Strategies And Tips For Living Your Most Confident And Happiest Life
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How to protect your health and happiness through the coronavirus crisis
I hope you are all staying healthy and safe during this terrible crisis that our world is experiencing right now. I’m sending you all of my positive energy. Today, I want to talk to you about how do you protect your health and your happiness as we go through this Coronavirus crisis together.
I’m going to share four tools; resilience-building tools, wellbeing tools that are going to help you get through this crisis. I’m not going to share my usual tools. I want to get deeper on some of these to show you some of the things that I have done.
What I did in the past, is I created a video blog series and it was called how I stayed healthy and happy during the worst time of my life. I was going through a divorce and it was just a devastatingly sad time for me. I documented some of the things I did to actually be resilient to flourish despite everything that was happening to me at that time. A lot of people listened in and shared and it was one of my most popular series. So, I want to do more of that here.
Now, what are some of the things that I am doing? What are some of the things you can do and that you can share with your children to keep you healthy and happy and protect your health and happiness during this time? Because this is a difficult challenging time. I know a lot of people who are finding it very hard to self-isolate and it goes against our wellbeing, actually, to self-isolate. So let’s get started on that.
Before I start with the four tips I want to give you today, I want to say thank you to those of you who responded to my survey. There were wonderful things that came out of that, so thank you very much. I also wanted to say that there were two winners of the Amazon gift card, Cindy Straddling and Ron Fountain. I’m going to be emailing you to let you know and give you information on how you can receive your prize.
- Start your day with an energizing morning ritual
Okay, so what is one of the first things that I have done to actually build my strength and build my fuel on how to actually get through this Coronavirus crisis? I started a new morning ritual. I was never big on morning rituals, but they are really important to boost your energy as you go into your day. And I felt that I needed a boost to go into my day.
So I turned to Tim Ferriss. I’ve been listening to his podcast. I love, love, love, love, love Tim Ferriss and one of the things he talks about is his morning ritual and I modified it a little bit for me. What I do is, I wake up at a certain time every morning. When I get up, I make my bed; there’s something about accomplishing something right away that already makes you feel better. Then I brush my teeth. I clear out all of the toxins that are in my mouth before I go downstairs to feed the dog.
I savour my dog every morning, as well. I spend a few minutes to get in those positive emotions. I then drink lemon water, I take my vitamins and then meditate for 10 to 20 minutes using an uplifting guided meditation. Then I like to do morning pages. Morning pages were introduced by the author of The Artist’s Way. It’s three pages of mind streaming. You dump it on a page, you don’t read it again. It really helps me to kind of clear my mind of the clutter. I also do some gratitude journaling in the morning too, to say what I am absolutely grateful for.
Then, I like to exercise because it makes me feel great. Once again, I feel like I’ve accomplished something and I go into my day with so much more energy. So, tool number one is to think of a morning ritual that is going to really uplift you and give you much more energy going into your day.
2. Acceptance
Now the second technique I want to tell you about is called acceptance. Now a lot of you might say, “What? Acceptance? I can’t accept this! This is terrible!”. When my husband left me, I went immediately to acceptance. I thought if this is what he needs to be happy, then who am I to stop him from doing that? My girlfriends were livid. They were so angry because they love me and they wanted to protect me. They didn’t like that anybody was doing anything to hurt me. But what acceptance does, is it allows you to let go of the anger. It allows you to just say, ‘this is my new life’.
So, instead of getting angry about it and upset and sad, I just accept it and say, this is my new life. That doesn’t mean that I can’t be proactive. I’m going to try to be very proactive throughout this crisis and give as much information as I can. It allows me to let go of the anger so that it’s out of my mind. And then I can say, given that this is my new life, now what? And I find that because I’m shut in, this is an opportunity for me to create; to create new programs; to create new talks; to do things that I’ve never been able to do!
This is a time that I can connect with my daughter since we’re both shut in the house. And how beautiful is that? How can I use this time and be grateful for this opportunity to do things that maybe I wasn’t able to do when I was busier.
3. Don’t watch the news
Now some of you are saying, ‘well that’s completely irresponsible’ and I don’t mean that you should be irresponsible about taking in the important information you need to protect yourself and the people around you. With most news station, it is their job to sensationalize, to catastrophize, to turn this into the worst thing that’s ever happened to the world. It IS a horrible thing that is happening in the world. This is a pandemic and this should be taken very seriously. I really am so happy that our Ontario government, our municipal government, and our federal government in Canada, is taking extreme measures to crush this. Let’s end this, let’s self-isolate and protect ourselves so that this can come to an end sooner rather than later. Other countries are exploding and Canada has been able to somewhat contain, which is excellent.
