I have had a lot of topics that have been taking up space in my brain this week. They all range from current health events, to stress management, to workplace culture, and of course delicious food. Check out these six things that might make life a little easier right now.
Clean your hands often
This is one easy thing that we can do to help with the current hype about the Coronavirus and more importantly the Influenza A/B and other illnesses this time of year.
Wash your hands with warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds. Do this often, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing, or being in a public area. Definitely do this before touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Hand sanitizer will work too. Make sure it contains at least 60% alcohol and use enough to cover all surfaces of your hands. Rub your hands together until they feel dry.
Teladoc
There are two reasons
Teladoc is on my mind. First, if you are showing signs of an illness it’s better right now to call your doctor first. Let’s not spread more germs around than necessary by all rushing to a confined space like urgent care or the emergency room.
Second, it really is a great resource. My family was traveling two weeks ago and unfortunately the majority of us got sick. Since we were out of our network, it was extremely convenient and much more cost effective to conduct our appointments with Teledoc.
Talking to the doctor with a feverish baby sleeping on my lap while sitting next to a pool sure beats sitting in a waiting room at urgent care for an extended period of time.
Breathing Exercises
The constant chatter about COVID-19 seems like it has people either panicking or has people frustrated that people are panicking. This general escalation of emotion has led to the feeling of a lot of increased stress. Too much stress can lead to unproductivity and illogical thinking…let’s not go there.
There are multiple things that we can do as stress relief techniques. One easy one, is something we do all day long without thinking about it, breathing. The key difference, is bringing awareness to it.
Try devoting just one minute to focus on breathing. Pull a big breath of air in to fill your lungs and your belly. Hold it there for a moment. Tthen slowly force it back out. Repeat this, and non-judgementally make observations about what it feels like to experience the air moving through your respiratory system, about what your body feels like, etc. After doing this, you should feel some relief from stress. If not, do it again or seek a healthy way that will allow you to get some relief. We’ve got this folks. Let’s stay cool, calm, and collected.
Speakfully
As I grow in my career and get to know more about different businesses, I am increasingly surprised to hear about the amount of toxicity present. It’s sad, it really is. We spend so many hours of our day at work. You should be able to do your work and not worry about doing mental acrobatics around your interactions with the people you work with.
If you ever find yourself in a situation where you are being mistreated your Human Resources department is going to want documentation of the instances that have occurred. For many, knowing what exactly needs to be documented doesn’t come easily.
Speakfully is an online platform that offers a free resource to help you document and when you are ready, send your information in a tidy little package to your HR representative. This helps both you and HR team.
Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
In his
book, former FBI Negotiator Chris Voss breaks down the art of negotiating tactics in ways that are applicable to everyday life. When it comes negotiating salary for a new job, getting your kids to follow your directions, to working your way into a better price at the auto dealer, Voss proposes the simple tactics that will allow for you to remain in control of the situation and get you the outcome you want.
As a person who is inherently timid when it comes to negotiating, this book gave me some confidence. I successfully got my husband to start unloading the dishwasher every night by using what I learned in this book…shhhh don’t tell him but he thinks he came up with the idea.
Shrimp Tacos
I absolutely love shrimp tacos! I found this recipe and it’s so far the best, easy homemade recipe I have found. Bon Appetite!
Shrimp Tacos w/ Corn-Black Bean Salsa
|Prep Time: 15m |Cook Time: 15m | Total: 30m |
Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 2 tsp olive oil, divided
- 1.5 cup black beans, rinsed
- 5 Tbsp fresh salsa
- 1 lb peeled and deveined, large raw shrimp
- 2 tsp taco seasoning mix
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1 avocado, sliced
Cook corn in 1 tsp hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 4-5 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in beans and salsa; cook until thoroughly heated. Meanwhile, toss shrimp with seasoning mix, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Cook shrimp in 1 tsp hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 2-3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Divide shrimp among tortillas. Top with corn mixture and avocado.
|Servings: 4 | Calories: 424 | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Protein: 24g | Carbohydrates: 50g | Fiber: 11g | Sodium: 622g |