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By LeAnn Thieman. This was originally published on LeAnn's blog.
I’m great at making up excuses not to exercise. But it’s hard to make excuses for not walking. It’s free. You can do it anywhere! It’s a great time to share time with your friends and family. (And a great way to get away from those you want to avoid. ☺) Here are 10 ways to walk everyday:
Ten is a lot. Pick 3 you will do. Start today! Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success!
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By LeAnn Thieman. This was originally published on LeAnn's blog.
The skateboarder came careening toward me at about 100 miles per hour down the post office steps, then screeched to a stop inches in front of me. My expression of terror (and admittedly annoyance) caused him to drawl, “Chill out, Dude. Relax.” I wanted to shake my finger and lecture him on his social skills, but realized the “dude” had a point. I’d been working at a frenzy all day, rushing to meet the postal deadline, to then hustle to my next meeting. I needed to chill out and relax. Maybe we all do. Relaxation is important because it is more than a state of mind; it physically changes the way your body functions. When your body is relaxed breathing slows, blood pressure and oxygen consumption decrease, and most people report feeling an increased sense of well-being. This is called the “relaxation response.” Using relaxation techniques to produce this response actually changes not only your mind, but your body, researchers proved. They discovered this list of ailments relaxation can help cure (in alphabetical order for your convenience): anxiety, asthma, depression, digestive problems, fibromyalgia, headaches, heart disease, high blood pressure, hot flashes, insomnia, irritable bowel, nausea, nightmares, overactive bladder, pain, ringing in the ears, smoking cessation, temporomandibular pain. Whew! Are any of these a bit too familiar to you? If so, will you join me? Chill out, and relax, Dude. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By LeAnn Thieman. This was originally published on LeAnn's blog.
A man was admitted into the hospital where he worked. He was receiving IV therapy for a staph infection and was surprised when one of his pals from pharmacy hand-delivered the next liter….with three goldfish circling inside! He, his buddy, and his nurse laughed themselves silly. Then he schemed, “Don’t tell the nurses on the next shift about the fish.” At the change of shift, he hung the bag on the IV pole and taped tubing from it to his IV line so it appeared to be connected. Then he pressed his call button and said, “My IV has a problem.” A newly hired nurse, recently out of school, entered the room and started checking the IV site at his wrist, as trained to do. Seeing no problem, she traced the line upwards, checking each connection. As she got half way up multiple tubes, the movement of one of the fish caught her eye. She shrieked so loudly that the patient jumped higher than she did! Even the fish jumped! Then they all laughed…and laughed…and laughed. The day after, a patient from the adjacent room stopped at his doorway. “You know, I’ve been in the hospital a lot recently, but this was absolutely my best hospitalization.” “Why is that?” he asked. “Because laughter is good medicine. Nurses and patients need a dose more often.” Now, I’m not advocating “fish therapy” or practical jokes at work. But I am advocating laughter to help us all heal. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By LeAnn Thieman. This was originally published on LeAnn's blog.
A stressed-out forty-year-old engineer recently admitted, “I really wanted to be a nurse!” He had chosen his educational path in high school and now felt “stuck” with it for rest of his life. Then he realized, “Who would ask an eighteen-year-old for career advice?!” Thoughtfully, courageously, he decided to change professions. Making decisions about our careers, our families and our lives is not always easy. You will make good professional and personal decisions if you avoid these 10 Biggest Mistakes in Decision Making: #1: Not taking time. Occasionally we make decisions in haste, under pressure when the stress hormones are surging. Take your time. #2: Lacking peace. Good decisions are made in tranquility. Breathe deeply. Find solitude. Drink in the peacefulness. #3: Clamoring in chaos. To hear your deep inner voice, your Divine guidance, escape the commotion. Listen to you built-in guide. Be still. Hear. Follow. #4: Disregarding priorities. Sometimes we make decisions that undermine our priorities. Make choices that honor and support what you have promised to be most important. #5: Failing to heed what’s best for you. Occasionally we decide things with too little consideration of our needs and wants. You can usually be a caring team and family member without shortchanging yourself. #6: Neglecting your values. Don’t make decisions that are not in alignment with your principles. Be consistent with what you believe in. #7: Ignoring what’s right. Often things are more black and white than we want to admit. Even in the grey, when you listen to your deep inner voice, you hear and know what is right. # 8: Avoiding the truth. Pledge that every word you speak is true. Every word. Honesty is always the best policy. #9: Forgetting to say, “No.” To make good decisions, there are times we need to just say, “No.” Remember when to state “I’m sorry I can’t, I have another commitment.” #10: Procrastinating. When making a decision is difficult, we tend to postpone it…and postpone it. But remember, not to decide, is to decide. No decision is a decision. Bear in mind that where you are today is based on decisions you made in the past. You will be tomorrow is based on decisions you make today. Make then good ones. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By LeAnn Thieman. This was originally published on LeAnn's blog.
