Seasonal Depression… sometimes known as Seasonal Affective Disorder. What really is it and why do people get it? What’s with the “season” causing it?
A STORY TO SHARE
Right, you’re already probably getting the hint at this moment. I had this for many years. The moment it hits November when the night’s longer in Sweden… for some reason I always end up feeling so low.
I could even remember a time that it went worse when I was in Minneapolis – and it was very tough!
And while I’m fully aware that there’s this controversial “Seasonal Depression” existing, I was a bit in denial that I’m one of the people who’s experiencing it.
Anyhoo, I first would like to hop on its signs, so you won’t be like me who was blindsided at that time – thinking that it’s just all coincidence or just all in my mind.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF SEASONAL DEPRESSION
How do you know if you have this so-called seasonal depression? What are the signs and how to spot them?!
First, know that for the diagnosis… You need to have at least two or more of these symptoms, depending on which level of depression you are in:
Low self-esteem;
Loss of joy or interest in doing things (and no you’re not supposed to have manic episodes, that could be different);
Loss of energy;
Cognitive effects such as concentration problems;
Reduced level of alertness which results in slower response;
Feeling of being agitated;
Sleep and appetite disorder (eating an awful lot or very little);
Very visible weight gain or weight loss; &
Hallucinations, if you have continuous severe depression.
THEY ARE WORSE IN THE MORNING
These signs and symptoms of seasonal depression are usually worse in the morning. You’ll have a hard time getting up from bed, you’ll have morning anxiety, and you’ll have too many thoughts simultaneously!
HOW DO WE AVOID GETTING SEASONAL DEPRESSION?
While the cause is usually unknown, but mostly related to the hormone changes caused by the season change as well (hence, most of the time getting called “winter blues”), this still can be prevented by doing the usual things one would do to avoid falling into a regular depression.
Things such as maintaining a healthy routine and lifestyle, engaging consistently in physical activities, finding the right people to talk to, and doing all known preventive measures for depression.
LET PEOPLE KNOW
It helps to always have a strong support system who will pull you up when you feel like falling down – so while most think it’s not a good idea to let people know, IT ACTUALLY IS!
Just find the right people to talk to… people you trust, people you love, and people who care about you. And if all these things aren’t enough, remember the professionals trained to help us in times like these!
Thing is, we won’t run out of options. We just have to find the tiniest energy to fight.
SEASONAL DEPRESSION IS NOT JUST WINTER BLUES
Confusing, as I have mentioned most people refer to them as “winter blues”, right? That’s because that’s the most common.
But hold up… there’s this rare form – Summer Depression, beginning in the late spring!
STATISTICS SAY…
That Summer Depression is diagnosed in around 11 million people in the US each year, while around 25 million more are suffering from Winter Depression.
MORNING SUN IS YOUR BEST FRIEND!
Doctors recommend that people who suffer from Seasonal Depression get out early in the morning to get more natural light. But that could be impossible during winter because it’s dark, right?
That’s why some consider light therapy and guess what… Some people recover only within days! While of course there are still others who take much longer, and if symptoms don’t go away, just like in medicine dosage, the sessions are increased.
JUST REMEMBER THE BASICS
If things get hard for you and you’re already at the stage where you can’t think clearly enough… The simplest way is to remember the basics of life: (a) the right amount of sleep, (b) healthy food, & (c) the right amount of exercise.
These 3 have more benefits than you could imagine, and can’t actually just save you from falling into depression, but also literally save a life.
BUT IF THINGS STILL ARE HARD AND YOU DO NOT KNOW WHERE TO START…
GET HELP IF YOU NEED
If it feels hard to decide what you want to do on your own – get a mentor. Reach out if you need help. It is always important and there will always be things that you can support.
Check HERE to see if you feel like we’re a good fit.
Success & happiness: Who doesn’t long to have them? While we have different meanings and interpretations for this, I want to tackle one that focuses on business.
Now, business success and happiness… We long for high revenues and happiness but we know for a fact that it requires consistent hard work and effort, and many many ups and downs!
But would you let that discourage you from achieving your dream life? Nah-ah. But in case it does…
Here are 7 easy and actionable tips to help you get the life you’ve been aiming for:
1. COMMIT
Commit that you will finish what you have started no matter how easy or hard the road gets. Commit that you will do the work needed to accomplish your goals, whether that means getting sweaty or your hands dirty (of course, literally!).
Always remember that if you cannot commit, it’s forever impossible. Because without commitment, no serious work would be done, and you’ll never be able to be a step closer to your goals.
So yes, commit yourself entirely!
