Purpose and meaning in life.

One of the main attributes of well being is a sense of purpose and meaning in one’s life.

Sometimes I ask my clients to answer this question “The three things that matter the most to me in my life are __________. _______________. And ___________.

I also ask them to say what they would like to have gotten out of life in the next 1, 3, and 5 years, or 2, 5, and 10, short term, immediate, and longer term?

For more click here.

Studies and experience show that quality conversations increase an individual’s sense of well being.

Across three studies, researchers recruited over 900 students for a one-day experiment. During that day, they were asked to connect with a friend in one of seven different ways:

• Catch up about how you’ve been

• Have a meaningful conversation

• Laugh and joke around

• Show care, affection, and support

• Be a good listener

• Show you value them and their opinions

• Give them a compliment

At the end of the day, everyone filled out surveys about their emotions and their day overall, including how lonely, anxious, stressed, and connected they felt.

Ultimately, people who had just one interaction with a friend felt less stressed and more connected at the end of the day than those who didn’t. And it didn’t matter what they did together—whether it was being silly or having a deep discussion.

For more click here.

Many of my clients report to me that they are isolated and don’t have anyone to really talk to and have become anxious and depressed. I share with them the information above and ask who they might reach out to and interact with? Try it once every day for a week and report back on the effect this activity has had on their mood.

Working a four-day week boosts employee wellbeing while preserving productivity, major six-month trial finds

Now, results from the world's largest trial of a four-day working week reveal significantly reduced rates of stress and illness in the workforce -- with 71% of employees self-reporting lower levels of "burnout," and 39% saying they were less stressed, compared to the start of the trial.

There was a 65% reduction in sick days, and a 57% fall in the number of staff leaving participating companies, compared to the same period the previous year. Company revenue barely changed during the trial period -- even increasing marginally by 1.4% on average.

For more click here.

Editor's note - Productivity does not depend on hard or how long you work but on how smart you work. The "work" often expands to the amount of time allocated and expected rather than outcomes and deliverables.

Are robot companions good for the elderly?

 

 

 The above video is serious and the one below is comedy.

 

Two or more drinks of alcohol per week are bad for your health.

 

Music therapy - You're So Vain by Carly Simon

Narcissism seems to have entered the lexicon of pop psychology with all kinds of articles and books written about this personality style.

The concept of narcissism is nothing new. Over the decades and centuries it has been called different things like “vanity,” “selfishness,” “stuck on oneself”.

Before you can manage a relationship with a person with narcissism you have to know what you’re dealing with. If you would like to increase your ability to spot narcissism listen to Carly Simon’s great song, You’re So Vain.

Music therapy appears on Markham's Behavioral Health most Thursdays.

Cinematherapy - Hunt For The Wilderpeople

 Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Movie on Neflix streaming.

Plot - From IMDB - Reclusive country folk Bella and Hector become foster parents to Ricky, a problem child from the city. After some adjustment, things go reasonably well. However, Bella's death means that Hector must now look after Ricky himself, and they haven't been getting along. Moreover, her death causes Child Services to decide to send Ricky back to the orphanage. Ricky refuses to go back and runs away, ultimately sparking a national manhunt for him and Hector.—

Audience - The movie is intended for a general audience. It can be enjoyed by all ages from 10 and up. This review is written though for human service professionals.

Creative tension - The creative tension in Hunt for the Wilderpeople is derived from two sources. First Ricky Baker is a foster child, 13, who has been difficult to place and retain in a foster care setting.. How will he adjust to this new foster home, way out in the country, with Bella and Hector, a childless older couple. Bella is very motherly, almost grandmotherly, while Hector is antisocial and a curmudgeon. The second source of creative tension arises when Bella dies and Child Welfare Services writes a letter to Hector informing him that they will be coming to remove Ricky from his home now that Bella is dead. Ricky refuses to go back to child welfare,  and Hector is upset that they don’t think he can raise a child without Bella. Hector and Ricky escape to the bush to avoid capture by Child Welfare authorities.

Moral of the Story - Family comes in multiple forms and Ricky and Hector have formed theirs no matter how unlikely and mismatched. Does their form of family coincide with community norms? No. But does it work and is it filled with love and caring? Yes.

Utility of the movie for human service professionals - To learn an appreciation for diversity in all its multiplicities. What conforms with social convention might not always be the best. In such cases do the nonconformists become outlaws? As outlaws do people evade, resist, and attack the forces of subjugation and oppression? As witnesses do we side with the conventional authorities or with the right to self determination of those the system would subjugate? In these dilemmas what is the appropriate ethical stance of the human service worker?

Recommendation - This film is highly recommended for its entertainment, and for its presentation of deeper ethical dilemmas. It earns a 5 out of 5.

Articles about Cinematherapy appear on Markham's Behavioral Health on most Tuesdays.