Few of us need to be encouraged to be mentally active. Instead, most of us need a nudge — or a shove — to take time every day for mental rest and relaxation. Deep relaxation breathing is one of the best and most effective tools, but it is so simple that most people discount it. It’s the same breathing technique that’s taught in yoga and childbirth classes. This rhythmic breathing not only releases stress and tension but endorphins, the chemical in our brain that causes us to feel good. I’m told endorphins have the same molecular makeup as morphine! We have this “drug” on tap and forget to use it by doing rhythmic breathing. I was a childbirth educator for thirteen years, and I taught moms to breathe slowly, deeply, and easily to reduce stress in labor. The same principles apply as we “labor” through life. When laboring women get too stressed, they have increased adrenaline and that shuts down the release of oxytocin, which is responsible for making the uterus contract and the baby come out. Too much adrenaline from increased stress makes for a longer, harder labor. Stress raises adrenaline levels in all of us, putting us into the “fight or flight mode,” an ancient survival mechanism left over from when cavemen were chased by wild beasts. In this mode, our bodies send all the energy and circulation to the organs that are needed at that moment and take energy away from those not needed for survival at that time. That’s why our hearts beat so fast and our breathing is so rapid when we get scared. We need a heartbeat and breathing to survive. What we don’t need is a bladder. That’s why kindergarteners wet their pants on stage. They are so nervous up there trying to sing their songs, their little hearts and lungs are working overtime to help them survive. That’s also why the bride has to go to the bathroom just one more time before she walks down the aisle or guys at work have to duck into the men’s room before talking to their supervisor. Think of the last time you were really nervous and afraid. Did you have to go to the bathroom? You’ve likely read stories of a hero in a “fight or flight mode” who lifted a car off the injured victim, proving that adrenaline kicks in to help the organs needed to survive. Too much adrenaline, however, interrupts healthy body functions. Breathing and relaxing decrease adrenaline output and allow our organs and body parts to work at their best and “save” us. Let’s breathe slow, deep, and easy three to four times a day for three to four minutes and relax. Relaxation Breathing: Simply breathe In-two-three-four, Out –two-three-four. The breaths should be slow, deep, and easy from your abdomen. Imagine a hot air balloon expanding in your chest with each breath in, then deflating as you exhale. Breathe in a relaxing pace you could keep up for hours, never feeling short of breath. Breaths will grow deeper as you continue. You can add a thought with each, perhaps breathing in thinking, “I am-two-three four” and out “relaxed-two-three-four.” Continue this for three to four minutes three to four times a day. The good news is we can do it in the breakroom, bathroom, or even at our desks or the bedside. Robert Louis Stevenson said, “Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened, but go on in fortune at their own private pace, like the ticking of a clock during a thunderstorm.” Quiet your mind. Breathe. Relax. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By LeAnn Thieman. This was originally published on LeAnn's blog.
A recent study by the International Council of Nurses found that burnout rates in nursing were 40 percent before the pandemic, and now the figure has grown to 70 percent. I believe nurses are not burned out but drained out. I’ve seen the absolute devastation of burned land in the Colorado fires — land that will never be recovered the same. With the proper care, however, nurses and caregivers can recover. We can refill their wells by offering programs to give them specific tools to care for themselves physically, mentally, and spiritually. This will rebuild their resiliency because people want to work for people who care for them. Forward-thinking, honorable companies establish cultures of caring to prevent burnout before it exhausts their staff. They make it that part of their mission statements, vision statements, and strategic plans. They don’t just tell employees to take care of themselves, they offer time-tested evidence-based programs to do so. Over and over I hear from drained-out healthcare workers, “I really want to take care of myself, but I don’t know where to begin.” Hospitals and healthcare organizations must make caring for their staff a top priority. After all, it is the best recruitment and retention tool. New recruits have a choice between numerous companies these days, and they will gravitate toward the ones that have programs and a commitment to care for them, mind, body, and spirit. Companies with cultures of caring have happier, healthier, more productive workers. And, as one CNO said, “Besides, it’s the right thing to do.” Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By LeAnn Thieman. This was originally published on LeAnn's blog.
