“I was a little excited but mostly blorft. 'Blorft' is an adjective I just made up that means 'Completely overwhelmed but proceeding as if everything is fine and reacting to the stress with the torpor of a possum.' I have been blorft every day for the past seven years.”    ~Tina Fey, Bossypants

Stress has become the new status quo for many people and even entire populations.

Handling daily fatigue is naturally a huge concern. The skyrocketing number of prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications like Xanax is a strong indicator; so is the massive spike in cases of anti-anxiety prescription abuse [...]

Have you ever wondered why some people have knee-jerk reactions while others chill and think before they act? Do you get stressed and overwhelmed by too many demands with too little time? Or emotionally deflated for days when receiving disappointing news?

One of the best remedies for stress is resilience!

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

You were probably reminded to say “thank you” from a very young age. It's part of social etiquette. Gratitude is a long-standing ritual.

Those two words have become so commonplace that their meaning is often lost. “Thank you” can become a mindless, rote response. That is especially ironic considering the word "thank" can be traced way back to the Old English word for “to think” or “thought.”

The power of gratitude is all about the mind and being mindfully grateful.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Sibling rivalry is practically guaranteed as soon as a family has more than one child. But that doesn't make it any easier to handle or any less frustrating for parents! Most parents have a very different ideal home life in mind.

When brothers and sisters fight and argue, the entire family dynamic is rocked. Arguments at home can easily spill into each family member’s work or social life. Strife can make a happy, healthy family life seem like an unattainable dream. In extreme circumstances, it can even lead to enduring psychological or physical pains. This dynamic often leaves parents [...]

Psychology Today has this to say about stress. "Stress generally refers to two things: the psychological perception of pressure, on the one hand, and the body's response to it... Lifesaving as the stress response was meant to solve short-term, life-threatening problems, not extended difficulties ... Prolonged or repeated arousal of the stress response, a characteristic of modern life, can have harmful physical and psychological effects."

However, it is the perception of a threat by you and your child that determines whether or not a cascade of survival chemicals is triggered and dumped into [...]

Temperament: ten unique traits. Do you know your child's temperament?

Temperament is a lot like wrapping paper. The traits come in many colors and designs, in a multitude of hues and intensities. They are as different as the multitude of autumn leaves with varying tones and colors. Knowing our child’s unique temperament and the interaction of traits, parents are armed with a critical tool to parent more consciously and increase family ease and fun. 

Are your shoulders and necks getting tense? This stress is especially true for those who spend a lot of time on the computer. Many of us get tense in the shoulders, neck, and jaw—nine-to-fivers and mom entrepreneurs alike. Whether you are in an office at a desk or running errands, everyday activities like texting, driving, or even sleeping can contribute to a stiff neck. When was the last time you really stretched your fingers and forearms?

Related reading time: 4 minutes

Evaluating employees is a workplace standard that has been used for decades. At this point, it’s routine; unfortunately, it's a practice that has become rote. Business is drastically changing, and the old way of doing employee evaluations is outdated! Just look at the prevalence of startups, unconventional office spaces, and even workplace yoga.

Mindfulness is one of the fastest-growing interests in the business sphere. Now it is changing employee evaluations and feedback, too. When that inevitable, and admittedly often awkward, time of year comes around for discussing employees' [...]

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes