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Sarah Hinds-Friedl

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After graduating from a university in Sydney in 2013, I felt confident in my ability to get a job. I had good references, a list of diverse workAfter graduating from a university in Sydney in 2013, I felt confident in my ability to get a job. I had good references, a list of diverse work experience, and had often been complimented on my interviewing skills in the past. Much to my dismay and confusion, though, I could not land a job in any of the fields in which I had the most experience. The phone was just not ringing. With a mound of student debt looming over me, I was beginning to feel desperate to find a position. From close to twenty applications, I was finally granted one interview – as a junior account executive at a small agency in Glebe, Sydney. I took the offer, gratefully. My first few days were tough. I felt my commitment and ability tested, constantly, by those who had been there longer. Many of my senior co-workers were cold and mistrusting. Most didn’t bother to learn my name. It was not a place to make mistakes. Luckily, I adapted to the high-stress environment quickly. Within a few months, I was training new employees, and higher-ranking account managers were requesting to be scheduled with me. I was offered a promotion and a raise a few months later. When I had been with the company for several months, my hiring manager offered an explanation for why my start had been so rocky. She admitted that she had been tempted to throw out my resume simply because of my age. In her experience, millennials, especially those with a university degree, were not dependable. Though she had meant to compliment me on my uniqueness, her words were troubling. I realized that in a workforce that expected me to fail, I could not simply work as hard as everyone else. I had to excel, to exceed expectations, to be extraordinary. And that was if I even got hired in the first place. Soon, I was questioning the notion of turnover in my generation. After all, my boss had a point: I seriously considered quitting early in my employment simply because I felt I was being unjustly treated. But my unfair treatment was rooted in an understandable mistrust of my loyalty (which, based on my willingness to quit, was shaky.) One thing is clear: the rule of generations suggests that existing companies need to hire younger workers to remain relevant just as much as younger workers need to be hired. It is the natural cycle of history. The real question is how we can adapt the modern workplace to meet the needs of millennials and the established workforce. For more ideas on how to enhance team motivation read our article here. To achieve this equilibrium, a few attributes common in millennials need to be explained. First, the issue of loyalty. The expectation that millennials cannot commit to any one job creates tension in the workplace for the company and the worker, alike. But where did this trend come from, and how can it be addressed constructively? According to a report by PwC (1), the wariness that millennials feel towards settling down with a company may be the result of their intimate relationship with the global economic crisis. In other words, sparsity in the job market may have pressured millennials to take positions that did not align with their professional goals. Indeed, a survey conducted by Deloitte (2) suggests that, while not actively looking for other employment, many millennials maintain an eye on alternative positions and are highly motivated to move up in the professional world when opportunities arise. One way to combat this tendency to jump ship: invest a little time into your younger workers. The same Deloitte survey showed that the majority of millennials are happier with employers who act as mentors and role-models, providing constructive feedback and support. 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Think back to your earliest childhood memories of school. Do you remember playing outside? Do you remember finger painting? Do you remember singingThink back to your earliest childhood memories of school. Do you remember playing outside? Do you remember finger painting? Do you remember singing songs? For most children, early education is all crafts, coloring, games and music. It is a time for exploration, expression, happiness. It is care-free. It is wonderful. Somewhere along the way, though, the things that make learning fun fade out of curriculum. Pens replace paintbrushes. Songs become rote memorization. Physical education picks up where games of tag left off. Put bluntly, it’s time to get serious. As we get older, the things that characterized our early childhood don’t completely fade out of our lives, but they do undergo a tragic transformation. For, when an adult wants to sing, play an instrument, join a sports team, or take up knitting, there is a special name for it: a hobby. The Cambridge Dictionary defines a hobby as, “an activity that someone does for pleasure when they are not working.” Examples include traveling, sailing, and restoring motorcycles. Okay, that doesn’t sound so bad. But, there’s something about the definition that suggests a hierarchy of responsibility. The understanding is: you work, and when you are not busy working, you can engage in a hobby. So inherently, hobbies are done in our free time, when we have nothing better to do. Workplace Burnout Ironically, this work-minded mentality may actually be limiting our