2. DO EVERYTHING WITH LOVE
Whatever you do, do it with love! If you do something and you forget to add love to it… you’ll end up not enjoying the process, and that just means not being able to do things the best way.
Besides, the mood is contagious and when you start yourself in a bad vibe, that’s most likely how you’re gonna end it.
So… add love to whatever you do, and smile! 🙂
3. PRIORITIZE
Every day we do random things, and every day there are a lot of things we need to do. What a busy world we’re in, right?!
But let’s get real here… Being busy doesn’t always mean being productive. We can be busy but not productive.
How do we stop that cycle? By prioritizing!
Which ones are urgent and more important? Which ones can wait and which ones are unnecessary?!
This way, we can choose to focus on more important things, and we know the things we NEED to do to be closer to our goals. So… prioritize and remember, it’s okay to say no (I’m sure you know what I mean)!
4. TAKE IT EASY
Take things easy…
Stop that fear and doubt. Not all the time that you start something, it’s going to be magnificent. Not all roads are straight and smooth!
So when you set yourself to do new things, skip the doubt and proceed with affirmations and manifestations. Instead of “Will I really be able to do this?”, say “I can do this and I will do this!”
A strong mindset is helpful – a strong mindset is powerful! <3
5. SPEND YOUR ENERGY WISELY
Your energy is important, and you need it all the time to work efficiently.
Building something, or building an empire takes so much energy from our bodies, and our bodies can only do so much!
So we have to choose where to spend our energy and make sure we’re not wasting them…And of course, to make sure our batteries are always full… we need to care for our basic biological needs (sleep, eating, exercise)!
6. PROVIDE VALUE
You’ll be surprised how by creating value, you will feel good and when you feel good, of course, everything else feels better and aligned!
When you feel good, you will feel happy and confident and you’ll be able to approach things with so much calm and positivity. And we know how these things are important, right?! Just imagine presenting feeling bad, do you think you’ll be able to close great deals when you present feeling negative?! So yes, provide value, feel happy and confident, and it will radiate to everybody in the room… higher chances of closing deals, right?!
7. ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD
What fun would it be if you’re not looking forward to the things you’ll be able to do and make?!
And hey…. Looking forward always helps.
When you look forward to something, you’re manifesting it and once it enters your subconscious, you’ll be surprised at how you and your body automatically act to reach it!
So, look forward, set milestones – and celebrate WINS, no matter how big or small! <3
GET HELP IF YOU NEED
If it feels hard to decide what you want to do on your own – get a mentor. Reach out if you need help. It is always important and there will always be things that you can support.
Check HERE to see if you feel like we’re a good fit.
Habits… the things we normally do and feel like it’s part of what makes us. But aren’t you curious about what habits popular bosses have?
A STORY TO SHARE
Some time ago, I read in a business paper a story about these people asking business leaders “what they regularly do…”, or yeah, their habits.
And here’s a breakdown:
1. They communicate.
Lol, what is that?! We all know how to communicate…
But theirs ain’t no simple communication we’re talking about. They want to know, or they have to know what their people like, what they don’t like, and many more so that it’s easier for them to communicate.
2. They trust.
Aside from the fact that they openly communicate with their people, they also trust them big time. They don’t just hire them for their competence – but also for their intelligence
3. They work consequently.
Yes they do, they don’t have to say or do things over and over again, because everybody already knows what to do as a consequence of what the leaders have to say.
4. They know what their people and coworkers do.
They know what their people do to be aware of and understand the challenges they have in their everyday life. This way, they don’t over-expect the impossible.
5. They are open to mistakes.
The fifth thing is that they actually allowed the employees to make mistakes because they know that mistakes are inevitable.
6. They understand what their leadership is.
Good leaders understand that as leaders, their decisions affect everybody, but they also know their strong and weak sides.. And because they don’t want these to get in the way, they handle themselves pretty well.
7. They stand behind their people.
Yes, behind them or beside them, but NEVER against them! They always talk well about them, not the other way around even after committing mistakes.
8. They understand that everybody has a private life.
Good bosses know and understand that their people have a life; that they also have friends, family, pets, and things they need to do for themselves that are totally outside of work.
9. They help their employees apple upwards and forwards.
As leaders, they pull them up not down. They are good examples, a role model, a mentor… They know that their people need guidance and support too and that they are not robots who would do as they say.
10. They make sure that they can be trusted.
Great leaders and bosses know that when they are told something, they do not use the “boss” leverage to share what they know. They HAVE to be trusted because trust is one of the key things an organization needs to succeed.
SUMMARY
So. These are the 10 things that a popular boss usually does. If you want to be a great or popular boss and leader as well, then you must stick to these principles.
