You are enough. Thats something we dont hear often enough and something we hardly ever say to ourselves. We look to others to measure our lives instead of looking at our life and being grateful for just being here at all.

Right now, as you read this, you are enough, but what does that mean? It means that without defining yourself by your job, your address, your physical shape or anything else that you are good enough, a perfect example of you.

For a moment Id like you to ask yourself something.

Can I accept myself as I am, today? Pause and reflect on that question. What I mean is do you feel content in yourself or when you think about it does your attention fall like a shadow on something about yourself that you think makes you unhappy or that youd like to change?

Theres nothing wrong with you if there is something youd like to change, improve or get rid of. In fact that kind of self-critique is essential in the process of learning more about who you are, how you relate to others and the world and most importantly, how you see yourself in terms of how you value yourself.

Wanting to be better, wanting to improve doesnt mean theres anything wrong with you now, just that youre becoming aware that there is potential to live in a way that will ultimately, with work and patience, bring you to a point where your baseline for happiness is much higher than it is today.

Every old habit you learned that doesnt help you now to be happy is up for examination. If you can accept those old habits and live comfortably without them affecting you or others then they are simply to be accepted.

If you see that they actively contribute to your unhappiness though, then they need to be changed or asked to leave. This is Acceptance in action again, the simple practice of looking at everything through the lens of accept it, change it or leave it behind.

The following guidelines are just that, guidelines, but if you start to use them youll soon find that youre living life more happily and are more self-aware and self-confident not just muddling through days carrying things that you would be better off letting go so you dont waste energy on them.

1. Live consciously. Be aware of your life, dont let it be a blur. Experience it with self awareness. Be present. Slow down during your day for long enough to remember what lunch tasted like or what inflection was in a friends voice or how a flower really smelled. This habit allows us time to see ourselves clearly. After all, if you dont have time to look inside how will you ever know if theres a better way to be?

2. Accept yourself as you are and then make choices about things you want to and CAN change or improve to live consciously and peacefully. You cant change your eye colour but you can change your old habits for better ones that help you now. Dont compare yourself or your life to anyone elses either because thats not your life, its theirs, accept it.

3. Notice where you can take responsibility for your life so that it doesnt just happen to you, you happen to it. This is your life and as such you have the final say in how you live it. You may feel powerless to change anything but you really arent. Let go of anything preventing you from reaching for all of lifes potential.

4. Be true to your values in every situation, even if thats hard to do. Personal integrity outweighs crowd mentality. You have to be able to live with yourself before you live with anyone else. Being known as someone who lives in a way that places integrity front and centre will cause people who value that trait to be drawn to you, filling your life with people who will only want good for you.

5. Live knowing that your purpose is simply to live and experience life, then find a purpose in life that focuses your attention and pursue excellence in that patiently and relentlessly, just not to the exclusion of everything else. Finding something to focus on properly allows you to gain new perspectives on how the world works and new ways for you to experience it, growing your horizons all the time.

6. Live in harmony with your conscience. That voice will steer you to the right action and peace. This is self-explanatory I hope! If it doesnt sit right with you then its not right for you. Its your soul telling you that this is one of those times that you cant accept something so it has to go!

These things grow your ability to practice The Art of Acceptance, the way you live in the moment and knowing real inner peace. These are the things I have learned over the past few years that have taken me from broken to content, from the edge of losing life to living one so full that I can spend time sharing what Ive learned with you. If you do the same in a way that works in your life, you will reap the same rewards. Its not about following anything I say slavishly but rather finding a way to put these simple, universal truths into practice in a way that fits your life best for you!

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COLUMN: Growing self-esteem and six steps to happy living, with Karl Clancy - TipperaryLive.ie

In an alternate universe dreamed up by executive producer Lindy West, the series finale of Hulu's Shrill would feature a double weddingno, a triple wedding, with humans, dogs, and horses alike making their way to the altar. But when news reached Team Shrill that the third season would be the show's last, midway through the process of filming eight episodes in Portland, the season finale soon became the series finale. It doesn't feature a animal wedding, but somehow, it's exactly the right swan song for the groundbreaking comedy about gender, body image, and what it means when women own their power.

Season Three finds Aidy Bryant's Annie Easton newly energized after breaking up with her deadbeat boyfriend in the Season Two finale. Annie is juggling men, balancing new challenges in her work as a journalist at The Thorn, and feeling more liberated than ever, but she hasn't got it all figured out just yet. The final season throws myriad roadblocks in her pathsome from external forces, like a fatphobic doctor who recommends weight loss surgery, and some from her own internal compass, still imperfectly calibrated when it comes to negotiating her own white privilege and self-hatred. In one episode, Annie is held to account when her story about a community of white separatists goes viral for all the wrong reasons; in another, she sabotages a blind date with new beau Will, only to realize much later that internalized fatphobia is standing in the way of her own happiness.

"Shes floundering, but shes growing," West tells Esquire. Bryant and West spoke with Esquire by Zoom about negotiating fatness, finding the right ending, and saying goodbye to Annie.

Esquire: In the first season of the show, we see Annie become more daring; in the second season, we see her follow the momentum of where her new boldness takes her. How would you describe her path during season three?

Lindy West On How South Park Led to Alt Right

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Lindy West: In Season One, Annie started to identify what she thought she wanted. In Season Two, she overshot and flailed a little bit. Season Three feels like Annie saying, Ive got this. I know what I want. I know what Im doing. What follows is this very grown-up moment of discovering that nothing is simple; its actually a lot harder than she expected. Maybe she doesn't exactly know what she wants, and maybe she's not as evolved as she thought that she was. Its one thing to get to a point where you're able to say, "I don't hate myself. I have ambitions, and I deserve good things." But that doesn't make you a magically evolved, mature person overnight. Its a real growing pains kind of season. Shes floundering, but shes growing.

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ESQ: In Season Three, Annies career is on the rise. She knows the stories she wants to write and the stories she doesnt want to write. Her worldview is challenged when she writes a tone-deaf article about a group of white separatists, then receives pushback not just from the internet, but from people of color in her life. Why was that a place you wanted to take Annie?

Aidy Bryant: Part of what we wanted to look at was how focusing on your own journey, your own experience, or your own career goals can blind you to other peoples realities. You think, Im here trying to do goodisnt that enough? It's actually not. You have to look at the wider world. From a character growth perspective, I like how Annie learns that youre not always the hero. You're not always the victim in a situation. Annie felt like, People are pigeonholing me into writing about fat stuff, so that gives me carte blanche to go and do other things. It doesn't.