This is one of my favorite stories I’ve read, called The Miracle of Forgiveness: For years, I had been unable to forgive my dad. I blamed him for everything that went wrong in my life. If he hadn’t been so strict, so overbearing, so distant, so volatile, I would have turned out to be a better person. Maybe I would have made better choices as an adult if he had just taken the time to show me he loved me. Eventually I came to realize that Dad was only human, just like I was. I understood that he did the best he could, based on what he knew at the time. I also came to know that as an adult, I could no longer blame anyone but myself for the bad choices I’d made. Once I accepted all of that, the miracle of forgiveness occurred. Privately, I forgave my dad, and eventually myself, for making so many poor choices. I was able to move on with a new resolve in life. With all these thoughts swirling in my head, I sat at Dad’s hospital bedside. He woke and said groggily, “I’m so sorry you have to do this.” He stared into my eyes, as if to penetrate the message. “I’m sorry for a lot of things.” At that moment I realized Dad didn’t know I had forgiven him. “Dad, it’s an honor to take care of you.” As I said those words, it seemed like it was someone else who had been so angry with him just a few years before. Dad looked up heavenward and whispered, “Thank you, God.” Then I knew he had been praying for this miracle of forgiveness for years too. Forgiveness is healing and freeing. Who are you going to forgive? Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By LeAnn Thieman. This was originally published on LeAnn's blog.
Fear, grief, and isolation during the pandemic have triggered a national state of emergency in the mental health of America’s youth. Youngsters already faced significant mental health challenges, and the pandemic has made them worse, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. They report that children’s mental health is suffering. So much attention is placed on their physical health consequences and too little on their mental health. It’s a health crisis emergency. The statistics prove it. Between March and October 2020, the percentage of emergency department visits for children with mental health emergencies rose by 24% among children aged 5 to 11 and by 31% among children aged 12 to 17. There were 50% more suspected suicide attempt-related emergency room visits among girls aged 12 to 17 in early 2021 than in early 2019. Recent data also show that more than 140,000 U.S. children have suffered the loss of a primary or secondary caregiver during the pandemic. In the first six months of this year, children’s hospitals across the country reported a shocking 45% increase in the number of self-injury and suicide cases in 5- to 17-year-olds compared to the same period in 2019. Attention has focused on the physical health of our children. It’s time to give the same commitment and attention to their mental and spiritual well-being. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By LeAnn Thieman. This was originally published on LeAnn's blog.
During the height of the pandemic, many people said they had trouble concentrating. They couldn’t get excited about anything. It wasn’t burnout. It wasn’t depression. They just felt somewhat joyless and aimless. It turns out there’s a name for that: languishing. Languishing is a sense of stagnation and emptiness. It feels as if you’re muddling through your days, looking at your life through a foggy windshield. In the early, uncertain days of the pandemic, our brains were on high alert and our fight or flight instincts were at a fever pitch. But as the pandemic has dragged on, the acute state of anguish we found so hard to describe has given way to a chronic condition of languishing that colors our daily lives. Languishing Can Lead To Nurse Burnout Languishing is the neglected middle child of mental health. It’s the void between depression and flourishing — the absence of well-being. It dulls our motivation and disrupts our ability to focus, and it poses a serious risk to our mental health. Research suggests that the people most likely to experience major depression and anxiety disorders in the next decade aren’t the ones with those symptoms today, but the people who are languishing right now. And new evidence from pandemic health care workers in Italy shows that those who were languishing in the spring of 2020 were three times more likely than their peers to be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Dealing With Languishing and Preventing Nurse Burnout Finding new challenges, enjoyable experiences and meaningful work are all possible remedies to languishing. Carve out daily time to focus on a challenge that matters to you — an interesting project, a worthwhile goal, a meaningful conversation. Sometimes it’s a small step toward rediscovering some of the energy and enthusiasm you’ve missed during all these months. For healthcare businesses, providing workers with a supportive and rewarding work environment can help reduce the prevalence of languishing and prevent nurse burnout both now and in the future. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By LeAnn Thieman. This was originally published on LeAnn's blog.
A unique twist on positive thinking was taken from the Roman Stoic philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca (just Seneca to his friends.) He was a busy guy born in the year 4 BC He was not only a philosopher, but a tutor, statesman, dramatist, humorist and an advisor to Emperor Nero. His unusual twist on positive thinking suggested that occasionally we try not to focus on the best case scenario, but the worst. Seneca advised, for example, that if you feared losing your wealth you should, “Set aside a certain number of days during which you shall be content with the scantiest and cheapest fare, with course and rough dress, saying to yourself all the while, ‘Is this the condition I feared?’” Do you suppose after that he said, “Well, this isn’t so bad!” One person, following Seneca’s advice, recently admitted that her greatest fear was to feel embarrassed. So she went to every table at a busy restaurant and said, “Hello” to every person there. Her overblown fears were cut down to size. No one shouted at her or attacked her; she just got a few strange looks. I realize I use this tactic too. In stressful or fearful situations I sometimes ask myself, “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” When I think that through, I often surmise, “Well, I could handle that.” Do you have a worst fear? Try this technique to help you to overcome it. Maybe you won’t wear a rough course dress and talk to people in a crowded restaurant, but what worse case scenario can you imagine…and handle? Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! |
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