productivity. Sources like Forbes and Harvard Business Review (1) agree that increases in work-related stress can culminate in a debilitating sense of burnout, characterized by disengagement and a dip in job performance. Just how serious is the problem? Dealing with burnout in a high-intensity job is kind of like sprinting through the first three kilometers of a marathon. You’ll feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and will probably think of dropping out of the race. And if you don’t find a way to fix the problem quickly, you might even damage your body and your mental state in the process. Workplace burnout can also be characterized by a lack of motivation, antipathy towards coworkers and family, physical ailments, and cognitive breakdowns. Negative effects on productivity aside, employers who care about the wellbeing of their workforce should take burnouts very seriously, making sure to implement preventative measures and be able to identify the signs early. Try out a nf!workshop The same studies that outline the dangers of burnout put forward an exciting suggestion: take up a hobby. Leisure-time activities are shown to combat the feelings of anxiety and exhaustion that characterize burnout, and should thus be considered a necessary part of employment. Of course, no two hobbies affect a person the same way. Horseback-riding, for instance, offers a completely different array of benefits than taking a pottery class. So, to help you on your search for the perfect hobby, let’s get down to some specifics. Each of the categories listed below contains its own set of unique advantages, so you may even want to dabble in a bit of everything! 1. Build something beautiful (or not so beautiful, as long as you’re having fun!) Activities like crocheting, nf!painting, woodworking, or pottery are all great hobbies for anyone interested in reducing stress while also creating something practical or artistic. The New York Times (2) has laid out a long list of the health benefits of knitting, from reduced chronic pain to the “development of neural pathways in the brain that help to maintain cognitive health.” Perhaps one of the best ways for these types of hobbies to address the concerns of burnout is the disruption of rumination which is a common indication of workplace unhappiness and exhaustion. Alternatively, hobbies like painting and drawing are shown (3) to increase emotional intelligence, hone communication skills, and, again, reduce stress. Indeed, an article from the Huffington Post (4) suggests that creating art instead of consuming it is great for emotional health. 2. Have a game night! From board games, to cards games, to charades, engaging in social fun is the perfect antidote for work-related stress. Much like the effects on mental health of the previous two categories, playing games with family members, friends, or coworkers can reduce stress and disrupt rumination patterns. These benefits can also aid in the improvement in your immune system. Board games have an additional bonus. They strengthen social relationships, which is important because research (5) indicates that strong, positive social connections are critical for physical and mental wellbeing. 3. Get physical! Whether you want the competitiveness of tennis or the wackiness of inner tube water polo, there are sports teams available for you to explore. In addition to being simply fun, athletic games have both physical and mental advantages that will help beat the workplace blues. Physical exercise is widely considered (6) crucial for overall health, leading to reduced blood pressure, improved stamina, stronger bones and mitigated risk of heart disease, just to name a few. Yet, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (7) in 2011, only 43% of adults met the sufficient threshold for daily physical exertion. Research (8) shows that athletic pursuits aren’t just good for your body. Exertion releases certain chemicals in the brain related to overall good mood, elation, and brain cell growth. It is also responsible for lower stress levels and decreased likelihood of depression or anxiety. There are even physical hobbies that exclusively teach mindfulness and meditation, such as yoga and tai chi. As you have probably already noticed, each type of recreational class listed above offers the potential to create a fulfilling, stress-free life that can not only make you happy outside of work, but can also greatly reduce the risk of professional burnout. The key is to find a hobby that truly makes you happy, and stick with it. After all, prioritizing your wellbeing is perhaps the best way to ensure that work-related stress doesn’t creep up so that you can be at the top of your professional game. One article couldn’t possibly cover the expansive world of workshops and recreational classes in Sydney, but hopefully you have a few good ideas to get started. If you’d like to share your own remedies for workplace burn out, let us know! References: 1 hbr.org/2016/01/help-your-team-manage-stress-anxiety-and-burnout 2 well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/01/25/the-health-benefits-of-knitting 3 goodrelaxation.com/2015/01/health-benefits-of-painting-and-drawing 4 huffingtonpost.com/james-clear/make-more-art-the-health-benefits-of-creativity_b_8868802 5 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3150158 6 betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/sports-and-physical-activity 7 abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/4364.0.55.004Chapter1002011-12 ...

