By 2030, the World Health Organisation has forecast depression and anxiety will be the number one healthcare burden, costing upwards of US$1 trillion a year in many countries. Already, studies are revealing a correlation between anxiety, depression and smartphone use — not to mention what smartphones could be doing to our neurochemical balance. The urge to seek distraction People call it ‘smartphone […]
Social butterflies are busy bees: How workplace friendships boost productivity
If you have a good friend for a colleague you are more likely to be engaged and satisfied at work. Part of being happy at work is having at least a few colleagues with whom you get along well with. For some, these constitute true friendships that transcend location, circumstance and peer level. But for many […]
Glass half full?: Optimism and pessimism in the workplace
Glass half full or glass half empty? Why, glass half full, according to some. Norman Vincent Peale and before him Dale Carnegie made their fortunes extolling the power of positive thinking many years ago, and their influence has pervaded workplaces all across the world. Carnegie’s philosophy went beyond simplistic “don’t worry, be happy” mantras — his Depression-era book How […]
Why our increasing use of screens has sparked blue light concerns
With so much of our waking lives spent viewing screens, is it any wonder people’s eyesight is suffering? There used to be similar concerns over people reading books and newspapers. Two-thirds of Americans are now suffering from digital eye-strain, with 73% of adults younger than 30 impacted. How do you feel when you wake up? Many people at […]
Do people of different gender identities process emotions differently?
“Men are from Mars, Women from Venus” was all the rage during the 1990s. Whether there’s actual proof that we are emotionally wired differently is yet to be conclusively proved (especially with gender fluidity much more highlighted these days). Controversially, according to psychologists Bobbi Carothers and Harry Reis, men and women are from Earth! Are women […]
10 steps to loving your job: How to improve job satisfaction
We often see TV ads and billboards depicting happy people at work: individuals and teams smiling, saying positive things – even professionals making heart-shapes with their hands. Some are actors, some are real. You could be cynical and hope they mean it, especially in today’s volatile work climate. On the other hand, loving what you do […]
Are you looking after yourself?
We ache as we read about the death of chef Anthony Bourdain and too many others we know and love driven to suicide. It is tragic, no matter who it is. Depression is frightening and often hidden from those closest to us, sometimes even unrecognised by individuals themselves. Many people suffer depression at times of their […]
How fears can hold you back at work
Fears drive our behaviours and are often the reason for our decisions and actions at work. What do we fear? Lots of things: not being liked conflict not being in control failing — being wrong not knowing, uncertainty being embarrassed losing relationships being ignored or even rejected being criticised changes “There’s nothing to fear but […]
5 ways to elevate your team morale
You can walk into any workplace and know pretty quickly how good its team morale is — especially after a few days off for some public holidays. How often does a charismatic leader stride into a room, spray sparkly ideals and directions and have everyone dazed in some kind of afterglow? Rarely! Often those in […]