So, what I do is I have three trusted resources that I go to, to take a look at what is happening in the world and also to understand what is happening in Canada on a daily basis. (see all my trusted sources below) I monitor those every day. I understand how things are being tracked. I also subscribe only to trusted sources with regard to how to take care of my health and how to take care of my family. And I go to those sources to receive more information. I also listen in to every press conference that’s put out by the municipal mayor of Toronto, where I live, the Ontario government and the Canadian government. Listening in, to what we need to be doing as Canadians, in my community, to keep us all safe.
I also share if there’s other information with my friends and family. All of this sensationalism is just going to bring you down. Don’t feed the catastrophizing. Instead, empower yourself with good, positive, reliable resources on how you can protect yourself and your family and then do those things. Engage in those things. What we need to do right now is self-isolate and that is really important to crush this thing. So, listen in to those trusted sources and forget the rest because it’s just not going to help your wellbeing and it’s certainly not going to improve your resilience.
4. Reach out to friends and family on video
Now if someone was to ask me, what is the most important thing you can do to protect your wellbeing? I would say when you are going through a crisis, reach out to friends and family, spend time with your best friends, with people you love.
We can’t do that. So now the number one resilience strategy we can’t do because we’re self-isolating. However, you can reach out via Zoom or Skype or some sort of video conferencing. Now, I know you can always call people on the phone, don’t just text people, call people on the phone and talk to them and even better, video with them.
There is a difference when you actually look people in the eye. It changes our physiology. It actually creates a different kind of connection within our bodies. It increases the intensity of our positive emotions when we are interacting positively with someone and looking at them in the eye. So texting and calls are okay. Video? Even better at this time! So, reach out to family and friends, maybe people you haven’t reached out to in a long time.
We will get through this. We will be stronger.
We will learn from this. We will learn how to increase our capacity in our hospitals. We will learn how to deal with pandemics and be ready if this happens again. We will be stronger and more prepared next time. Reach out to family and friends on a daily basis. Make it something that you do on a daily basis.
I have many, many more strategies that I’m going to share with you. They will come, I will do another four tools next week.
I’ll also be starting wellbeing water-coolers. What are they? A lot of us are working from home. We are not interacting with people as much as we could. We’re certainly not going out and networking. So, these wellbeing water-coolers are going to be an opportunity for you. I’m going to come on and it’s going to be a zoom call where you can come in. I’m going to share a wellbeing strategy and then I’m going to allow you to talk to others, to get to know people, to do some online networking.
They’re going to be short little 15 to 20-minute calls just to get you out of your isolated space, meeting new people, discovering new ideas. Register for my Well-being Watercooler here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/upwtdOuurDMjRMFR3nImPfhTQ2Vxg2o5SA
I’m also going to do another webinar next Tuesday at 12pm EST.
It’s going to be a webinar for parents; How do you keep your children healthy and happy during this time? How do you help them reduce catastrophizing, reduce anxiety and stress at this time? Resister for this webinar here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dzy62WuHSxqTM_TiManp9w
As I create more and more online resources for you, I will be emailing you and sending those out.
Stay safe everyone! I will be praying for all of you!
Re: Coronavirus updates:
This is where I keep track of all the confirmed cases around the world and worldwide information being published by the World Health Organization:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
This is a good one for Canadian Statistics:
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/canada/
This is tracked by John Hopkins University
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
Also, John Hopkins has some great resources here:
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/
What Others Are Saying...
The workshop is very dynamic and time flies. It definitely gave me more consciousness of what I think, I feel, do and how I can do a much better job. The content is powerful and so are the exercises and resources provided. I do think that this is the first step to a happier, fulfilling life. I would love to take more workshops about this subject. Thank you Louisa so much for this opportunity. I had the best 6 weeks.
Brenda Bojorquez
Senior Manager – Scotiabank
I love your video blogs and your recent talk to entrepreneurs you have a way of distilling the science into real actionable interventions. Also the talk you did re contingent self esteem was a Wow and my clients have really benefitted from learning about it. You take the ivory tower to main street. I also really admire your authenticity and use of self. You are an exemplar.”
Phoebe Atkinson
Trainer Educator Practitioner
Thank you very much for taking the time to present to us here at Sterling Hall on Tuesday. I have had numerous teachers, parents, and administrators say what an incredible session it was. All of our brains are brimming with programming and activities we can implement both at home and at school to help our students and children realize their character strengths and use them to help build their resiliency. So, thank you again.
Erica Sprules
Manager – The Sterling Hall School
After spending years studying the roots of confidence, Louisa Jewell offers a toolkit for building and rebuilding it.
Adam Grant
Thank you for a great course! It was a wonderful class – full of useful and thought-provoking information. And, I liked the balance of classroom learning (which I love) and some exercises to apply what we talk about. You are also able to handle all sorts of questions well. I was so curious – I hope I did not bombard you with too many questions as I was loving what we discussed and wanted to learn more! Kudos to you on your continued success with all the work you do. Warm Regards and continued success – it is well-deserved.
