Happy Independence Day America!
With all the craziness of 2020, let us not forget in America there are those whom have gone before us to fight for our freedoms.
Why should it be celebrated?
Why do we celebrate the fourth of July? The federal holiday marks the day in 1776 when the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, signaling the official separation of the colonies from Great Britain amid the Revolutionary War.
Today July 4, 2020, it is especially important to understand and appreciate living here.
I am grateful to live where anyone has the right to worship any religion they choose, to work wherever they choose, to gather together for functions, to voice one’s opinion and discuss in an adult manner why a p person has theat outlook on something.
Our world is an unbalanced place right now. It will fall back into place when the time is right. Until then, enjoy your loved ones, find the good in people, do something to help keep America the Greatest Nation on earth.
I wish you and yours a very Happy Fourth of July.
Gain The Advantage,
Alicia Osmera
I can’t believe that five years ago today I started writting my first blog post.
Mindset was short, a very short article. As I look back at all that I’ve written I can see the growth in my writting style and the messages I’m trying to send out to my readers.
Favorite Article I really don’t know if I have one. I enjoy writting and I hope to continue this for a long time.
Gain The Advantage,
Alicia Osmera
It’s been a crazy few weeks in my house. Mother’s Day, working and other family obligations have kept me from writing. For that I apologize to you, my readers.
As I end this series, I would like to know if anything I’ve written has been of a benefit to you?
I’ve searched the world wide web for ideas to help you keep up with taking care of yourself, your family and even your pets too.
Blessings and Manifesting Challenge
Whatever you do, do it with kindness and love for yourself.
I wish you health and happiness.
Alicia Osmera
Mother’s Day 2017 I wrote this article as a tribute to my mother, Barbara Hickcock Agnew. She passed away on June 21, 1993 and I still miss her to this day.
If you’re fortunate enough to have your mother still living today, then you are blessed. Now I do realize that not all mothers are created equally. Thank God for that because there are some women out there I swear should never have procreated.
I’m not saying that as a judgment by any means. I say it because there are those relationships where one’s own mother may have skipped out on a family, leaving a father single or an older child responsible to care for themselves and their siblings.
What makes a good mother?
Love, compassion, empathy, discipline, teaching children the ways of life. The most valuable lesson that I hope I’ve taught to my three children is to love God first.
I’ve always taught my children who Jesus Christ is and tried to show them what living a Christian life means.
Enjoy your time with your family or by yourself and have a Happy Mother’s Day.
I’ve been writing this series for a few weeks now. If you’ve been following this series then by now, you should already know the definition of self-care.
My daughter shared something very thought provoking on her Facebook page a few days ago.
“Everyone is applauding everyone but OUR CHILDREN!!!! These little heroes have stayed indoors more than they’ve ever known in their lives. Their whole worlds have literally been turned upside down. All these rules they’ve never known. A life they couldn’t have imagined. All the things they love like sports, being with friends, going to school, or just being kids have all been taken away from them. Adults talking about others becoming unwell, news reporting death after death. Our poor children’s minds must be racing. Every day they get up and carry on despite all that’s going on. So here’s to our little heroes: today, tomorrow, forever ❤️
Copy and paste to celebrate our children and teenagers that have had to make immediate drastic changes to their lives.
💙🧡❤️💛💚💜”
After reading it again I thought about our children and grandchildren and what they must be going through not just emotionally, but physically also. Children need to feel loved, and reassured that this is not going to become a “normal” everyday thing. that they will see their friends again, play sports, swim, and all the other things they are used to doing.
Not only are parents and grandparents trying to learn how to deal with the stresses of The Unseen War Of 2020 and COVID-19, so are the teachers, school bus drivers, and everyone else that makes the function of our educational systems work.