LW: I think it's just another manifestation of thinking you're ready and not being ready. Annies like, This is what I want in my career. I want to move into more serious journalism. I want to be taken seriously. But she doesn't have the life experience and the professional experience to recognize that, fundamentally, maybe she's not the right person to write that story. Even if she could write it responsibly, should she be taking it on at all? It feels very true to life. Annie is confronted with the fact that shes actually still a new writer, and she doesn't know what she's doing.

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ESQ: To your point about growing pains, one of the hardest things about growing up is recognizing when we're wrong, then doing the hard work of apologizing and atoning. It was powerful to see Annie learn those hard lessons in real time.

AB: Thats a place where I feel we only got to show part of what we wanted Annie to do. We had other ideas about next season, where Annie takes on more responsibility at the Thorn. But I do think shes really listening in a way that she hasnt been in previous seasons, and thats a big moment of growth for her.

ESQ: Contrasting Annies arc with previous seasons, it was so heartfelt to see her reckon with self-hatred this season. I found her apology to Will so moving, when she says, "I was only thinking about myself and how embarrassed I'd be, that if anyone saw me as part of a pair of fats, theyd think we were together because that's what we deserved. It struck me in that moment that Annie of Season One wouldnt have had the self-awareness to get this radically honest with Will. How did Annie of Season Three get to this place?

AB: I'm glad you liked that scene, because I would say that's probably one of my favorite scenes of the whole series. It was really intense to film. That take in particular wasnt fully scripted. The director said, "Aidy, why don't you do a take that's improvised with these ideas, but put it in your own words? It was this very visceral feeling. Yes, Annies having growing pains, but I think she's also taking almost a bigger step back to look at how her own self-hatredhow its turned out onto others, and how it stops her from being happy. I think there's a tragedy in this season that she meets Will in the second episode, but doesn't have that thoughtful conversation with him until the sixth episode. I really loved that it takes her that long to wake up and see her part in her own fatphobia. Thats an internalized feeling thats really hard to turn off.

Shrill

LW: It was really important to us to make sure that we weren't putting out this false idea that accepting your body or gaining confidence is a finish line you can ever really cross. Its a practice. It's an ongoing process that you have to work at every day. On a lot of days, you backslide and fail. We didnt want to say, Annie had her little journey in Season One, and now she's a fully actualized person who loves herself every day and never has problems. She's still super fucked up. I certainly still struggle with my body, and Ive been talking about my body professionally for a decade. I think it really serves the story beautifully, but its also really grounded and really true. She's not a healed person; she's a healing person. That healing is probably going to go on for the rest of her life.

ESQ: I thought it was so rewarding to see her go through the healing with Willto have that conversation at the beach where they're joking about his swim shirts and the various ways they've each experienced internalized fatphobia. We've seen her discuss her body image with Fran in previous seasons, but to go through it with a male partner is such a departure.

LW: I think men's relationships with their bodies are really under-explored. Men are under-served in that arena. So much body positivity stuff is geared toward women, and I really liked getting to have a fat male character in this season.

AB: I thought it was cool that, in contrast to her other relationships, Annie and Wills relationship starts on this really raw and honest conversation about how they see themselves and how they see each other. That's their foundation rather than just some bar hookup. It's like the most romantic thing in the world.

ESQ: Toward the end of the show, you go into flashback mode, taking us back to the very beginning of Annie and Fran's friendship. Why did the end of the show feel like the right time to go back to the beginning?

AB: When we were writing and filming this season, we didn't know it would be the end of the show. I wish I could say it was a huge, thoughtful thing we planned, but I do think it panned out naturally. At this point, we're really far away from the Annie of the pilot, where she's super self-conscious and not standing up for herself. I think it's a nice reminder that where Annie and Fran are now is so far from where they started in the pilot, but even further from where they started as a pair of friends. I think it really tees up the true final moments of the series, because it shows how much these two have encouraged each other to find their own confidence, find their own voices, and go after what they want. They did that side by side from a very early point. I think their relationship really is the heartbeat of the show.

ESQ: In the last episode, Fran and Annie wonder if theyre too dependent on each other, and if the intimacy of their friendship is holding them back from experiencing adult intimacy with other people. Where do you come down on that? Are they onto something, or are they all wet?

LW: When I was in my teens and in my twenties, I certainly had codependent relationships with my platonic friends. We couldnt be apart; we had to talk to each other all day, every day. The dream was just sit in a bed together and watch Alias on DVD seventeen days in a row. I look back on that fondly, not in a toxic way. It's just part of the process. Is any part of the process objectively bad if it's moving you onto the next thing?

Fundamentally, especially given where we ended, even though it was kind of accidental, there's nothing wrong with centering platonic love. It's a really powerful and important thing. It's a deeply vital tether to who you are. I think people can get really lost in romantic relationships; heterosexual women especially are conditioned to erase themselves, and to be what men want them to be. Fran and Annie really hold each other together in a way thats very grounding. You can tell that the friendship is a touchstone for both of them; it keeps them grounded in who they are, and thats really important.

AB: I agree with you. I think its something all the people in our writers room identified with. For me, I had a best friend who I lived with for years in college. We did everything together. The first time I kissed my husband in front of my apartment, I ran into her room and woke her up. She was screaming for me from her bed. Then eventually, I moved in with my boyfriend, and those moments evolved. That doesnt mean she and I arent still friends, but it changes. It changes because you're giving more of yourself to a different person. I don't think it's necessarily like a toxic thing. I think a recalibration or evolution of a friendship.

LW: If anything, I feel the opposite of what Fran and Annie fear. It's not that my friendships held me back from my romance. Now that I'm married, I have to remind myself how to have friends. Life does get so mired in your own household. I just like their friendship so much.

Hulu

ESQ: Thinking about the intimacy of their friendship brings us to the end of the series. In a way, it strikes me as an ending without end. Annie's journey to confidence, self-love, vulnerability, successnone of that is a finish line she can cross overnight. I like leaving her in the balance. I know you didnt plan this as the final moment of the series, but what about it seems right and proper as an ending?

AB: In some ways, Im almost happier with this ending than I would be if we had really planned one. We may have felt self-imposed pressure, or pressure from the network, or that impulse to say, Pop the champagne bottle! These girls landed perfectly, and everything is great. That girl boss moment may not have been authentic. Where it lands is a more realistic place, which is, Were so much better than we were. We've grown so much, but we still have a lot of growing to do. Self-worth and self-confidence are not a finish line. It's a balance that changes every day.

I think part of a fat woman's experience that we really captured is that a lot of the time, you're not thinking about the fact that you're fat, but an exterior force reminds you. Youre going to continue to encounter those moments or people who push against your own inner voice. How do you handle it? How does it affect your self-worth? Ending with the two of them together, saying we still have more to doit's a really realistic approach to the series as a whole, to land on that moment.