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Re-energise Against Burnout

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In today’s fast-paced, business-oriented society, there is a clear hierarchy of work ethic and lack of focus on the employee wellbeing. ThoseIn today’s fast-paced, business-oriented society, there is a clear hierarchy of work ethic and lack of focus on the employee wellbeing. Those who sacrifice everything for the company are lauded as loyal and hard-working. They are highly regarded in the workplace for their commitment and selflessness. Without a doubt, these workers are admirable for their effort to stay relevant in their competitive environment. Often times they don’t ask for recognition, they don’t bring up the emotional toll of their work to their superiors, and their compromises have very real consequences in their interpersonal lives. But recent studies suggest that all the effort put forth by these superstars does not mean much if that individual is physically rundown or unhappy with the job. In short, there’s more to the ideal worker than sheer will, and interestingly, energy levels have a lot to do with the effectiveness of such employees. What are the experts saying? Tony Schwartz, the president and CEO of the Energy Project, has become a prominent voice in the movement to redefine work productivity strategy. His in-depth research (1) in the effectiveness of work habits has allowed him to make some striking prescriptions. Among them: take care of your health, tap into that powerful brain of yours, manage your mentality, and find your drive. Simple enough, right? Let’s break it down. Start with the body We all know that we should be eating a good breakfast. We should be turning in at a reasonable hour to get a full night’s rest. We should be fueling our bodies with nutritious food. But many of us simply don’t make an effort to take care of our bodies. There are various reasons for this: we don’t have time, or we don’t have the energy. Additionally, the benefits of physical health manifest themselves gradually, making it difficult for us to notice just how much of an effect a healthy lifestyle can have on our professional lives. Making small changes for physical health, like snacking on health foods, sleeping well, and maintaining an exercise routine, though, can have dramatic effects on our energy levels and make us infinitely better workers. As energy coach Annie Perrin (2) says to employees who are feeling a little burned out, effective physical renewal is “generally comprised of very simple actions and behavioral practices that individually may seem ‘trivial,’ but when done consistently can cumulatively add up and make a profound difference in our quality of life.” Take care of the powerhouse As it turns out, in addition to making sure that our physical health is at its best, there are ways that we can take care of brains, too. Caring for that massive powerhouse in our head is incredibly important if we want to be energized in the workplace. A useful tip: take frequent breaks. Schwartz found the participants of his study to have increased work performance when the workday was interspersed with short, distracting breaks. Also, don’t multi-task. As tempting as it is to catch up on emails during a meeting, or listen to your voicemails while writing up a report, the experts say that our brain is at its most productive when it doesn’t have to juggle more than one request. The result: higher quality work produced in less time. Next, fuel your emotions Now that you’ve taken the steps to maximize the energy reserves in the brain, the next step is to make sure that your emotional state doesn’t get in the way. According to Schwartz (3) in an article posted in the New York Times Dealbook, emotions have a profound influence on how well we can perform tasks. The reason, he says, is because humans are driven by two brains: the survival brain and the rational brain. When we allow ourselves to get bogged down with the everyday triage of stress at work, the rational brain takes a backseat to the fight or flight responses of the sympathetic (or instinctual) nervous system. You may be saying to yourself, I never feel like I’m in physical danger at work. Why would my body go into survival mode? Well, the science shows that sympathetic responses can be triggered by emotional threats, such as interactions that leave us feeling vulnerable or unworthy. While in this state, we lose