Are you ready to eat turkey, ham, dressing & all the other fixings?
Your Career Health and Happiness
Happy people—those who experience positive emotions most of the time—are healthier, show more resilience, and live longer. Similar benefits occur in the workplace as well. Research has shown that happy employees earn more money, are better performers, and are more helpful than their unhappy counterparts. According to Psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky, 50% of your happiness is genetically predetermined, 40% relates to your outlook, and a mere 10% is due to your unique life circumstances. While you may not be able to change your genetics, your outlook and life circumstances are adaptable.
Here are some strategies to boost your happiness at work:
Invest in personal development
Pursue additional certifications, continuing education, or job roles that will help you further develop your skills. Personal development often leads to new opportunities and options that can have a positive impact on your happiness.
Use your strengths
Find new ways to use your unique skills and strengths every day.
Research has shown that using your strengths can boost your happiness.
Express gratitude
Say ‘thank you’ often to make sure your peers and colleagues know
you appreciate them. Kindness is contagious and can improve office
culture dramatically.
Rest and recharge
Take periodic breaks throughout the day and get enough sleep at night to
ensure you are functioning at your best. When you are well-rested, you are a
better communicator and problem-solver.
Surround yourself with happy people
Having happy friends and family members appears to be an even better
predictor of happiness than the amount of money you earn.
Assess Your Stress Level
The Perceived Stress Assessment measures your perceived stress about your personal life circumstances. As you read each of the questions below, consider your feelings and thoughts over the past month, using the following:
RATING SCALE:
0 = Never
1 = Almost Never
2 = Sometimes
3 = Fairly Often
4 = Very Often
1. In the last month, how often have you been upset because of something that happened unexpectedly?
0 1 2 3 4
2. In the last month, how often have you felt that you were unable to control the important things in your life?
0 1 2 3 4
3. In the last month, how often have you felt nervous and “stressed”?
0 1 2 3 4
4. In the last month, how often have you felt confident about your ability to handle your personal problems?
0 1 2 3 4
5. In the last month, how often have you felt that things were going your way?
0 1 2 3 4
6. In the last month, how often have you found that you could not cope with all the things that you had to do?
0 1 2 3 4
7. In the last month, how often have you been able to control irritations in your life?
0 1 2 3 4
8. In the last month, how often have you felt that you were on top of things?
0 1 2 3 4
9. In the last month, how often have you been angered because of things that were outside of your control?
0 1 2 3 4
10. In the last month, how often have you felt difficulties were piling up so high that you could not overcome them?
0 1 2 3 4
Scoring
Reverse your scores for questions 4, 5, 7, and 8. For example: 0 = 4, 1 = 3, 2 = 2, 3 = 1, 4 = 0.
Add up your scores for each item to get a total:
• Scores ranging from 0-13 indicate low stress.
• Scores ranging from 14-26 indicate moderate stress.
• Scores ranging from 27-40 indicate high perceived stress.
You Be You – Find Ways to Use Your Talents
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a psychologist and researcher who studies quality of life, believes the best moments of life happen when our “body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult,” a state known as flow.
To spend more time in a state of flow, focus on finding new ways to use your unique strengths and talents. Evidence suggests that people who develop their strengths, rather than over-investing in correcting their weaknesses, are happier and have a lower risk for depression. Think about the different areas of your life and consider how you might use your strengths more frequently and consistently.
At Home
• Consider which home improvement projects align with your strengths and which ones need to be delegated to someone else.
• Carve out time for hobbies and interests that make you feel good and help you recharge.
• Review household chores and divide them among family members based on strengths.
At Work
• Identify special projects you could volunteer for that are a good fit for your strengths.
• Ask a mentor to help you find creative ways to use and expand your skills.
• Talk with your manager about how you could use your skills more consistently in an existing role or whether another role is better suited for you.
In Your Community
• Find a volunteer organization that needs help with one of your areas of strength.
• Offer to help a friend or neighbor with a project that requires your skills.
• Start a meet-up group or club with others who share your skills and interests.
Easy Parmesan-Garlic Chicken
INGREDIENTS
• 1/2 cup KRAFT grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 envelope GOOD SEASONS Italian dressing mix
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat oven to 400°F.
2. Mix cheese, dressing mix, and garlic powder.
3. Moisten chicken with water; coat with cheese mixture.
4. Place in shallow baking dish.
5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is done (165°F).
Total Time (Cook and Prep):
30 minutes
Servings: 6
NUTRITION INFO:
(per serving)
Calories: 230
Total Fat: 7g
Saturated Fat: 3g
Cholesterol: 100mg
Sodium: 680mg
Carbohydrates: 2g
Fiber: 0g
Sugar: 1g
Protein: 37g