Hulu

LW: I'm also really happy with it. I think it's a more interesting and complex place to end than to say, And for the finale, were at Annie and Wills wedding. Actually, its a double weddingFran and Em are getting married, tooand Bonkers is marrying the horse. Id love that, but it feels much more real this way, as though weve winked in and out of these people's lives, because real life doesn't have a narrative arc.

That said, I do think the narrative arc is nice. We end up where we started, which is with this beautiful love between Annie and Fran; that's inspiring and not going anywhere. I also think that not tying everything up with a big bow lets characters keep living in a way that a more formal finale doesn't. Youre just stepping back out of their lives. In my brain, their lives go on, and all of these characters are still out there working at the Thorn. There's something sweet about it.

AB: Even in editing, we asked ourselves, Should we end on the final moment of them saying something to us? Or should we end on the moment of them saying, What do we do now? We just fix everything. I think we felt exactly what Lindy is saying. We want to keep them going rather than have a beautiful funeral for them.

Hulu

ESQ: Looking into the future of a post-Shrill TV landscape, what do you hope Shrill's long-term impact will be? What do you hope it makes possible for other shows?

AB: The one thing Im most proud of, and that I hope becomes more normal, is showing a fat character with a healthy, normal, sexual life, and a dignity in her own sexuality. I feel really proud of that. I hope there's less cartoonish fat sex. Its been interesting, even doing press for the show. This is a tiny example, but Ive talked about what happened in the first episode with the doctor and the gastric bypass surgery, which I felt we wrote about in a thoughtful, nuanced way. Its something that happened to both me and Lindy. Ive definitely seen that piece of it reduced to headlines like, Aidy Bryant's Doctors Say She Needs Weight Loss Surgery. Theres something devastating about that to me, because, wow weve done all this work, and this is still sometimes how fat bodies are talked about. But Im really hopeful, because we continued to bring this conversation that's been happening for years and years and years to a wider television audience, and even to the entertainment industry itself.

LW: I would also love to see fat actors get roles that aren't about being fat, where it's just a character on a show who has a story. We took a lot of care to make sure that Annie has a much bigger life than just the story about her relationship with her body. Aidy and I have talked about this a lot, just between the two of us. You feel so flattened into this one aspect of your existence, and you don't get to be a full person because you are a fat person first. Its very, very, very exhausting to not get to be a human being who is more than a body. Even when people are being respectful about your body or sensitive to the dangers of anti-fat medical bias, its still centering your body. I dream of a post-fat world.

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Shrill Season 3 Series Finale Explained By Aidy Bryant and Lindy West - Esquire

In March 2020, still early in the pandemic, I opined that for introverts quarantine can be a liberation.I was extrapolating from personal experience and historical examples. And many other pundits had a similar hunch. But we were speculating before we had empirical data. Now that such information is available, what does it say?

By and large, the research shows that I was wrong. But I couldnt be happier because what the evidence actually says is that the truth, as usual, is more complex, more subtle and more interesting.

The studies published since the outbreak agree that personality plays a huge role in how we do or dont cope with difficult situations such as lockdowns. Obviouslythere are other factors as well, from age (the young suffer much more from depression and anxiety) to employment (no job, no cheer) and, well, infection. But personality determines how we greet our lot in life. And its the combination of several traits that shapes resilience.

Scholars break down those traits into five main bundles. One is the aforementioned degree of extroversion how stimulating (or draining) we find social interactions. Another is openness how curious, inquisitive, adventurous and creative we are, for example. A third is agreeableness how helpful, optimistic and kind we are. The fourth is conscientiousness how organized, focused, prepared and disciplined we are. The fifth is neuroticism the extent to which we get moody, nervous, worried or unstable.

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As far as introversion goes, the evidence certainly surprised me. One study of college students at the University of Vermont did find that introverts in lockdown reported improvements over time in their mood, whereas the extroverts said their mood got worse. But the extroverts were still in a better mood overall, thanks to their more cheerful default position.

Another study, of people from various ages and backgrounds, found that introversion was clearly associated with more loneliness, anxiety and depression during lockdown. I wonder whether thats in part because many introverts cant actually withdraw into solitude when theyrestuck with suite mates or family members. As one introvert joked on Twitter, This quarantine is not our dream come true. We have people in our house who NEVER leave.

But as a study published in January suggests, other traits appear to be more important than extroversion. In particular and rather unsurprisingly neuroticism was strongly correlated with more anxiety and worse depression. People who are worrywarts even in normal times are also at heightened risk of freaking out when a deadly virus is making the rounds.

Openness was also associated with increased anxiety, though not with depression. That surprised me. This trait includes abstract, creative and lateral thinking. Thats why, in last years column, I used Isaac Newton, an introvert who also had an unusually open mind, as an example of somebody who had stunning intellectual breakthroughs in quarantine. By the same token, perhaps, very open minds are also better at imagining all the things that could go wrong.

Being agreeable helped against both anxiety and depression, but not as much as you might think. Its possible Im speculating that agreeability mainly turbo-boosts the positive effects of that aforementioned other trait, extroversion. After all, its no good being a social butterfly, on Zoom or in your dormitory, if youre not also empathetic and kind. Its the quality, not the quantity, of human connections that comforts us in bad times.

The winner on the positive side of the ledger was clear. The more conscientious people were, the less anxious and depressed when stuck at home. This makes sense. People that score highly on this trait are betterat hewing to routines that provide structure during endless days of working or studying remotely. I have a friend who never wore coat and tie in the office, but started dressing up in fancy, and rather eccentric, suits during lockdown. Looking sharp, he ascends every day to his attic to do productive and satisfying work.

Conscientiousness, or what we used to call self-discipline, also helps in every other way. It gets us on the yoga mat day after boring day, corks the wine bottle after the fourthsecond glass, and helps us meet our deadlines on the job, so we can keep it.

What I find uplifting about this research is that there are many individual paths toward resilience. For each trait, were all somewhere on a spectrum. With self-awareness, we can compensate for risk factors neuroticism, say and well be fine. Moreover, we still have recourse to some secret weapons the psychologists forgot to include in their categories. Even (or especially) in a macabre situation like a pandemic, humor is an option.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

To contact the author of this story: Andreas Kluth at akluth1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Nicole Torres at ntorres51@bloomberg.net

Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal.

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The Personality Traits That Make Lockdown Coping Easier - Bloomberg

The General Assemblys Education Committee likely finished up its work for this legislative session and approved a final flurry of bills prior to its April 6, 2021 deadline for approving and advancing bills out of committee. Here is a summary of the bills approved by the Education Committee (which now await action by the full General Assembly).