our ability to think clearly and our emotions begin to slide into negativity. This is an energy-intensive state, and can leave us feeling ragged at the end of the day. Luckily, there is a simple solution. Change the narrative. The trick is to identify the moment when our cognitive mind begins to tip towards those unsafe feelings of self-doubt. Instead of giving in to those fears of worthlessness, Schwartz encouraged the participants of his study to think of the situation from a different, more positive angle. Because we’re often harder on ourselves than an onlooker would be, changing the perspective - asking questions like how would someone else describe this situation? - can strengthen the rational brain by focusing on a less emotional view on our role in the workplace. Participants found this practice empowering and energizing, making them more productive and aware employees. Last, and probably most important: don’t forget your spirit Each of the steps outlined above will do nothing to improve the productivity of your work if you are lacking one very important element: fulfillment. According to Schwartz, the most productive work comes from what he calls a “sweet spot,” in which an individual’s best skills match up with that individual’s personal goals and desires. In this overlap, workers can benefit from a well of energy that also gives off feelings of happiness, fulfillment, and a sense of purpose. As mentioned earlier, these are the perfect emotions for rational cognitive function, leading some of our best work. How can you make sure that you’re dedicating your time to finding the “sweet spot?” Here are a few questions to get you started thinking about what motivates you: Learn more about how hobbies can help burnout here. What are your core values? Are you forced to compromise on those values for your job? Do you feel that you are contributing to a cause that you believe in? Answering these questions honestly can be very helpful in make sure that your career goals align with the work that you’re doing. Otherwise, you may experience dissatisfaction, disengagement, and exhaustion at your job, the perfect storm for the sympathetic brain to step in and damage your productivity and deplete your energy reserves. All in all, there are many ways that we can make sure that we are at our best in the workplace. And the research shows that the answer is pretty clear: Take care of yourself, and find your passion. References: (1) hbr.org (2) theenergyproject.com (3) theenergyproject.com ...

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My morning schedule is generally the same every day: wake up, scroll through social media, check my email accounts (one for work, one personal, andMy morning schedule is generally the same every day: wake up, scroll through social media, check my email accounts (one for work, one personal, and one just for spam), listen to voicemail, answer text messages, turn on the morning news for background noise, peruse the newspaper, rush to get ready for work, plug in my headphones, and head out the door. Before I’ve even finished my first coffee, I feel accomplished and extremely tired. My mornings weren’t always like this. I used to wake up to an alarm clock and head straight to the kitchen for my morning expresso. The methodic process of brewing my French roast always brought me joy: boil water, hand-grind the beans, stir everything together and read a book while waiting patiently for my first cup. Then, sit by the window and watch the city wake up until I, myself, was ready to pick up the phone, turn on the TV and let the chaos begin. Somewhere along the way, though, my morning routine started gaining negative attention from my peers and superiors and there was no focus on my employee wellbeing. I started having to answer questions like, Why didn’t you answer your phone? You wake up early, don’t you? And I couldn't say no to work tasks, such as, I’ll send you a briefing to read in the morning so that we can start the meeting when you arrive. It didn’t take long for my mornings to cease being totally mine. Before I knew it, I was throwing in additional stimuli: television, music, scheduled video calls. These days, I never seem to finish my beloved cup of coffee, distracted as I am with everything else I feel I need to do. But, with the help of some strong research in the area of focus and productivity, I am making an effort to take back my mornings (and maybe even a few afternoons