Since the COVID-19 pandemic began: Have you lost your job, had your hours dramatically reduced, or taken a pay cut? Or, do you constantly wonder if such a fate is just around the corner? Be assured you are not alone if you are suffering from employment insecurity. Keep reading for stories of inspiration and seven ways to help pivot your brain to a better situation.

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Are you worried about COVID-19 and related, your health. family, or job? As we work our way through this unprecedented time of global pandemic. there is one thing for certain:

Panic makes everything worse.

Holidays come with high expectations for ourselves and others.  Good stress. Bad stress. No matter what the brain may say, the heart longs for happily sitting around a large table with lots of food, family, and friends this time of the year. If this is your life today on Thanksgiving, enjoy it. 

There is a link between low levels of melatonin and cancer, specifically breast, ovarian, and prostate. Recent studies show that exposure to light at night can actually increase tumor growth. Melatonin production is suppressed and normal circadian rhythms are interrupted. Learn more about what you can do. 

Today is the day before we elect our next president and the world is swimming with vrittis of chitta (swirls of energy), as am I. There is concern about what will happen and how it will affect us all. I can’t have all this in my head and concentrate today. So I am meditating on this: 

As a psychotherapist and coach, I say with certainty that many people are stressed now. The constant chaos around who said what outrageous thing and who is telling the truth is like a thick veil of ugliness that weighs heavy. Maintaining good mental health is a bigger project than it usually is.

Here are 8 ways to cope:

Yes, meditation can be a part of brain training. It’s a superpower which helps in many ways. It’s a wonderful supplement to the primary component of my practice: neurofeedback. And it’s an excellent aid for my clients who are focused on peak performance, have anxiety concerns and are dealing sleep issues and ADD.

Have you ever had a boss or been a boss for whom everything was an emotional issue?  

As a leadership coach, one major pattern I often see that gets leaders in trouble has to do with brain function. I'll make this simple. Different parts of the brain do different things. Operating from different locations, particularly the Limbic Brain or Prefrontal Cortex, can help or hurt our efforts. 

I became fascinated by memory and trauma after being in a car accident. As you may know, one day I was sitting in my car at a stoplight, minding my own business, and was broadsided by another driver. Of course, this kind of trauma changed my life. But eventually, with the help of family, friends and a great neurotherapist, I mustered the effort to heal and go forward.

A few thoughts from shortly after 9/11/01 that still feel relevant after the San Bernardino attack. Life is growth. Rally courage to not become hardened and deeply fearful. Be careful in your judgment of others. 

We all struggle with the new code word—team—but what does it mean? How can you be an effective team member when it seems no one else knows either?

Many of us have been in situations where we are supposed to be a team member but the team isn’t working. What can you do personally? Here are some ideas:

Why develop skill in managing up? They’re the ones who should be managing us better! They get paid more! And further, who wants to be a “suck-up”?

One of the most valuable skills you can have is being able to manage those you report to.

So how do we best do that? Here are a few ideas:

Whether we’re employed or job-seeking, there may be times when we wonder if we’re sabotaging our own progress. We try so hard to do well but insidious little things seem to work against us.

And before we know it, we’ve somehow short-circuited what we were trying to achieve.  We lose our keys, forget to bring the resume, or miss a deadline. It’s like having a tail that knocks over things behind us; we turn around to see the disturbing results—too late.

Now tell the truth, have you ever: Read your e-mail while the person on the other end of the phone thought you were listening exclusively to him? Mulled over your lunch break activities while your boss was explaining your next assignment? Drawn a complete blank on what your co-worker just passionately told you about her day?