TUITIONING OUT ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

S.B. No. 1036 (An Act Authorizing Boards Of Education To Pay Tuition To Another Board Of Education For The Purpose Of Enrolling Its Elementary School Students In Such Other School District) would allow a local board of education to pay tuition to another school district for sending its elementary and middle school students to that other school district (in lieu of the sending board operating its own schools for the grade levels involved). Currently, a local board of education that does not maintain a high school has that authority with respect to high school students.

EMERGENCY ACTION PLANS FOR INTERSCHOLASTIC AND INTRAMURAL ATHLETIC EVENTS

H.B. No. 6534 (An Act Concerning Emergency Action Plans For Interscholastic and Intramural Athletic Events) would require each local or regional school district and private school to create (commencing in the 2022-2023 school year) an emergency action plan for responding to serious and life-threatening sports-related injuries that occur during interscholastic or intramural athletic events. Each plan must include, among other things, a listing of the staff responsible for implementing the plan and the procedures to follow when a student sustains a serious sports-related injury (or suffers a cardiac or respiratory emergency). The plan would have to be distributed, posted, reviewed annually, updated as necessary, and rehearsed annually by the staff responsible for implementation.

MINORITY TEACHER RECRUITMENT AND DIVERSITY

S.B. No. 1034 (An Act Concerning Minority Teacher Recruitment And Retention), would require the State Department of Education to 1) establish a minority candidate certification, retention or residency year program, 2) develop a plan to assist school districts in promoting the teaching profession as a career option to students in high school, and 3) develop and require school district personnel responsible for hiring educators to complete a video training module relating to implicit bias and anti-bias in the hiring process (and also include such training as part of the teacher in-service program). The bill would require alliance school districts to partner with the operator of such a residency program for purposes of enrolling minority candidates and placing them in such districts as part of the program; after the successful completion of the program by the candidate, the district may hire such a candidate. Ten percent of any increases in alliance school district funding would be allotted to such minority recruitment and residency programs.

H.B. No. 6620 (An Act Concerning The Right To Read And Addressing Opportunity Gaps And Equity In Public Schools), would require (commencing July 1, 2023) local and regional school districts to implement a reading curriculum model or program for Grades Pre-kindergarten through Five that has been approved by the Center for Literacy Research and Reading Success. The Center for Literacy Research and Reading Success, which is to be established by the State Department of Education, shall approve at least five reading curriculum models or programs to be implemented by districts; such models or programs shall be 1) evidenced and scientifically-based, and 2) focused on competency in the five areas of reading (Phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary development, and reading fluency, including oral skills and reading comprehension). The bill would require districts to notify the State of the model or program that they have selected and allows for waivers from the State. The bill provides that the State Education and Resource Center would provide technical assistance to school districts for professional development and in-service training related to the teaching of black and Latino studies courses.

CURRICULUM AND GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

S.B. No. 1033 (An Act Concerning The Inclusion Of Computer Science And Financial Literacy As Part Of The High School Graduation Requirements), would, as its title suggests, mandate that the nine credit STEM graduation requirement include computer science and at least one credit in financial literacy.

H.B. No. 6619 (An Act Concerning The Development Of A Kindergarten To Eight Grade Model Curriculum), would require the State Department of Education (in collaboration with the State Education Resource Center) by January 1, 2023 to develop a model curriculum for Grades Kindergarten through Eight that may be used by local and regional boards of education.

VIRTUAL LEARNING AND PANDEMIC RELATED ISSUES

S.B. No. 977 (An Act Concerning Virtual Learning) would require the State Department of Education to develop uniform standards for the provision of virtual learning in public schools (including use of virtual learning on days of inclement weather). The bill would also require the Department to conduct a comprehensive audit of the virtual learning programs provided by school districts during the COVID-19 pandemic and to develop guidelines for training educators in the provision of virtual learning through in-service training and professional development programs. The bill provides that virtual learning would count towards annual school session and hour of instruction requirements for school districts.

H.B. No. 6556 (An Act Addressing Issues Created By The COVID-19 Pandemic On Public Education In Connecticut), which was then referred to the Appropriations Committee and would need further action by it before further consideration during this legislative session, would require the State Department of Education to collect and evaluate student performance data on the state-wide mastery examination for the purpose of identifying and measuring the existence and severity of learning loss and student disengagement in public schools as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department would then develop learning loss and student disengagement mitigation strategies for use by school districts (including but not limited to in-school interventions and opportunities for small group instruction, tutoring services for individual or small groups of students, expanded afterschool and summer academic instruction and enrichment programs, and community-based learning pods). In addition, the bill provides that the Department shall provide resources and technical assistance to school districts to extend the school day or school year for the purpose of increasing student learning time and addressing the immediate academic needs of students who have experienced learning loss. The bill would require alliance school districts to offer summer learning programs following the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years in order to mitigate the effects of student learning loss. The Department would establish a grant program to support such programs. The bill provides that for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years, substitute teachers would only be required to hold 1) at least an associate degree if such person will be in the same assignment for more than ten school days, or 2) a high school diploma or its equivalent if such person will be in the same assignment for ten or fewer school days.

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING

H.B. No. 6557 (An Act Concerning Social And Emotional Learning), which was then referred to the Appropriations Committee and would need further action by it before any further consideration during this session, would require each local and regional board of education to administer a universal mental health and resiliency screening to all students for the purpose of identifying students in need of interventions and support, with such screening provided over the next two school years to include a stress and trauma assessment related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill would also require school districts (within available appropriations) to maintain the following staffing ratios for mental health and social-emotional support staff: 1) At least one school counselor, social worker, and family therapist for every 250 students in the district, 2) at least one school psychologist for every 500 students in the district, and 3) a paraeducator to student ratio recommended by a nationally recognized organization with expertise in paraeducator effectiveness. The bill would require each school district to develop and implement a comprehensive school counseling program, in accordance with state guidelines and provide proactive social-emotional instruction to develop student competencies in self-awareness, self-regulation, social awareness, relationship skills and decision-making skills.

The bill would require the State Department of Education to establish a state-wide social-emotional support program that provides support and assistance to school districts for mental health, social-emotional, behavioral support, trauma support and special education programs and services. The bill would also require the Department to develop student social-emotional learning standards for Grades Four through Twelve. Additionally, the bill would require the Social Emotional Learning and School Climate Advisory Collaborative to convene a working group to review and make recommendations regarding the state bullying/school climates statutes and the inclusion of restorative practices in safe school climate plans, along with providing technical assistance and support to school districts in adopting and implementing the Connecticut Model School Climate Policy.