and weekends while I’m at it!) Here’s why Our world has undergone an astounding change in the last fifty years. Our communities have grown, our networks have extended, and our technology has advanced. We’re heading towards progress like a rollercoaster without brakes. We think we’re doing fine. But, studies show we’re not adapting to the transition as well as we think we are. For instance, consider our only defence against the onslaught of information, responsibilities, and outside stimuli that constantly keep us busy: multi-tasking. If we could simply learn how to multi-task, we would be able to squeeze three hours of work into one, right? Daniel Levitin (1), a leading expert in the organizational challenges of the modern world, goes so far as to call multi-tasking a myth. According to his research, the closest the brain can get to completing more than one thing at a time is to quickly and sloppily switch between the two tasks. The final product of the multi-tasker is woefully deficient in quality and efficiency. Far more concerning than simply a dip in productivity, multi-tasking can also negatively affect our mental health. This can be hard to grasp because completing projects, even as small as returning a text message, can feel good (2). Good like scratching a bug bite or fueling an addiction, that is. Levitin urges us to see our multi-tasking behaviour as just that: addiction. While we may be euphorically buzzing through our workday with two phones in hand and an eye on email, our mental and physical capacities are withering under the pressure. Increased cortisol levels and the rapid depletion of oxygenated glucose lead to anxiety, exhaustion, and truly poor decision-making. I, for one, had the realisation of how serious my addiction was when I found myself skipping meals, overloading on caffeine, and staying longer at the office when I had promised myself that I would hit the gym after work. I couldn’t understand why my work was suffering when I felt that I was working harder than ever. So, I decided to make a change. Here’s How The steps are simple, but make no mistake: cultivating focus while living in a technology-driven world can be difficult. The best way I found to get organized was to get creative with expert suggestions. Here are two of my best tactics: 1. According to Dr. Hammerness (3), an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, a great way to reel in the frenzy of distractions in the workplace is to manage our emotional wellbeing. An abundance of negative thoughts, he says, makes us more prone to straying off-course and making cognitive mistakes. Psychology research (4) shows that by setting a goal of 3 positive thoughts to every negative one, we can be sure that our brains stay engaged and focused throughout the day. I have found that engaging in extra-curricular activities, like learning to play an instrument or making appreciation cards for my loved ones, keeps my mood light and happy, even when I’m in a particularly stressful setting. 2. After I found some emotional zen in my life, the next step was to wrestle the constant itch to check my technology throughout the day. Dr. Hammernness proposes a seemingly easy solution: try focusing on a task for a short period of time. No phone, no internet, not even a bowl of carrots for mindless snacking. Just the task at hand. I have to admit, this step is difficult for me. Even the smallest of distractions, like an interesting cloud outside my window, can veer me off course. So instead of taking Dr. Hammerness’s suggestion to my workplace, where my first attempts have been unsuccessful, I’ve started with something more accessible: yoga. The key is to attend an actual class (instead of an online video) in which an instructor keeps me engaged and minimizes all distractions. Since attending classes, I’ve noticed that my focus in other areas has improved. Other focus-driven hobbies, like painting, rowing, or origami have similar effects on our ability to manage the frenzy of our daily lives. So far, my path towards a technology-reduced lifestyle has had tremendous effects on my mental and physical well-being. By maintaining my positivity, refusing to multi-task, and fostering my ability to focus, I’ve also noticed gains in productivity and quality of work. There’s really nothing to lose, other than the hours I’ve spent watching kitten videos online. References: (1) theguardian.com (2) goodreads.com (3) hbr.org (4) positivityratio.com ...