GET HELP IF YOU NEED
If it feels hard to decide what you want to do on your own – get a mentor. Reach out if you need help. It is always important and there will always be things that you can support.
Check HERE to see if you feel like we’re a good fit.
Post-event blues… what are they and how do we deal with them?
A STORY TO SHARE
Some years ago, I was in the States and I was gonna speak for the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce.
It was a big thing for me to travel and have a talk somewhere in the middle of nowhere…
And I had arranged with the lady holding the event that she would come and get me at this specific time in the evening…
And past 15, then 30 minutes after the agreed time – nobody’s still coming.
I sent messages and called until she finally got back to me and said:
“Oh, I didn’t think we were in a hurry. I’ve been here at this location and we’re all fine so I’ll come and get you in a little while.” And I was like, “what happened to our agreed-upon time?”
Fast forward to where I already got picked up, and all of us have settled at the place where we’re supposed to stay… and the day that I presented.
THE DAY OF MY PRESENTATION
I did my presentation, sold a few books, and went back to my hotel.
Then… It was quite late in the evening, and I was exhausted, really really exhausted because there had been so much tension – when she didn’t come to get me on time, other things after that, and then the presentation itself.
Went to bed straight away and fell asleep.
THE MORNING AFTER
The morning after my presentation…I surprisingly felt so depressed.
I just cried for so long feeling so low. Went down to the lobby to get breakfast, brought it up to the room, and just continued crying while not really understanding what was going on.
WHAT I DID DURING THE BLUES
I sent a message to my speaker mentor, saying I don’t know what was happening and what was going on but that I was just sooo sad and I received the response that it was all normal and advised me to just relax, take a walk, and all will be fine.
IT’S ALL NORMAL
Who’d have thought that it was such a relief to hear from him that it was all normal and that I wasn’t going crazy, and not really depressed in that sense?
And that what I was feeling was just all normal – a reaction because of all the tension that I was feeling the day before.
Now, going to the real deal…
HOW CAN WE MANAGE POST-EVENT BLUES?
1. Be Grateful
According to studies, gratitude thinking can substantially shift our thought patterns from negative to positive, causing a surge of feel-good hormones and even helping us foster more positive connections.
So every day when you wake up, try to start your day with gratitude. Be grateful for the simple fact you woke up that day, and at the end of your day, think of 3 things you’re grateful for that day.
2. Set aside time to relax immediately after your performance.
It may or may not sound cliche to some, but taking the time to relax after your performance and the event is a must.
Sit down, breathe, and relax.
3. Check your notes while they’re fresh.
Read the feedback, and take notes while they’re fresh. Say after your performance, reflect and jot down what went well and what you could have done better – doing this will make it clear right here and there and will give you the feeling that you know you did well and can always do better next time.
4. Be sure to wrap things up properly
I know how tempting it is to just jump right away onto your next project or things to do, but never forget the importance of being able to properly wrap the event.
Leaving a good ending is vital for both the audience and you. You know they’ll remember, and also you won’t end up stressing about how you forgot to do things necessary – things like invoices, contracts, the things you need to bring. Things like this can trigger you to break down when forgotten.
5. Interact with friends and family
You probably didn’t have that much time to connect with people during the preparation, so after your performance is the right time to interact with them. Treat them to coffee and celebrate, or just let them know you did well. Get in touch and it will help you feel better.
6. Treat it as a learning experience
Remember that every opportunity you get is an opportunity to learn. Write down, reflect, plan on how you could do better next time, and bring home the lessons together with the experience.
You know how they say experience is the best teacher, right?
7. Go back to your daily routine
When you’re preparing for things, this is one of the first things you get to sacrifice. After the event, it’s now time to re-introduce yourself to your routines.
Maybe you haven’t been exercising or watching your favorite shows anymore, or going for that quick walk or run outside – it’s now time to go back to the things you enjoy.
So when you’ve finally re-adjusted again… it’s time to:
8. Create new goals
“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” – Benjamin Franklin.
Planning and setting up new goals is great for motivating yourself to take the road you just took but this time better and stronger, whether that is another event or just individual goals outside of work.
GET HELP IF YOU NEED
If it feels hard to decide what you want to do on your own – get a mentor. Reach out if you need help. It is always important and there will always be things that you can support.
Check HERE to see if you feel like we’re a good fit.
Business meetings, how efficient can they be? What are the things to do or follow to make the most out of it, and not waste anybody or everybody’s time?
There’s a newly-released book I just read, called “The Brain-friendly Workplace” by Friedirike Fabricius, which had short passages about meetings.