The bill would require that mandatory memoranda of understanding for school districts with school resource officer (SRO) programs include a provision that requires SROs to complete the same social-emotional learning and restorative practices training provided to the teachers and administrators of the school. The bill would additionally require that the principles and practices of social-emotional learning and restorative practices be integrated throughout the components of teacher professional development plans and programs; the statement of educational goals of school districts would need to include goals for such integration of principles and practices of social-emotional learning and restorative practices.

H.B. No. 6399 (An Act Concerning The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Youth Risk Behavior Survey) would require the Department of Public Health to administer the Connecticut School Health Survey to students in Grades Nine through Twelve, provided that the Department receives funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for such purpose. The survey shall be based on the Youth Risk Behavior Survey developed by the CDC and administered to students in those high schools randomly selected by the CDC. The Department would provide guidelines (including on matters of student privacy and parental consent) for districts regarding the administration of the survey.

Stay tuned for more.

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Opinion

Time is a strange thing. Einstein theorized that it is relative and, speaking for myself, this has never been truer than during the last year. Somehow the perception of time has been distorted in a way that recent events seem like forever ago, while something that happened years before somehow feels like it happened just last week. Strange times indeed.

On a daily basis, this pandemic-induced ebb and flow of moments and hours can throw us for a loop. Somehow an hour can appear to linger forever, while we simultaneously ask ourselves where did all the time go? For me, this is partly caused by a lack of familiar structures and routines that I spent a lifetime developing. As a result, it has become harder and harder for me to truly experience the now; To be fully immersed in an activity, be it work or recreation. It has become a challenge for me to be lost in the moment where I forget the world around me while being enthralled in an activity or thought.

But even without the added social complications of continued lockdowns we continuously struggle to hold on to our temporary experiences. After all, we live in an age where social media or other forms of digital entertainment encourage us to remove ourselves from our own present existence, either through a friends post or a click on the find out more button. Even while writing this column, I am constantly tempted to check my emails or to read up on the news. Something could be happening somewhere in this world that might be more interesting than what I am doing at this very moment. But dont worry, I decided to mentally stay with you for a while longer.

The concept of being more present in the now is not a new idea in psychology. Mindfulness practices have become popular tools for many, be it through meditation, yoga or other mental exercises. All of these methods try to engage us fully with our current experiences. Their aim is to separate us from habitual responses, such as mindlessly watching TV or surfing Facebook, and to bring us more into the current moment. We are so here, so engaged with what is currently happening, that we forget that we are actually separate from it. That experience is also often referred to as flow. The term flow was first coined in the 1970s by psychologist Dr. Mihaly Chentmihalyi while he was studying why people would give up material goods for the elusive experience of performing enjoyable acts. He focused on what it meant to be in the zone as opposed to being zoned out. He himself described flow as being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement and thought follow inevitably from the previous one, like playing Jazz.

There are many ways to describe flow, but ultimately one can distill the experience into the following core elements:

1) Concentration is focused and grounded in the present moment.

2) Action and awareness are merged

3) A loss of reflective self-consciousness

4) Ones subjective experience of time is altered

5) An experience of the activity as intrinsically rewarding

In theory, these all sound like wonderful states of mind. In practise they can provide a deep satisfaction with a present moment. I am sure we have all been there: We are so lost in an activity (usually an enjoyable one) that we forget what time it is. Before we knew it, hours have passed, and we didnt even notice. We were truly absorbed by the now.

Wouldnt it be great if we could produce this experience on demand? I believe that board games can be a perfect starting point for flow. By default, playing a good game checks all the basics: They encourage us to focus on the present moment, they make us forget about ourselves and they reward us with a built-in experience. I would even go one step further and say that most games are created in order for us to experience flow. That is their whole point. They help us to focus our minds on the strategies at hand, or on the faces of the people we are playing with (focus in the present moment), and last but not least they provide fun (intrinsically rewarding). In addition, most board game enthusiasts will probably tell you that they dont really care if they win or lose. They just enjoy playing which brings us full circle to Chentmihalyis notion of doing an activity for its own sake.

We all have a part of our brain that is dedicated to self-awareness and thoughts about ourselves. That part can be particularly strong in circumstances of boredom, stress, worry or anxiety. On the flip side, it can be quieted when we concentrate on a task. I cant think of a better way to ground myself in the present moment than by pondering my next move during an enjoyable game with friends or family.

Usually, I end this column with some suggestions of specific games I recommend. This time I encourage you to pick up any game and to simply enjoy the experience for the sake of the experience.

As they say: Time flies when you are having fun.

Olaf Pyttlik is a Winnipeg board-game enthusiast and co-owner of Across the Board Game Caf. In a regular column, he looks at the renaissance of board games and shares games ideas for families and friends of all ages. Email him at olaf@acrosstheboardcafe.com.

Olaf Pyttlik Board Game Columnist

Olaf Pyttlik is a Winnipeg board game enthusiast and co-owner of Across the Board Game Cafe.

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Read more here:
Lose yourself in the moment - Winnipeg Free Press

Small businesses have spent more than a year adapting to the many challenges of operating during a pandemic. Thanks to increased vaccination rates, many businesses arereopening and many employees are looking to return to the office. But while the future may be more normal, it won't be the old normal.

In Wednesday's Small Business Week Town Hall, business leaders discussed how companies can survive and flourish in the post-pandemic future. The session was moderated by Inc.executive editor Marli Guzzetta. Panelists included Jessica Johnson-Cope, Johnson Security Bureau CEO and president; Alejandro Velez, the co-founder and co-CEO of Back to the Roots;and Natalie Kaddas, the CEO of Kaddas Enterprises and vice chair of the Small Business Council. Here's a roundup of some of the takeawaysfrom the session.

The panelists agreed that there will be a greater emphasis on occupational health and safety and offices reopen. "As a manufacturer, what we are really focused on is taking care of our employees. We've always focused on occupational safety, but how we've taken that to another level has been really important for our engagement," said Kaddas.

The CEOs anticipatedincreased investments by workplaces in Covid-safe technology, such as robotics, biometrics, and health security.

"Our clients are asking us to help them comply with their safety protocols, especially as they apply to Covid," said Johnson-Cope. She said that the pandemic created ample opportunities in the health security space for her company, and she believed that would continue for the next 18 to 24 months at least. Johnson Security Bureau worked with local hospitals in New York City, for example, to provide security for hospital visitors and patients, as well as Covid testing and vaccination sites.

Johnson-Cope said she's seen established technology, such as biometrics and camera access control systems, be repurposed for securityduring the pandemic.

Her company anticipates that the increased reliance on health security will occur on a greater scale. "As a result, they'll use less of the human element and more of the technology element," said Jonshon-Cope.

