Clothes — The long and short of it all

We already know about the benefits of exercise. Exercise increases life satisfaction, improves mood, and reduces feelings of depression and anxiety (read this for the full story). Blah blah blah…yes, exercise makes us feel better. And it plays an important role in helping us maintain our self-worth (here’s the evidence for that claim).

There are other things which raise self-esteem: positive self-appraisal (what’s that?) and self-awareness (how can I achieve that?). As with exercise, we see what we need to do, but the legs, arms, and mind aren’t particularly motivated to get us there. Gadgets or no gadgets.

There is however a speedier solution to boosting one’s confidence (note: it is of course easy once you know how): It’s about what you wear.

There is evidence that how we feel affects what we wear. In a 2012 study by Fletcher and Pine, women reported themselves more likely to wear baggy clothing and jeans when experiencing a low mood (e.g., feelings of depression) and more likely to wear their favourite dress when feeling happy.

There’s evidence that what you wear affects how you behave. A study showed that putting on a doctor’s white coat made participants perform better on a cognitive task (here’s that study explained).

And there’s evidence that what you wear affects how others perceive you. A study found that participants rated someone in a tailored suit as more successful and confident than the same person in a off-the-peg version. Findings from yet another study revealed that a subtle change in the length of the skirt — whether it was just above the knee of just below the knee — influenced how study participants viewed the person wearing the clothes. In the condition where the person was introduced as a “senior manager”, participants judged her to be more intelligent, confident, and responsible with the longer than shorter skirt. Turn these findings around, and they actually tell us that we make snap judgements about others (and ourselves) based on what they (or what we) wear.

And a 2013 poll of 100 respondents found that 2 in 5 women believed that wearing red increased their professional confidence. Clearly, we know that clothes do affect how we feel about ourselves, as demonstrated in this guide on How to dress for success by Real Simple (look here for tips on dressing well for men).

So what clothes make us feel better about ourselves? There’s really only one thing to know and that is to wear clothes that fit you! It’s important to put on clothes which fit, not clothes that are in fashion right now. Real Simple has a guide for different body shapes, while BBC programme What Not To Wear offers tips on making the most of our assets. Wearing a pencil skirt that stops exactly at the knee (not an inch above it or an inch below it) or jeans which are bootcut or skinny depending on your body shape is half the battle won.

The other half is what you do with that extra confidence you’ve gained.

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
~Mark Twain

 

Life in the fast lane

Today online (18 June 2014) reports that “almost half of Singaporeans are dissatisfied with their jobs”. And The Straits Times (7 May 2014) said not long ago that one in five feels very stressed, which is consistent with the 2013 Gallup survey which reported that only 10% of employees polled felt passionate and motivated about their work. There’s a very slim possibility that they’re related. Just a thought

That means lots of people could be experiencing burnout at work (check if you’re experiencing the symptoms of burnout here).

Between having too much on your plate at work and having too much to do at home, it can be hard work trying to find the time to de-stress.

So we put together a wish list to help you join the “thriving at work” crowd:

1. Get really active!
It’s easy to think, “what’s the point in finding time to exercise? I’m already so emotionally drained. Exercising is just going to make me feel more exhausted”.

But exercise actually helps your muscle relax. More importantly, exercise helps to regulate levels of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine in your brain, helping you experience more positive emotions (Craft & Perner, 2004).

Not surprisingly, exercise lowers stress levels, improves life satisfaction, psychological mood, and mental wellbeing (Atlantis, Chow, Kirby, & Singh, 2004; Coulson & McKenna, 2008; Daley & Parfitt, 2011; Parks & Steelman, 2008), and effectively reduces anxiety, depression, and absenteeism (Bhui, Dinos, Stansfeld, & White, 2008).

Time to join that in-house workplace fitness programme! But if that’s not your cup of tea, there are many other exercise options. And for those with strong views about the unnecessary evils of exercise, consider some fun alternatives!

2. Sleep is crucial
Sleep is probably the top thing on your list of things to do. But strangely enough, getting good quality sleep isn’t always quite the walk in the park you thought it’d be.

But getting good quality REM and deep sleep means a more efficient brain the next day, with positive outcomes for learning and memory (here’s the science stuff).

Sleep (particularly when used in combination with #1) helps us maintain our psychological mood and mental wellbeing. Not convinced? Try these for bedtime reading: NIH, APA, HBR.

And if you drank too much coffee, try fitting in a nap. Even better, cultivate some good sleep habits.

3. Learn to switch off
Get into the habit of not checking your mobile devices on the weekend. Plan your holidays in places with limited wifi or dodgy mobile phone reception! The reasons are pretty straight forward (read this article: Straits Times, 9 Dec 2013).

4. Rethink your communication style
Assertive communication is key to managing your stress.
“Being assertive shows that you respect yourself because you’re willing to stand up for your interests and express your thoughts and feelings. It also demonstrates that you’re aware of the rights of others and are willing to work on resolving conflicts.” – Mayo Clinic. Here are some tips on how to communicate effectively.

5. Seek out a workplace mentor
It’s also possible that you’d fare better at work if your line manager gave you recognition for work well done. And if you had a mentor to help you improve your job performance and provide career guidance.

6. Support a collaborative work environment
You’d be also much more motivated about work if you had rapport and a relationship built on trust with your line manager. Having friends at the workplace and your team is a key driver (MSW Research and Dale Carnegie Training). But it works both ways. Successful managers need to also care about their employees: They need to practice active listening, focus on their employees’ strengths, and provide constructive feedback to their subordinates.

7. Get some professional help
Getting insight into solutions to a personal or workplace problem with a professional counsellor through the employee assistance programme at your workplace could help you move forward. You don’t need to have a crisis to seek help. Counselling can be a useful resource for identifying your source of stress and prioritizing potential solutions for addressing the problem (here are some tips).

