress reaction after a big life-changing event, for example, acquiring a disability of some kind. 

For people with disabilities, it’s a real struggle to manage what would seem like regular daily activities to others. My anxiety and depression began a few years after the accident that left me an incomplete quadriplegic. I started having negative feelings about driving by myself, going to the store, falling, and being looked at or judged by others.  Depression is one of the most common conditions secondary to disability and chronic illness. According to the North Carolina Office on Disability and Health, studies have shown depressive symptoms may be two to 10 times more common in individuals with disabilities or chronic illnesses. Consistent with this finding, the American Association on Health and Disability cites a number of studies that find individuals with disabilities have a higher incidence of depression and anxiety symptoms. 

Not all people with disability are going to have depression or anxiety, but some of the challenges they face put them at higher risk. We are all aware that socioeconomic status, health, pain, mobility, experiencing a trauma, and isolation are common challenges for people with disability and it is these very challenges that elevate the risk of mental health concerns. 

Mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression add an additional barrier for those with pre-existing disabilities to face. One such barrier is that mental health issues still carry a lot of stigma. “I am weak” or “It’s just in my head’ are two very common myths that prevent people from seeking help. But mental health and physical health are inextricably interconnected. “There is no health without mental health” (World Health Organization) – mental health must not be ignored or denied.  Sadly, we are our own worst enemies and we to put up barriers to taking care of ourselves along with our own mental health. 

One of the reasons I became a mental health worker is because I know the struggle that I went through after my accident. After I went through a difficult recovery process, I learned that much of what I had experienced is common to go through after a traumatic life changing incident and can be considered a normal reaction to a very abnormal set of circumstances. Armed with newfound knowledge and experience I set out to help others. 

What should I be looking for? Signs and symptoms of a mental health issue

If you’ve recently acquired a disability, or even if you’ve had one for years, watch out for the signs and symptoms below and take action right away.

• Ongoing low mood and / or lack of enjoyment in activity in general
• Increased irritability / anger
• Change in sleep (either difficulty getting enough sleep or sleeping all the time)
• Change in appetite (either difficulty eating or eating significantly more – often “comfort foods”)
• Decrease in memory and/or concentration
• Fatigue or decrease in energy
• Increased worry 
• Withdrawing from people
• Ongoing avoidance of certain persons, places, things
• Thoughts of suicide or death

Self-help: Coping tips and strategies

1. Connect with others. We are social creatures. Get our and connect with family, friends, or co-workers. Going out with people and doing something you enjoy is a good way to break the cycle of self-talk and releases good “happy” chemicals.
2. Keep busy. When you’re active, you increase your chances of experiencing something pleasurable as well as stopping the loop of negative thoughts. Pick one or two things to start that appeal to you and put it to the test. Look at your mood before doing it and then again after. We often enjoy it more than we think we will.
3. Exercise. Start including more exercise in your life even if it’s something very small to begin with. Exercise is Mother Nature’s natural antidepressant. It has been shown to release similar chemicals to that of antidepressants and people report feeling better even if they only exercise for half an hour a few times a week. Exercise also relieves stress and can help improve sleep quality.
4. Give back. Give to your community or good cause. Volunteer or do something purposely to help someone or some organization. We often feel good about helping others and often provides a sense of accomplishment and meaning.
5. Try continuing education. Try and learn something new each day. Sign up for a class or a course. By learning and developing a skill or knowledge about something we feel good about ourselves.
6. Practice mindfulness. Learn how to stay in the present moment without judgment. Try to view things with a healthy sense of openness and curiosity – yes, even unpleasant things!
7. Acknowledge and accept things as they are. Avoiding or trying to deny, dismiss, or not accept something that has happened takes a lot of energy and is ineffective. Only through acceptance can we come to peace with what is and move forward. You can’t map out how to get to point B if you don’t accept you are at point A.

Looking for more information? Helpful resources and information Below:

The Free Mindfulness Project offers free mindfulness exercises, videos, and apps
Headspace has free “Take 10” Program, a 10-minute a day meditation practice
Centre for Clinical Interventions offers information and workbooks for a variety of mental health issues
Anxiety BC has information for parents on anxiety
Mind Check has information on depression, anxiety, and substance use for teens

***Disclaimer: The information in this blog is not a substitute for a diagnosis and treatment plan by a licensed healthcare professional. If you’re struggling with mental health issues, please call a doctor in your area.

The Princeton Skills Centre is proud to Share our Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification™!!! 

Someone has done a great deal of work, thinking, research and compiling for you.  Although it is an American resource, this website is a treasure trove of possible types of workplace accommodations paired with the specific disability, or condition.

The website describes the fundamental attributes of a specific condition, and then suggests possible ways that these unique attributes can be accommodated.

Check out the JOB ACCOMMODATION NETWORK, at https://askjan.org/index.cfm

It is important to note that the laws of Canada will differ from the American Disabilities Act, however the work done by the network is valuable no matter where you are.

Further to this, WorkBC services around Customized Employment ensure that you aren’t alone in the journey of hiring, developing and retaining a dedicated worker.  We’ll talk more about those services in a later post.  Just know, there are support services available, just knowing a bit more, and reaching out for support might be all that you need.

September is Disability Employment Month in British Columbia.

September is our opportunity to highlight Disability Employment as a smart, accessible and possible connection for the business community.  Throughout this month, we will be dedicating all of our blog posts under Working, Thinking & Happening to shining the light on these capable and eager employees and the organizations that are supporting their goals to connect to employment.  There are interesting programs in place and dedicated workers and supporters.  We will introduce you to these heroes in service.

Our final blog post at the end of the month Friday September 25, 2020 will be very special.  We will bring to you the entire Princeton Connection highlighting our accessible workforce and the organizations that are the wind under their wings.