The pandemic may have changed the nature of the work some businesses do. Businesses may now find that they have to recruit new workers with new skills, or "upskill" their current workforce. The panelistscautioned that it's best to do a mix of both in order to scale your workforce.

"Say everyone is driving defensively. Who is going to drive offense? So we have to drive offense and defense when it comes to our workforce,"said Johnson-Cope. "We do have to hire to promote from within, but we have so many new opportunities that the staff we have is not going to be sufficient. So we have to find new recruiting partners, new recruiting sources, and they're going to have a different set of skills, moving beyond Covid, than they did before the pandemic."

Doors that were previously closed may now be open for small businesses. Large oldercorporations may now be looking for opportunities to increase diversity intheir ranks, be more environmentally conscious, or invest in their local communities.

"I think there areopportunities for small businesses and large businesses alike. I think there's just overall more self-awareness. Industries that are traditionally very old-school and have been really difficult to break into. Now's a good time to break into those industries," saidVelez.

See the article here:
Small Business Week Town Hall: 3 Ways to Thrive in the New Normal - Inc.

BILLERICA The return of spring sports has meant different things to different people, but perhaps most of all, it has meant to a return to at least a semblance of normalcy for the athletes and coaches that missed out on competing last spring due to the pandemic. For Shawsheen Tech Girls Lacrosse coach Alex OReilly, that may have been the best part about stepping back onto the field with her team for the first time in two years.

(Assistant coach) Heather (McLaughlin) and I were talking about that. This is the first time we have felt normal in a year, OReilly said. Especially when last year we felt like there was just going to be a two-week delay, but we never were able to get out there. I was so horrified that it could happen again, so we were so happy to actually get back out there.

They should be happy, especially with the amount of success they have had as a team in recent years, including in 2019 when they posted a 13-6 overall record and finished in second place in the CAC. Prior to that, the Rams had won three consecutive league titles, and in 2019, they also won their third straight state vocational championship.

Of course, a lot has changed since that 2019 season, with two different sets of seniors having graduated since the last time the Rams took the field. The Rams do return four players from that 2019 squad, but the remaining players are all new to the program, making for a challenging preseason for OReilly and McLaughlin.

We ended up having a full week of tryouts last week, which we never do, OReilly said. Heather and I usually only need a couple of days to figure out the varsity and JV players. But because we had only four returning varsity players it was so different. We knew those four, but the other kids, we had no idea. We needed five full days, with two hours each day in order to pick the teams.

The Rams will rely heavily on those four returning players, perhaps none more so than senior goalie Jenna Johnson. Johnson takes over in net for 2019 graduate Julia Ryan of Wilmington, who had an outstanding career as a three-year starter for the Rams. OReilly believes that Johnsons tutelage under Ryan will help her find her own success.

Jenna is just a phenomenal goalie. She learned how to play from Julia and theres not a better person she could have learned from OReilly said. Julia was a little more quiet in her leadership, where Jenna is more vocal, but they are both equally intense.

Midfielder Devin Sweeney and defender Sarah Comeau are two other returning seniors who OReilly is counting on this season.

Devin is an incredibly talented and hard working athlete. She was able to get in two club seasons since the last time we played. She is going to have a great season OReilly said. Sarah has really grown into a standout athlete. Her sense of space and self awareness has improved dramatically and she is very promising.

The fourth senior leading the way for the Rams will be Rachael Halas, who will start at one of the attack positions.

Rachael is very fast and a very good athlete, OReilly said. Her regular position Is attack, but she can also fill in at midfield. She is ready for anything.

The Rams should have a fifth senior to go along with the players mentioned above, but Amanda Howell of Wilmington will be forced to miss the season due to a torn ACL. It is the second torn ACL of Howells career. The veteran midfielder, however, is not letting that stop her from helping out OReilly and the Rams get ready for the season.

Amanda is still very much a part of our team, OReilly said. She is at every single practice, and she organized the preseason workouts for the team. She is still one of the leaders of this team, even if she is not playing.

Several Tewksbury residents will also be helping the Rams get into the win column this season, with junior defenders Gabby Ortiz and Darielle Wilson being two of the most prominent in their role as the last line of defense before Johnson.

They are the dynamic duo, OReilly said. Gabby is a very promising defender and we are expecting a big season from her. Darielle is great on defense. She played for Heather her freshman year at JV, and then missed out on her sophomore year. Both of them play low defense, so they will be a huge help for Jenna this season.

Sophomore attack Mikayla Melanson and junior midfielder/attack Ashley Talbot will be looking to make their mark with the team.

I met Mikayla in seventh grade when she played in the youth league. She is fast, and quick with her stick. She missed out on her freshman year, but she is very impressive for a first year, OReilly said. Ashley is awesome. She is very much like her sister Alesha who played for us, in that she is very fast and very intense. But she is also her own player. She will leave her mark on this program. She has improved immensely and we are really excited to have her.

Junior defender Kasey McFadden and sophomore midfielder Kylie McFadden will form a dynamic duo of their own, with each player bringing their own unique set of skills to the Rams.

Kasey is a very strong defender. She played for Heather as a freshman at JV. She is very vocal on defense, and has an awesome bubbly personality, OReilly said. Kylie is very fast. She is new to high school lacrosse, but she played club lacrosse for years, and she knows how to play the game.

With all of their success in recent years, it is only natural that expectations are high once again for the Rams. But OReilly has slightly different goals for her team this season.

I think we are definitely capable of winning the league, but that is not our focus this year, OReilly said. In speaking with the girls at the beginning of the season, we always talk about our goals for the season and normally we talk about winning the league or winning the vocational title, and carrying on the success of the past.

But this year, the biggest thing they talked about was just having a season and having a team family. Winning doesnt even matter. We just want to get out there and have fun. That is the most important thing. We would love to win as well, but right now we are just happy to be out there having a season, and especially being able to give our seniors a season.

See the original post here:
Coach, players, thrilled to be back on the lacrosse fields - Tewksbury town crier

The Australian Defence Force has faced a reckoning in the past few months. First came the shocking Brereton report exposing alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan.

Then, in recent weeks, other critical issues have surfaced requiring urgent attention, from the royal commission investigating veteran suicides to a vigorous debate over the very function of the ADF itself in todays society.

As we prepare to withdraw our forces from the Afghan conflict without any consensus on the wars outcomes, the ADF is potentially at a crossroads.

Not only are questions being raised about its culture, there appears to be a struggle underway about its identity and purpose, as well.

A century ago, war correspondent and historian Charles Bean gave form to the idea that:

Anzac stood, and still stands, for reckless valour in a good cause, for enterprise, resourcefulness, fidelity, comradeship, and endurance that will never own defeat.