Save Money and the Planet with DIY Christmas Gifts This Season

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Aged Health Benefits and Recreational Classes

Aged Health Benefits and Recreational Classes

The weekend before my great-grandmother passed away at 98-years-old, she took me outside to plant sunflowers. Her daughter and granddaughter putThe weekend before my great-grandmother passed away at 98-years-old, she took me outside to plant sunflowers. Her daughter and granddaughter put up a fuss, claiming that it was too hot outside, and that she should rest instead. She just waved a hand and motioned for me to help her stand up. “I’m going to teach my great-granddaughter how to garden,” she said. I think we were all a little bit surprised. In her old age, Nora wasn’t usually so lucid. It was hot that day (the sunflowers wouldn’t survive the sweltering heat waves of the next few months,) but my great-grandmother didn’t seem to mind. Under her sun visor, she was all smiles. As she walked me through the steps of preparing the flowerbed and spreading the seeds in the fresh soil, my great-grandmother was radiating joy. Of course, she was always excited to spend time with family, but this was something different. This energy and warmth had something to do with gardening. In the years since her passing, I’ve always been incredibly grateful for the chance to share that afternoon with her. I was able to see first-hand how a simple task, like caring for a garden, could have such a powerful impact on a woman who had lived for a century. The fact that something as small as planting a seed could still put such a radiant smile on her face astounded me and pushed me to find more information on the power of leisure activities on the elderly. As it turns out, the benefits of leisure activities for everyone are vast, but they can have a particularly powerful effect on the mental health of middle-aged and advanced-aged citizens. Why should we focus on older individuals? As middle age passes into advanced years, our senior citizens have a difficult transition. The things they took for granted in youth, such as mobility and memory, have become less accessible in older age. Even the most joyful and lighthearted of people have to admit that this loss of function can be frustrating, scary, and depressing. The awareness of this slowing down can be especially accentuated in retired individuals, who can no longer focus on a career or feel a sense of fulfillment in their jobs. Luckily, there are ways to ease the transition. Researchers across the world have been searching for solutions to the problems associated exclusively with the experience of aging, and what they found was something that community centers and elderly facilities have been saying all along: creative hobbies are good for our mental state and physical health. Multi-cultural methods: what are they doing in Japan? A 2015 study (1) from the Hamamatsu University School of Medicine in Japan sought to put previous claims of the effectiveness of certain leisure activities to the test. Though they disproved earlier beliefs that participating in social activities could improve mental health in middle-aged and elderly individuals, they did find some overall uplifting benefits to other leisure activities. Their findings found, for instance, that hobbies, cultural activities, physical exercise, and sports all improved the mental health of elderly Japanese citizens. The effect was compounded when such activities were shared with a companion or group. What about Australians? A similar study (2) was conducted by three scholars in 2013 exploring the effect of hobbies on the mental health of elderly women living in Australia. Their impetus for conducting the study was a body of precedent publications that, although dealing with the benefits of creative activities on mental wellbeing, had largely excluded the effects of such hobbies on the older generation. Their definition of creative hobby was expansive: everything from needlework to photography to china painting was included in study. And their findings were incredible: Women involved in such activities were more likely to be socially engaged and showed a lower tendency toward “osteoarthritis, stroke, depression or anxiety/nervous disorder compared with women not involved in those hobbies” (2, page 7). These women were also more likely to be in physically good shape in terms of functionality and enjoy an overall higher quality of life. The reasoning for these benefits is still somewhat unclear. Experts believe that these types of hobbies probably improve mental health by lowering stress, sparking cognitive activity, and producing feelings of fulfillment and pride in participants. How can we use this information? We can all agree that investing our elderly population is a valuable use of effort and resources. After all, they are our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. They are future versions of ourselves, as we navigate our own aging process. We certainly wouldn’t be here without them. And in this vulnerable time in their lives, we should put this scientific knowledge to good use. There are lots of possible workshops that retirees and try out or even start themselves such as paint-and-sip classes, stand up paddle boarding, water aerobics, yarn bombing (the rebellious act of covering public spaces with crocheted or knitted works of art). These are just a few examples of the plethora of wacky, fun, unique hobbies out there. This is one of the reasons why ClassBento was started, to make it easier for retirees to try out new hobbies and also allow them to teach their passions and get paid, giving them purpose back in their lives. Our elders deserve it Based on my personal experience with my great-grandmother, I cannot understate the effect of leisure activities on elderly individuals. Seeing the smile light up her face when her advanced years had caused her so much strain and exhaustion was truly a gift that I would encourage every young person to be a part of. So get the older people in your lives involved in a creative pursuit. It will benefit you both! (1) journals.plos.org (2) tandfonline.com ...

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