Hi All,

Stress. It is a part of our daily life - unfortunately.  It can come at you from family, friends, work and other sources. Its, well, stressful.  But there are many ways to relieve stress. 

And because stress is so prevalent in our everyday life, the Farmingdale Public Library is hosting a Stress Management Workshop on Thursday, November 13th at 3pm. 

In this workshop you'll learn how to manage your stress. Topics included: possible causes of stress, the effects stress can have on your life, and some strategies to cope with stress.  Registration for this class has already begun, but there are spots available for the class.  Click on this link to register for the Stress Management Workshop.

And with that all said, here are 3 links from the web, that can help you relieve the stress right now.

This first link is from a website called HelpGuide.org.  The site self-proclaims itself as being 'expert, ad-free resources that help you resolve health issues.  Okay.  Sounds good at least.  The article is called 'Stress Management: How to Reduce, Prevent, and Cope with Stress'.   The article is well written, clear and gives readers many different tools and techniques for identifying and controlling the stress in their life.

The next link is from the famed Mayo Clinic.  This article is appropriately enough, called, 'Stress Management' and discusses stress basics, stress relief and relaxation techniques.  Excellent article from a world renowned source of medical information.

Finally, the next article comes from the American Heart Association. The article is titled, 'To Stress or Not To Stress? You Decide. But We Can Help.'  The article covers topics like stress management, explanations why it is good to practice stress managment and even more technniques to lower stress in your daily life.  All great stuff from another world famous, unbiased, medical organization. And the information is free to boot!

Hope these entries make your day a bit less stressful!

Enjoy the links,
Stu

Overcoming Laziness

Hi All,

Hey you...yeah...you. Reading this blog entry. 

Are you lazy?  Who? Me? You ask?  And my answer is yes, you...

Okay...enough with the fun stuff.  On to the blog entry of the day.

So...being lazy can have a decidedly negative affect on your work and employment future.  Yes, its true - click on this link from CareerPath 360 for an article entitled 'How Being Lazy at Work Affects Your Career'.  The early bird really does get the worm. And the parking spot, and the best time for a business presentation. And many other perks for those who are 'johnny on the spots'. 

So, how can one start to become 'less lazy?'  Click on this link from the Iron Shrink and you'll find a blog entry from this Licensed Psychologist from Denver Colorado.  A few highlights include: spending less time on the video games, eating donuts (read: food)....in general having enough 'internal discipline' to stop doing these activities that take up so much of your time.  Well...that is all well and good - but a reader wrote to the Iron Shrink and said,

“Your examples were about creating the discipline to stop playing video games, drinking, and eating donuts. I find changing my habits to start doing something – for example, making sure to eat breakfast every day – difficult to stick with. There isn’t a point of tension to study and step away from if the status quo is sweet, sweet laziness.”

Ultimately the Iron Shrink suggest that when readers are trying to change a habit to start doing something (anything: from a project at work, to starting an exercise program and more...) readers should start out small and think in terms of small chunks.  Click here for more information on this topic. 

For those of us who like 'step-by-step' instructions, click on this next link - from WikiHow - Click on this next message for a webpage entitled, 'How to Overcome Laziness: 26 Steps (With Pictures). 

Finally, readers might like to get a more professional answer for 'How to Overcome Laziness' by visiting this link from Psychology Today.

So there you have it...3 links to pages that will help you get things done!  And help you become less lazy and more proactive.

Enjoy the links and the sites.

Regards,
Stu

Better Body Language

Hi All,

Body Language.  Have you heard of it?  No? Yes!  Possibly?  Well, if you haven't, click on this link and you'll get a quick and brief introduction to what body language - and what it is not.  Basically, body language refers to various forms of nonverbal communication, where a person may reveal clues as to some unspoken intention or feeling through physical behavior.  Behaviors can include body posture, gestures, facial expressions, and eye movements...

Pretty cool stuff - and it works. Reading body language accurately can help you get insight into what another person is 'really' thinking - without having to actually say what they are thinking.

For example, have you ever been talking to someone who constantly 'looks through you' and never makes eye contact?  Or what about talking to someone who explains things with an over-emphasis of hand movements?  What about talking to someone who has his/her hands crossed over their chest?  Yep - it all has to do with body language. 

And, for the folks who are sensitive enough to (and who can process the information in real-time) recognize these forms of nonverbal communication it can be a big advantage in situations as varied as dating, business and other inter-personal relationships. 

With that all send, here is a link to help you improve your own body language - it comes from Inc Magazine - a notable business/entrepreneur magazine - which will help you understand the context of the article. The title of the article is '8 Powerful Ways to Improve Your Body Language'.

From Wikihow, comes this article entitled, 'How to Read Body Language'.  Interesting, but the article is definitely geared toward dating and not particularly business oriented.

For another perspective on body language - and how to feel more confident even when you are not - click on this link from a TED talk given in October 2012. 

Psychology Today is a very well-known, professional publication for Psychologists.  Click on this link to go to an article aptly titled 'Understanding Body Language'.  It is a series of smaller articles on a wide variety of sub-topics of body language...interesting stuff.  And thorough!



Now...that all said, you might want to click on this link to the library card catalog to find actual books about body language and nonverbal communication.  Click on this link to go to the library card catalog.


Here's to helping you not reveal your inner thoughts via nonverbal communication.  Hope the links help!

Regards,
Stu