Alessia Santoro is the editor of Popsugar.com in an article she gives this advice, ” A self-care regimen isn’t something that only busy parents who need “me time” should strive to have — kids, no matter their age, also need time to refresh and recharge mentally and physically, especially as they get older and more bogged down with school and work responsibilities. There are plenty of activities kids can engage in — whether alone or together as a family — that will help them to slow down, relax, take a breather, and hopefully feel less overworked, tired, and stressed”.
How can we help children to learn self-care?
Go for a bike ride.
Have a dance party with your family.
Build a blanket fort.
Go through old photos and make a photo album.
For more tips, you can read her article 45 Self-Care Activities For Kids To Unwind And Take A Breather which has more ideas.
Yes, this sucks in so many ways. Yes, we can hold our families tight and say to each other, “We will get through this together”. Keep in mind that if you’re not taking care of your own needs, then you won’t be any good for your loved ones.
I hope you found this post helpful. Please leave a comment.
Gain The Advantage,
Alicia Osmera
Burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and ineffectiveness in the workplace, and by chronic negative responses to stressful workplace conditions.
Burnout is more likely when employees:
- Expect too much of themselves.
- Never feel that the work they are doing is good enough.
- Feel inadequate or incompetent.
- Feel unappreciated for their work efforts.
- Have unreasonable demands placed upon them.
- Are in roles that are not a good job fit.
In this article titled; “Workplace Strategies For Mental Health” by Canadian Life, the writer offers many signs that an employer should be aware of. Of course we all want the productive and happy employee’s in our workplaces. However; due to what’s been happening with the COVID 19 Coronavirus pandemic employers need to become more aware of their employee’s mental health needs.
On my Facebook page, I asked this question
If you’re still working, what’s your company doing to help boost mental health and moral?
What would you want to see from management that would let you know they care about you?
The comments were very interesting. One person stated,
” We were provided with company logo masks, disinfectant sprays, extra pay for the month of April”.
Some people are receiving an extra bonus for working during this time because they were deemed to be an essential worker, yet others left the impression that management was ignoring their health and well-being.
Recognize signs and symptoms
Your employees may not realize that they are dealing with signs of being burned out on the job.
Some of the signs and symptoms that an employee experiencing burnout may exhibit include:
- Reduced efficiency and energy
- Lowered levels of motivation
- Increased errors
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Irritability
- Increased frustration
- Suspiciousness
- More time spent working with less being accomplished
Severe burnout can also result in:
- Self-medication with alcohol and other substances
- Sarcasm and negativity
- Debilitating self-doubt
Are you a Psychologically Safe Leader?
Granted this article is written from the Canadian workforce perspective however, I find it can apply to any leadership team or managers anywhere.
As a manager where I work, I’ve found myself with feelings of frustration, inadequacy at times to perform the functions of my job, and anger at the owner and senior management for not showing the staff how anything they really care about them or their mental health.
Make your employees feel special
Leave your employees an email or little notes saying something like “Hey we are thinking about you and we’re doing everything possible to help all of us make it through this pandemic together”.
Don’t become one of those owners or bosses like an Ebenezer Scrooge.
Dig deep into your own pocketbook if you have to and show them you care!
Life is hard enough without having a pandemic in it. Choose to show kindness, understanding, and patience with your employees and make them happy and proud to be your employees.
Please leave a comment.
Gain The Advantage,
Alicia Osmera
I hope you all had a happy and healthy Easter Sunday last week.
Since I am a Respiratory Therapist; I decided to write today’s article about keeping your lungs healthy. Especially due to the COVID 19 Coronavirus and the complications that can arise from this nasty respiratory virus.
As you know, breathing is a necessary function of life. What you may not be aware of are the differences between having healthy lungs and lung diseases.
Your lungs provide the oxygen that your body needs for survival. Pushing oxygen through the blood stream and assisting with filtering out carbon dioxide from your body. Damage to the lungs can occur from genetics, the environment and smoking. All these things can cause damage to your lungs.
By now you should already be aware that smoking causes lung diseases like Emphysema and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease); which cause irreversible damage to the lungs.