HOURS SPENT IN MEETINGS
A number of executives spend an average of 23 hours per week in meetings which is more than half of the normal work time. But right, most executives work more than 40 hours so maybe not.
But, if those hours are used better, they could reduce their work time without affecting business performance. In short, have a work-life balance.
MAKING BUSINESS MEETINGS EFFICIENT
So, how do we make the most out of our business meetings?
7 Things:
1. Invite only the people who are really needed.
This is one of the major problems I see in business meetings, some people are there doing nothing but they’re invited because you want to be inclusive, but that’s really a waste of time for everybody.
If their opinions are not needed, if they won’t add value, if it’s not covered by their parts anymore – then don’t make them attend the meeting.
This can shorten the meeting time, sometimes even from an hour meeting to just 15 minutes or even less, because only the people necessary will be there. So, make sure those who’ll attend the meeting are really needed by assuring that the meeting benefits them, or meeting decisions to be made include them and affect them.
2. Do not add too many topics at once.
Prioritize. What are the topics that really need to be discussed? What are those that can be communicated outside of a formal business meeting?
Have a checklist according to prioritization and importance, eliminate those that are not really necessary to be discussed, and dedicate time for each of the topics.
Having a list and being clear on the only things needed to be addressed makes the business meeting as efficient and as effective as it could be.
3. Let them leave.
Yes, normalize employees needing to excuse themselves for a meeting. Let them leave. If they will not add value, if it seems very irrelevant to them, let them leave.
But of course, discuss this prior to the start of the meeting. That if they think the meeting will not benefit them in any way and vice versa, then they can excuse themselves and do something more productive.
4. Use an egg timer
What does that mean? Use an egg timer to let people talk for two minutes each. Why?
It’s a common problem where attendees raise their hands and then just end up rambling and rambling, and rambling and rambling. A waste of time for everybody, right? Because in the end, they say nothing important…
So set a time. Say, 2-3 minutes depending on the subject matter at hand and your tolerance. To each his own, right?
5. Provide copies before the meeting.
What copies? Copies of the list of the people who are going to be there, and a list of things that will be discussed in the meeting and nothing more, nothing less.
Preparing them like this lets them know what to expect and with that, helps them to gather their thoughts on the subject matter early so they can also raise their concerns at the meeting easier and efficiently.
6. Schedule meetings in the morning
Schedule meetings in the morning, so that the employees can leave work a little early when they are done for the day, and avoid making them do overtime, because if you schedule meetings in the afternoon, they’re going to have to wait for that even if they’re already done with their day’s work, and sometimes other meetings take longer than expected which then, in the end, requires them to stay longer until the meeting gets over.
belong to them, even
7. Don’t schedule meetings UNLESS needed.
What does this mean? Simple. If you’re setting up a meeting, but what you plan to discuss there can simply be discussed in quick email exchanges, then just don’t set a meeting at all.
VALUE EVERYBODY’S TIME
Remember, time is gold – so those 7 reminders above are important to keep in mind to make sure you’re not wasting your time, and your people’s time too.
Letting people do their work and use their time to do their work is more productive than making them sit long in a meeting that doesn’t benefit them and you at all.
GET HELP IF YOU NEED
If it feels hard to decide what you want to do on your own – get a mentor. Reach out if you need help. It is always important and there will always be things that you can support.
Check HERE to see if you feel like we’re a good fit.
Taking a step back… sounds like getting behind, but it’s actually really helpful as it helps you see the bigger picture and plan better.
So what does that have to do with stress management? Well, just about everything.
I TOOK A STEP BACK
So the reason that I chose this topic today, is because I myself recently took a step back – and it’s for the better.
I was supposed to go to the States to United States and I didn’t. A big jump over the sea, right?
I’ve been planning this for months and months, and I was really looking forward to going there to meet with friends that I’ve made a couple of years back in the same kind of event that is for female ladies and business people in the States.
AND WHEN THE DAY’S ALMOST THERE…
Just about when the day was coming, it ran a couple of days before I started to get all these messages:
“You have to sign that you are healthy and don’t have Covid, etc., etc…”
You know it’s the liabilities about me taking responsibility for everything that will happen, and it
was from the companies – one for the overflight and one in local, the hotel where I was gonna stay, the hotel where the event was, and the organization that was holding this event.
So I got these five paper documents that I was supposed to fill in…
and I started to think:
“What am I doing? Why am I going there?”
I mean the only thing it was was for my pleasure, a business pleasure to meet with these people, and maybe find new people to meet up with. But I had no real part in the event. I wasn’t the speaker. I wasn’t in any of the programs or anything like that.
So I started to think:
“Is this worth it?”
