Top 10 Reasons to Laugh

Top 10 Reasons to Laugh as suggested by Dr. Madin Kataria Laughing is a great activity that just seems to brighten everyone’s day. It helps both mentally and physically and makes you feel great. Here are the top ten reasons to break in a good laugh. 1.   Laughter is a stress buster. 2.   Laughter strengthens the immune system. 3.   Laughter is anti-aging. 4.   Laughter is aerobic exercise 5.  ...

Solutions for Time Crunched Canadians

Image courtesy of Ambro/FreeDigitalPhotos.net A study by the Canadian Index of Well Being reveals that Canadians are increasingly time crunched and are under constant stress. Here is what the study found: 25% of Canadians are working around the clock 20% of Canadians are experiencing high levels of ‘time crunch’ up from 16.4% in 1992 1 in 4 cares for an elderly parent 1 in 5 is responsible for both a...

Seven Ways to Reward Employees without Breaking the Bank (Plus a bonus for when you have funds)

The downturn has left many companies short of funds; leaving employee rewards programs in the dust. Yet, ignoring achievements leaves people upset and feeling unappreciated, reducing productivity and employee engagement. Here are seven ways to reward employees for free, plus a bonus for when a little funding trickles through. Enjoy. Surprise them with an early end to the day: Show your appreciation for all their hard work by giving...

10 Ways to Improve Office Morale

Image courtesy of Ambro/FreeDigitalPhotos.net Thank everyone each time they help you out. Gratitude takes only 30 seconds but lasts for days; a worthwhile investment. Share a laugh with a co-worker. There is nothing like a good laugh to reduce stress and improve relationships in the office.   Some easy ways to do this include: creating a humour board at work or including a funny video or cartoon in a meeting...

Taxes & Death-Certain Stress

In the last few weeks many of us have gone through a stressful time of year; tax season. Nothing is quite like the scramble for documents, the dread of mistakes, and the fear of Revenue Canada. It is fitting that the week following the tax deadline is Mental Health Week. According to studies done; over half of Canadians experience stress as a daily occurrence, and struggle with the results...

FISH! Tales

I would recommend FISH! Tales as it’s a fun and interesting book. At first, I thought it was about people going on a fishing trip. To my surprise, it consists of the FISH principle which is about creating a better fun workplace and actually based on Pike Place Fish market in Seattle. The FISH! Principle includes four themes: Play, Make Their Day, Be Present, and Choose Your Attitude. Along...

Mindsight

Mindsight is a must-read for anyone who wants to live a happier and more productive life. Through detailed explanations of the brain, Daniel J. Siegel shows how to change dysfunctional thoughts, and become more flexible and emotionally stable. He also shows how to use meditation to develop a special kind of lens, to see your mind clearly, which he calls “mindsight”. Jonathon, a sixteen-year old high school teenager, had...

The Healing Power of Humor

The Healing Power of Humor is a must read for anyone who has ever faced life’s challenges. Allen Klein shows you how to use humor effectively even in somber moments because laughter helps lighten the load. Allen is no stranger to pain; he gained his inspiration from losing his beloved wife in a three year battle with a rare liver disease . He discusses how it is not always...

Top 10 Reasons to Manage Stress

1. Stress can cause you to ‘numb out’ and become insensitive. This is a natural survival instinct in an emotionally painful environment and could cause you to become an ineffective customer service representative or an insensitive manager. (David Lee, Training Scene) 2. Stress can stifle your creativity and innovation in the workplace due to the high physiological and psychological effects it can have on you. It causes your thought...

Poking Fun at Yourself: A great way to deflect criticism

In my laughter seminars, I talk about the importance of being able to laugh at yourself.  It’s a great way to show humility and take yourself lightly. As we saw at the Olympic closing ceremony, it’s also a great way to deflect criticism and acknowledge your mistakes.  I loved that VANOC made fun of itself for the opening ceremonies torch malfunction.  Having the clown jump out of the floor...

Top 10 Reasons Why Gratitude Makes You a Better Employee

1. Increases your job satisfaction and promotes loyalty to your employer (Podsakoff, Mackenzie, Paine, and Bacharach, 2000).The next time an aspect of your work causes negative feelings, write down what you love about your job and remember why you are grateful for this position. 2. Raises your productivity. Research found you are a more energetic and optimistic employee as a direct result of your gratitude (Emmons and McCullough, 2003). ...

Let The Olympics Bring Out The Best In You

On Dec. 17, 2009, I watched the Olympic torch make its way down Yonge Street in Toronto.  As I cheered and pumped my fists into the air with delight, I was filled with a sense of excitement I hadn’t felt in years – 30 years to be exact. When I was 16, I was bundled off to Lake Placid with my family for the last weekend of the Olympics. ...

Create your greatest 2010

Wishing you a happy, healthy and fulfilling new year! This year I am excited about the New Year. In fact I am much more enthusiastic than I have been in a very long time. Why?  I am looking at this year as a fresh start, a blank slate and a new beginning.  It’s not that 2009 was so bad or that I need to put it behind me.  Instead...

Power of Humor: Making it work at the office

I have spent a lot of time in hospitals lately as my dad deals with severe radiation burns. Despite the challenges, stress and lack of resources within the healthcare system, I’m amazed at hospital staff who use humour to put patients at ease.  Even a few simple words can get a patient to laugh, smile and momentarily forget their troubles. Here are some of my favorite hospital moments: *...

The Amazing Benefits of Meditation

In July I wrote about the importance of meditation as a way of managing stress.  Meditation has been proven to have many benefits in addition to stress relief which are listed below. I hope these benefits help convince you to give meditation a try. You don’t need to become a Buddhist monk or move to India to start meditating.  You can start with as little as 5 minutes a...

My Summer Vacation: Head vs. Heart

It was the last week of August and my summer vacation had finally arrived; I could hardly wait.  On a recommendation of a friend, I decided to take my summer vacation at the Omega Institute in NY State.  It was exactly the kind of experience I was looking for – a summer camp atmosphere with personal development courses. However when I arrived, I was disappointed.  I knew my room...

In gratitude of friendship

Let me share a story that brought home the importance of friendship and how truly rare good friends are.  My father has been suffering from a radiation ulcer for months and none of the many treatments or surgery seemed to work.  He was growing frustrated and certainly wasn’t his energetic and positive self. What made the situation worse is that my sister and I live miles away and my...

Calming down our stress response

Two weeks ago, I attended a great presentation by Linda Page, Founder and President of the Adler School of Professional Studies. She talked about information in her upcoming book with David Rock, Coaching with the brain in mind.  Here is a brief summary of her powerful message that really resonated with me. The brain is made up of many complex areas that are responsible for various aspects of our...

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Welcome to the Watershed Training Solutions Blog.  Stay tuned for more and in the mean time visit our website at www.watershedtraining.ca