Keeping Your Lungs Healthy
1. Eating a diet rich in antioxidants.
2. Exercising frequently increases your lung function.
3. Improve indoor air quality with changing your furnance filter every thirty days, using an air purifier to help filter out pollutants, molds and dust.
4. If you smoke, stop smoking. Talk with your physician or call your local Quitline.
5. Get vaccinations like the flu vaccine and pneumonia vaccines to help prevent lung infections and promote lung health.
The Mechanics of Breathing
Take a deep breath and inhale, hold it for ten seconds and then exhale letting all the air out of your lungs.
Could you feel the air moving in and out of your lungs? This motion is known as The Mechanics of Breathing. As you breathe in and out the lungs exchange air flow throughout your lungs.
I’m not going to spend too much time talking about COVID 19 because it is my observation that we are inundatted with news updates every day.
Know the signs of COVID19 – Coronavirus
Watch for symptoms
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.
These symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus:
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
When to Seek Medical Attention
If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19 get medical attention immediately. Emergency warning signs include*:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion or inability to arouse
- Bluish lips or face
*This list is not all inclusive. Please consult your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning.
Call 911 if you have a medical emergency: Notify the operator that you have, or think you might have, COVID-19. If possible, put on a cloth face covering before medical help arrives.
My wish for you is to be happy and healthy. I hope you enjoyed today’s blog post and that you will leave a comment.
Gain The Advantage,
Alicia Osmera, CRT, LRT
With almost everyone stuck at home during this time, I started trying to find different topics that my Grandkids might enjoy.
Carol Wells has an amazing blog site that you should check out.
Enjoy.
Gain The Advantage,
Alicia Osmera
Taking care of our feet are one of the most important things we can do for ourselves. Especially if one has a history of diabetes. Most of the time I’d go get a pedicure; however with most of the United States under self quarantine orders due to the Coronavirus all spas are closed as of the date I wrote this article.
1. Dr. Scholl’s foot inserts can help relieve foot pain from plantar fasciitis, energy gels for comfort and even athletic supports for ones feet.
You can find them at most retail stores, online through Dr. Scholls website and even Amazon. Prices vary depending on the item you need.
2. Straight Edge Toe Nail Clippers
According to a Miguel Cunha, DPM, founder of Gotham Footcare. “A straight-edge toenail clipper ensures the nails are cut straight across, decreasing the chance of ingrown toenails”.
Price points I’ve found run anywhere from $4.00 up to $20.00. The one from Toolworks cost $5.00 and you can purchase it online. You can purchase one here.
A corn is a type of callus that develops on the foot from an accumulation of dead skin cells. The hard, thickened patch of skin is usually found on the top, sides or tips of the toes, though soft corns can develop between toes. It is possible for friction to cause the corns to inflame, resulting in nerve pain when friction or pressure causes the corn to press down on the nerve below.
The Health Feet Store has the PediFix Pedi – Gel Corn Pads for $14.95. This is the best website I’ve found for all ones foot care needs.
4. Foot Spa Machines
Groom and Style.com breaks down there top five foot spa machine recommendations in this article, Best Foot Spa Reviews by the different types of spa machines. Most of them contain some combination of water jets and waterfalls to create streams of bubbling water, rollers or wheels to massage the feet, vibrators to encourage blood flow, and a heating element to keep the water toasty. Not all machines will have all of those elements, so you’ll need to pick and choose the features of a foot bath machine to suit your preferences and your budget.
The Conair Foot Spa has basic features and depending on your budget, it may be the right one for you. Priced around $45.00 at Walmart.
1. Foot Cream, Lotions and Moisturizing
My all time favorite bath products are from Castle Baths. There skin care products are safe and they use real ingredients in everything they make. Cancer free and there products are amazing.
The Happy Birthday Gift Basket has wonderful creams and lotions to treat anyone on their special occasion. The basket costs $82.95 and well worth every penny.
Take care of yourself because there’s only one you.
Gain The Advantage,
Alicia Osmera
