Welcome to the Sweet Success Blog!!

Sweet Success is all about achieving a healthy lifestyle by making small steps in your daily life. I will post tips on living a healthy life, recipes, updates on what we do at the Kearney Hub to stay healthy and personal stories about my own journey to living a healthy life.

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This month is all about stress management at the Hub. Whether you’re trying to balance work and family or feeling overwhelmed with a busy schedule, there are ways to manage the stress in your life!

Yesterday, Brenda Envick and Linda Shaw, therapists from the University of Nebraska at Kearney Counseling and Health Care Center, came to the Hub to talk about stress management and led us in a very relaxing meditation session.

Linda talked a lot about job satisfaction and how to make work more rewarding. I’m sure everyone has had job burnout at some point, whether it’s from not having enough control at work or having a mismatch in values from your employer or a number of other reasons. Do you lack energy to be consistently productive? Do you feel disillusioned about your job? These are symptoms of job burnout. Luckily, there is something you can do!

Say no! Saying no allows you to honor your existing obligations, Linda said.

Linda also suggested thinking about what motivates and inspires you. Think about how you felt when you first started your job and what made you excited about it. Also think about why you work. With the economy, you may not be able to change jobs. By trying to change how you think about your job may improve your job satisfaction.

Brenda said taking even five minutes a day to close your eyes and focus on your breathing is beneficial. Increasing the amount of oxygen in your body creates a calming effect, she said.

Inhale while counting to five slowly. Let the breath out while counting to five slowly. Repeat five times. Continue to breath slowly while imagining relaxing at a beach or at home under the covers.

This was seriously relaxing in the middle of a hectic workday! Who cares if you look a little odd sitting at your desk breathing deeply with your eyes closed. It’s for your health and sanity!

Sara