It has been a useful myth, and one that Australian soldiers continue to draw on in terms of their self-awareness and self-identity. It has also promoted civilian understanding of the potential sacrifice that lies at the heart of the ADFs service ethos.

But it has clear limitations in the modern context of war fighting, among them:

no awareness of the highly technical realities of modern warfare

little recognition of women, whose technical and counterintelligence capabilities are of equal or greater importance than men in some specific military roles

an emphasis on the mythic bonds of (primarily Anglo-Celtic) mateship forged through combat, turning men into marble statues devoid of human frailty.

The Brereton report has provided an opportunity for the ADF to rethink its core values and what it stands for. And it must keep in mind that in the age of social media, it is hard to hide or forgive a shadowy side of any institution which holds public trust.

Chief of Defence General Angus Campbell showed in his pained response to Brereton that our military is no different to any other institution in this regard. It needs social trust including the trust of those young people who are the only source of its future human capital.

This doesnt mean the military needs to be more woke, to borrow a phrase from Liberal backbencher and former soldier Phillip Thompson. It means corporate, political and educational leaders ignore changing social expectations at their peril.

Behaviour once able to be brushed under the carpet or brushed off as a joke is now a potential career killer, as social trust (and economic capital) flows away from institutions and their leaders who are deemed to be out of step with social mores.

Read more: Why Australian commanders need to be held responsible for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan

Young Australians may still come out for ANZAC Day marches, but they are equally if not more passionate about the Black Lives Matter movement and the struggle for gender equality. And theyll judge the military by how responsive it is to these and other social issues.

As Assistant Defence Minister Andrew Hastie reminded us last month, the militarys core task is using lethal violence in the national interest. Hasties emphasis on the application of lethal violence should not be discounted: it represents the sharp end of military capability.

In the end, though, the ADFs greatest asset is its people. For the best and brightest to be attracted to military service, the application of lethal violence must also be lawful and the ethical case for using such violence well understood.

The public also sees the role of the ADF as going beyond war fighting. Here, recent contributions made by defence personnel in the pandemic, alongside bushfire and flood recoveries, have promoted productive layers of community engagement.

As the ADF has drawn on the wide skill set offered by part-time, reserve personnel supported by defence logistics and command structure civilians have seen the military working on the ground as engineers, doctors, nurses and in other professions ranging from arborists to veterinarians.

Successive reviews of military culture make clear the challenges. To ensure its capability, the ADF needs to stay focused, relevant and off the front pages of the papers by addressing poor cultural practice.

It seems reasonable to assume the ADF perhaps our most valued national brand has the capacity to take the lead in good cultural practice. It did so in owning and then building on the recommendations of the Broderick reviews into the treatment of women in the military.

While far from uniformly popular among service personnel, this put the ADF ahead of society at a time when it threatened to fall badly behind.

Indeed, one of the unresolved questions from the Broderick reviews - the extent to which the Australian Defence Force Academy reflected university culture in terms of its treatment of women - fostered a conversation that led, indirectly, to the Australian Human Rights Commissions Change the Course report on sexual harassment on campus.

Vice chancellors and generals alike now find themselves accountable for ensuring a respectful culture for women across the country.

Read more: Changing the culture of our SAS forces is no easy fix. Instead, we need to face the true costs of war

There is no reason why defence cannot lead future discussions on good practice in all its facets, from war fighting to leadership training.

The Brereton report showed the ADF is willing to subject itself to public scrutiny, and to be judged by the standards it demands of our men and women in uniform. With proper sensitivity towards the effects on our service personnel, we need an honest, open discussion, leading to honest conclusions, about our military conduct in Afghanistan.

We must also examine what we need to do better to train, support and supervise our troops.

For the ADF to focus on its primary mission of war fighting, it needs strong morale among its troops. For that, it needs the goodwill of the nation.

Any misalignment of defence values with societal expectations could lead to an eventual dead end in promoting, recruiting and maintaining a cultural identity without parallel in Australian society.

Read more: Crowds at dawn services have plummeted in recent years. It's time to reinvent Anzac Day

Some years ago, when addressing a group of ADFA recruits, I was challenged by an officer cadet who claimed the Broderick review team risked turning the Army into the boy scouts.

His inference, I assume, was that by addressing a toxic culture in which women were at times objectified and mistreated, we ran the risk of destroying a culture of masculine aggression and fraternity needed in combat.

My response was, above all, that Australia needed its defence forces to maintain their war-fighting capability. To do that, the country needed a great deal of trust, and clarity, around what is required morally and culturally of those who are tasked with carrying out lawful violence in our name.

In an age in which individualism is so highly promoted and prized, clarity of expectation and role within the ADF is more important than ever.

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'Fit for service': Why the ADF needs to move with society to retain the public trust - The Conversation AU

One of the most difficult things for someone to do in exceptional times is to look objectively at the present while reconciling the future they want with the lingering past. It's a challenge in so many areas of our lives that it's easy to get overwhelmed with the prospect of change, and it's easy to get dismayed by the pace. Sometimes it's a slog.

With each passing election, we're left wondering what's in it for us? How will the issues and candidates on the ballot affect our daily lives? For a multitude of reasons, the answers haven't resonated during municipal elections as they shouldthe odd-numbered years that most people call "off-year" elections, like 2021.

For those of us who engage in a new election every six months, there's no such thing as an "off-year." And in an ideal world, there would be no off-year for voters either. That's because the issues and candidates on the ballot in our odd-year elections have a much bigger impact on our daily lives than those we send to Harrisburg or Washington D.C.

This year, we'll elect a new county executive, and we'll elect and re-elect mayors, council people, township supervisors, school board members, and a host of often forgotten offices such as tax collectors, auditors, and constables in every community in Erie County.

I'll ask as I have asked before in this column, that we the voters do our homework to really know the people on your ballot. Sample ballots for every precinct in Erie County are available on the county's website at eriecountypa.gov.. Don't rely on familiar family names or attachments to nostalgic political brands. That's the politics of the past, and most assuredly will keep us tethered to that past, unable to break forward to a new future.

In the first half of the 20th century, that old way of voting could land you a job or a political appointment, or perhaps better treatment when you needed something. But in the first half of the 21st century, that kind of political patronage is all but dead. It's the stuff of legend, forever being chased by the leftover power-brokering wannabes with less to give than they have to gain.

Last year, as we fought to preserve our democracy and wrapped ourselves in (small "d") democratic values, it was also clear that character for most voters, regardless of party was the primary issue on the ballot. In that case, the good guys (so to speak) won. But it doesn't end there. For people with their hearts and minds on our future, character will always be on the ballot. We have important choices to make for the future of Erie County.