“What happens if I do get ill over there?”
That will be a very big thing. So I started to feel that it just didn’t feel right.
I DID WHAT I USUALLY DO BEFORE DECIDING
So I started to do what I usually do when I want to see what’s going on, what’s good, and what’s what.
I started to write down the pros and cons and weighed them down – and it ended up with me saying:
“No, it’s not worth it.”
WHAT I DID AFTER DECIDING
After deciding that I won’t go, I told myself that I will go another time when things are better in that sense. So I canceled the flight and the hotel and the program and everything.
And if I’m being honest? It was both a relief and a sadness!
I felt relieved of all my worries, the paperwork, the what-ifs of getting ill over there, and the like, but also felt sad that I’m gonna miss meeting with these people I’ve looked forward to meeting again.
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY DECISION WAS RIGHT?
I feel it, I got rid of the “butterflies in my tummy” feeling in that sense, and I feel like I made the right decision in sitting this one out. The relief, the relief itself that I felt the moment that I canceled the trip was the major factor in knowing that I decided right.
If I go, it’s gonna cost me so much money, too much time, and even energy for ONLY THREE DAYS over there… without assurance that I can make the most out of it because of the higher possibility of getting the coronavirus since they had a higher amount of it in the place where we’re going to stay, and I couldn’t take that risk of investing so much in it only to end up getting quarantined.
THE EFFECT OF TAKING A STEP BACK
After a loooot of thinking and finally deciding to take a step back, I actually became very productive because I had a fresh perspective on the situation that actually really felt uncomfortable.
So yes, it’s all for the better.
BIG LESSON 1: DO NOT CLING TO SOMETHING
A good lesson from this one is to not cling to things.
So, sometimes we attach ourselves too much to things because we committed to something in one situation, and then the situation changes and it feels hard for us to accept because we clung too much in it, not expecting the possibility of unforeseen circumstances and changes.
LESSON # 2: DO NOT THINK OF WHAT OTHER PEOPLE WILL SAY
In my case, it was supposed to be a meetup. So what will they say if you back out at the last moment? Yes, you might hear things, but shall we really worry about those?
We spend too much time thinking about what other people will think about our decisions instead of listening inside – our gut and feelings, then in the end we end up drained – forgetting the fact that it’s something that can trigger too much stress in our body… forcing ourselves to do things that don’t feel right for us just because we’re worried about what other people will say.
But in reality, (not all) but most people only look for themselves. So what’s in it for us, right?
TIPS ON DECIDING WHETHER TO TAKE A STEP BACK
So how do you assess and decide whether it’s finally time to reset or just take a step back?
Write things down.
Have a (-) side and a (+) side on your paper.
List your pros and cons on appropriate sides.
Weigh down the results.
LISTEN TO YOUR GUT.
One thing you’ll realize when you’re writing things down is that before you even finish… your gut already tells you what it’s gonna be – and that before you finish writing things down, some answer is already at the back of your mind… and that’s the answer you’re hoping for. You just have to acknowledge and accept that inside, it’s really what you want.
REMEMBER TO NEVER LOOK BACK
What makes it hard for people to decide?
Before they even get to a decision they already start to “look back”…
Always remember, that whatever decision you make, do not look back because looking back and worrying if you did or choose the other thing instead is just going to destroy whatever’s in front of you – and we don’t like that.
Go on with what’s in front of you…
Because remember, we always have a million choices, and we can never explore all of them. Trying to do so will make us crazy and more stressed, so just try to be logical.
There are so many options that it is absolutely impossible to see which one is the one and only best. It’s impossible because of the options and how it works you can’t compare them fully, and all that, so assess, acknowledge, accept, and move forward with the decision you just made.
When things get wrong, then that’s the only time again you take a step back and think – just not ALL THE TIME because you’ll never run out of options in life.
JUST STAY IN THE PRESENT
Do not cling to the past and be eaten with your regrets, accept what’s done and cannot be changed…
At the same time, never worry too much about the future. While it’s good to be on top and be prepared for what’s ahead… Always remember that setbacks are meant to happen, and many more unexpected things that can actually change your entire planned future. So, just know those things so you won’t be eaten with disappointments when situations get out of control.
Know how to enjoy the journey, focus on the present, and see that you can make new decisions when things get out of hand.
If it feels hard to decide what you want to do on your own – go get a mentor. Reach out if you need help. It is always important and there will always be things that you can support.
GET HELP IF YOU NEED
If it feels hard to decide what you want to do on your own – get a mentor. Reach out if you need help. It is always important and there will always be things that you can support.
Check HERE to see if you feel like we’re a good fit.
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