Managers could benefit from executive coaching to identify and meet specific and short-term (even immediate) goals to solve work-related issues. Studies indicate that a cognitive-behavioural solution-focused approach improves mental resilience, psychological wellbeing, and stress levels.

8. Don’t forget to fit in some time for relaxation!
Relaxation techniques are effective for managing stress because they help bring your central nervous system back to equilibrium.

“When stressors throw your nervous system out of balance, relaxation techniques can bring it back into a balanced state by producing the relaxation response, a state of deep calmness that is the polar opposite of the stress response.” – http://www.helpguide.org

Mindfulness is all the buzz right now. But there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to relaxation. Business Insider has some unique ideas, though you may prefer a more conventional approach such as gardening. Yoga and tai chi may suit those wanting to raise their heart rate at the same time, while having someone hit all your acupressure points certainly appeals to many.

Caregiving: It’s a thankful job

The World Health Organization defines dementia as a syndrome in which there is deterioration in memory, thinking, behaviour and the ability to perform everyday activities. It is not considered part of normal ageing, but affects a substantial number of older adults. The Statistical Appendix from the local Alzheimer’s Disease Association put the number of locals with dementia at 22 for every 1000 persons in the year of 2005.

The multidimensional response to the negative appraisal and perceived stress resulting from taking care of an ill individual (Kim et al., 2011) does however negatively affect those tasked with looking after the care recipient. This caregiver burden puts strain and stress particularly on those in full or part-time employment.

And caregivers aren’t necessarily only those who do this job fulltime. There are more caregivers out there than you think. A 2011 Singstat Singapore Newsletter article reports that almost 75% of respondents providing regular assistance to friends or family in 2010 were also working adults who juggle work with caregiving responsibilities.

Given that research has shown that caregiver stress increases with the physical dependency of the care receipient, it’s all the more important that caregivers are equipped with the right knowledge. Kua and Tan in a 1997 study (see also Mehta, 2005) found that those who looked after care receipients with dementia tended to experience a high level of stress. And according to WHO, this is a pattern observed in other communities as well.

But the mental health of caregivers is often overlooked. Although various organisations like the US Family Caregiver Alliance, Touch Caregivers, Singapore Caregiving Welfare Association, Women’s Initiative for Ageing Successfully, Council for the Third Age, Asian Women’s Welfare Association, Tsao Foundation and Singapore Family Caregivers, have useful self-care tips, caregivers typically do not seek help for themselves.

So we may need to play our part and help someone we know and care about. The American Psychological Association (APA) suggests a self-assessment instrument which was designed by the American Medical Association.

So on this World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, help that person you know take a step in the right direction. Get him or her to assess his or her stress levels, which will ultimately protect himself or herself from being burnt out as a caregiver!

Happy Eco Day!

It’s World Environment Day!

Last year’s theme was Think.Eat.Save – a message about food wastage. This year’s event coincides with the Singapore International Water Week. We can take this opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint at the office. It’s also a good time to take stock:

1. Going Green

• Use canvas and cloth bags at the office and supermarket.
• Use double-printing and recycle the other side when you print single-sided.
• Stack a bunch of used A5 envelopes and use them like a notepad.
• Use shredded paper for fragile packaging.
• Switch to mugs and real cutlery. Or use biodegradable cornware. Or bring home and wash for a second cycling of non-biodegradable plastic cups and cutlery.
• Save the extra paper napkins you inadvertently took at Starbucks for a rainy day.
• Ask the auntie at the hawker centre to pack your food in your own tupperware.
• Bring your own flask to take away your favourite teh halia.
• Fill your own tumbler of boiled water instead of buying distilled or purified water!
• Encourage your office canteen to use paper boxes instead of plastic ones.

2. Staying on top of things at the office

• Here’s a checklist to help you get organized at the office.
• 20 useful tips from Real Simple to help you declutter efficiently.
• Pininterest illustrates the ways to stop things from straying from their place.
• A little thought goes a long way: 10 office decluttering tricks
• Having difficulty organizing your office space? Here are 21 tips.

3. Shortcuts to keeping things tidy at home

• Here’s a few useful tips to help you get organized at home.
• Real Simple offers some home decorating ideas to help you organize.
• HGTV has more ideas about how to keep things neat and tidy.

4. Self-help for would-be hoarders

• Need help with letting go of emotional clutter?
• Are you a compulsive hoarder?
• What are the symptoms of being a compulsive hoarder?
• Hoarding: What’s it really about?
• Understanding why people engage in hoarding
• The facts about HOARDING
• 10 things you might be interested to know about hoarding.
• Even if you’re not, it’s useful to know how to help someone who hoards.
• Knowing how to talk to someone who needs help is the first step.

It’s good time to reorganize, reflect, recycle!

Happy Children’s Day!

Wishing you a very happy children’s day!

While your children are enjoying their concert and their teachers are basking in the glory of a half-day before this school holiday, you might be tempted to get your children to maximize this day with assessment book homework and their multiplication timetables. But why not take time out to enjoy the fresh air, smell the flowers, and catch up on sleep.

Research suggests that sleep is essential for academic performance. Given that sleep helps us maintain our cognitive functioning, from our memory abilities, decision making to problem solving capacity, it’s important for all in the family to get adequate rest. More so for children. A 2010 meta-analysis of 17 studies showed that children and teenagers who reported feeling sleep (during school hours) were those with poorer academic performance. A 2012 study of medical students also demonstrated that those who experienced and reported feeling more stress during the pre-exam period, and had poorer sleep (fewer hours of sleep too) before their exams, performed more poorly than their better-rested peers. So enjoy those extra hours in bed!