That's why I'm joining Erie County Sheriff John Loomis in supporting Chris Campanelli for sheriff. I hope you will too.

Mr. Campanelli is a proven leader in the Erie County Sheriff's Department and, he has served as a member of Sheriff Loomis' command staff for the past seven years, demonstrating trust and fidelity that has been the hallmark of his 25-year career. He understands the challenges we face and, as Sheriff Loomis affirms, Mr. Campanelli has the values and the temperament to lead us through challenging times. He's not political. He's just professional.

Mr. Campanelli's primary opponent, Anthony Sanfilippo, was recently discovered to have shared, liked, commented on, and espoused un-Democratic and bigoted sentiments on social media. In posts as recent as last September, Sanfilippo made disparaging remarks about organizations that support the victims of police brutality, and previously he expressed contempt for Presidents Obama and Biden with statements and images, including some of the same Republican symbols seen at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, in multiple posts and as his profile picture. Showing he has not changed in his perspectives, he continued to support anti-Democratic and racist social media posts several times last summer, and right through to Jan. 6 which portrayed the insurrectionists as better behaved than those marching for racial justice. His disdain for the Black Lives Matter movement is crystal clear.

Perhaps most dismaying was the liking of memes that pitted law enforcement against those marching for justice by referring to their "dying homeboys" while the police "finish their coffee." It was a statement shrouded in racism and a profound display of derogatory arrogance toward the existential dilemma we face as a society. Quite frankly, it's the kind of sentiment I have come to expect from Republican candidates. It can't be the public profile of a representative of the Democratic Party, particularly one who wishes to lead our county's law enforcement.

Since these memes and posts were discovered, Mr. Campanelli's opponent issued a public apology on Facebook in which he claims to have moved on from these recently held ideals. But his timing points to a concern for political expediency on his part to salvage his campaign, not of self-awareness and growth. This national cultural moment demands more and so should the people of Erie.

While no one should claim to be perfect, and I certainly don't believe in litmus tests of any kind, Mr. Campanelli has openly acknowledged the injustice of systemic racism and the inherent bias of humans no matter their station in life or political persuasion.

In times like these, in a race like this, and the other options before you, that's a pretty good start toward pushing Erie toward a new politics and realizing the purpose of what Frederick Douglass called "a Government founded upon justice."

Our municipal primary is on May 18. If you're not registered to vote or you would like to vote early, you can do so in Room 112 at the Erie County Courthouse or you can register to vote and apply for a mail ballot at VotesPA.com.

Don't leave your voice out of this important conversation.

Jim Wertz is a Contributing Editor and the chairman of the Erie County Democratic Party. He can be reached at jWertz@ErieReader.comor you can follow him on Twitter @jim_wertz.

Continue reading here:
Erie at Large: Prejudice and the Old Politics - Erie Reader

If the global pandemichas had one silver lining, it might be the realization among leaders at all levels that anxiety is a real business issue.

They were home with family, feeling isolated, and struggling to stay connected with their teams. As their level of anxiety rose, many experienced a realization that mental well-being is a real concern.

Anxiety levels are rising like nothing we've seen before. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by mid-2020 more than 30 percent of Americans were reporting symptoms of an anxiety disorder, including a whopping 42 percent of people in their 20s.

In their new book,Anxiety at Work: 8 Strategies to Build Resilience, Handle Uncertainty, & Get Stuff Done, New York Times bestselling authors Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton address this issue for anyone who runs a team. They dispel a number of pernicious myths -- for example, that anxiety-ridden people are less productive, and that those who are suffering from anxiety should avoid stressful situations. They then offer managers a set of simple practices that can help alleviate the anxiety of team members, nurture their resilience, and foster productivity.

Irecently caught up with thetwoauthors, who shared a few of the steps fromAnxiety at Workthat willhelp leaders become better at building mentally healthy workplaces.

Few things generate more unknowns than our modern workplaces. And the biggest unknown of all: whether our jobs will last.

While some leaders believe uncertainty and the resulting stress will get their people fired up for a challenge, that's simply not the case for a large portion of the workforce. Uncertainty often triggers detrimental consequences on performance. And uncertainty is intensified when managers at all levels don't communicate clearly, precisely, and consistently about challenges facing their organizations--and how those issues may affect their teams and their people.

What managers can do is communicate clearly and regularly about the future vision of the company, what they know of challenges and what the organization is doing to address them, and especially how those issues may impact their team and their priorities.

According to the authors, perfectionism is becoming rampant in workplaces; and what makes it so toxic is that while those in its grip desire success, they are most focused on avoiding failure. In other words, they believe acceptance is conditional on their flawless performance.

Managers can do a lot to ease the tensions caused by perfectionism by giving those with this inclination the right jobs on the team (tasks with a narrower focus that are suited totheir fastidiousness) and by helping them understand when a job is good enough and giving them explicit permission to move on.

This also involves increasing people's self-awareness and helping them see how obsessive behavior negatively affects others, and even pairing them with reformed perfectionists who can serve as role models.

More than seven out of every 10 workers say they have experienced some degree of exclusion in their teams, and that was even before the coronavirus pandemicisolated so many, state the authors.

Exclusion in the workplace can have long-term psychological implications. How are managers supposed to see what's not happening--especially when so many are still working from home?

Gostick and Elton say they must look carefully for snubs and omissions, for those who may be feeling left out. It's not just who doesn't get lunch invites, but who in team meetings is regularly cut off or disagreed with.

They can also ensure that all team members can voice their opinions in meetings and have their voices heard in a calm, organized manner; buddy up new hires with more seasoned employees with whom they might form a connection (friendly seasoned employees, that is); and spend time in every meeting recognizing the contributions of individuals as well as those of the group as a whole.

One of the worst parts of anxiety is that it can make competent people feel insecure and start questioning their inner strengths. Many high-performing people constantly doubt themselves and their abilities. And yet too few leaders express gratitude to their people about work well done.

The authors offer several tips to help. For instance, generic comments around the workplace such as "great work" have never cut it, especially when it comes to reassuring anxious team members.

Employees hear such nonspecific praise and tend to dismiss it, especially those who may be feeling self-doubt. Instead, grateful leaders home in on a particular aspect of achievement or manner in which a person is going about their work.

In addition, to help quell anxious feelings, they say gratitude should occur soon after an achievement. When team members do something above and beyond and then hear nothing from their manager for days or weeks, they can start to worry. And frankly, in 99 percent of cases, when managers put it off, they forget.

If leaders want to reinforce the right behaviors and reduce anxiety levels, they should keep gratitude close to the action--soon after they see good things happening.

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

Link:
If You're Doing These 4 Things to Reduce Anxiety at Work, You're a Better Leader Than You Think - Inc.