Steffi Black
Life/Career Coach & Kindness Advocate for Schools - Steffi Black Coaching
I loved Louisa Jewell’s Flourishing 101 workshop series. I learned so much about happiness, positivity and how to increase both. I have so many new tools to use and am able to refer to them whenever I need to. It’s been extremely useful and I recommend it to anyone!
Kristy S. Simpson
The flourishing 101 course was an eye opener. When you look for the positive around you, guess what you actually find more of the positive. It?s the power of intention. I discovered how I could use my top strengths to create more success in my personal life and career. Sometimes what we are naturally good at we take for granted. This course will change how you interact with others and bring more positivity
Sarah Clark
CPC Health Coach - Sesa Coaching
Thank you again so much for the excellent session! It is so valuable and pertinent and, as I mentioned at the beginning, theoretically grounded and also practical – a rare and wonderful combination.
Valerie Ward
Co-Developer and Owner - Employment Readiness Scale
Thank you again for another great webinar. You and Shannon are both so engaging. It is rare in a webinar to actually feel that we are all in the room together. Somehow you both pull it off with your deep knowledge, warmth and energy. Your sessions offer a lot of value. The content is clear and compelling, and the exercises are highly relevant and immediately useful. I’m really enjoying taking the time to immerse myself in this more fully. I have taken webinar courses from other organizations and they could learn a thing or two from you and Shannon about effective webinars! You are doing important work. Nicely done.
Carolyn Meacher
Innovation Leadership Coach
Louisa has the unique ability to engage a diverse audience with her expertise, humour and engaging style. As our key note speaker she enlightened the audience on the science of happiness and how happiness effects our well-being. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive; guests were inspired and delighted to listen to such a knowledgeable professional about a topic that everyone craves to know more about. I would recommend Louisa as a key note speaker, she is truly one of a kind!
Roz Baker
Project Director, Signature Events
Let me just say WOW, WOW, WOW!!! You are a pleasure and a joy! Everybody loved your presentation, your warmth, kindness, approachability, and collaborative approach! Thank you so much for a phenomenal conference. The afternoon portion was also fantastic and more intimate which was really lovely, and it got all of us to breathe and connect more with one another. I cannot wait until our next opportunity to meet again, it was a very moving and concrete presentation, you are a natural and your delivery is so very genuine!
Annalise Iten
Director Job Search Program
Plain and simply speaking, you were a hit! Your morning keynote address set a meaningful, happy, and upbeat tone for the rest of the conference. Our staff responded to your presentation style and message because it is what we needed to hear and feel at this time. We are a great College, with great staff, and May is the end of a full and active year of classes and programs, successes and challenges. Thank you for helping to make our conference a great success.
Brian Benn, M. Ed.
Associate Director, Organizational Development
Louisa was my instructor for The Flourishing Center’s CAPP (Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology) course held in Toronto Canada. She was excellent in her delivery and included many different approaches to teaching and learning which helped me retain the information better than any other course I have taken. Her enthusiasm and commitment to her work is an inspiration and she is brilliant at what she does. Thank you Louisa for opening up the world to brand new possibilities for me. You are a gem in the world of positive psychology and beyond!!!!
Barbara Santen
Registered Midwife & Relationship Coach
You can’t help but feel better about yourself after spending some time with Louisa. Her energy and enthusiasm is infectious, mix that with her engaging teaching style and you have the ideal learning environment for anyone interested in positive psychology. I have been blessed to learn from Louisa in a classroom and conference setting and I can honestly say that she has changed my life.
Glendale Reyes
Bboy League
Timely and well-written, Jewell helps translate complex research into a book that is understandable, practical, and vital for not just surviving the modern world, but remaking it. Amidst all the competition, demands upon our time, and societal pressure, Jewell provides a clear path forward, not only for you but for girls and women everywhere striving to define success and worth for themselves.
Shawn Achor
NYTimes bestselling author of The Happiness Advantage
#1 NY Times bestselling author, Happy for No Reason and Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul
Wire Your Brain for Confidence offers a practical step-by-step guide to achieving goals for anyone who has struggled with self-doubt. Louisa Jewell demystifies the science behind action-oriented confidence and makes it accessible to all. This book will empower you to go for your dreams and live your happiest life.
Marci Shimoff
On our path towards a happier life, there may be no more important journey than the one from self-doubt to self-confidence. In Wire Your Brain for Confidence, Louisa Jewell provides an easy-to-use yet well-researched map that you can use for this important journey.
Tal Ben-Shahar
New York Times bestselling author of Happier
#1 New York Times bestselling author of How Full is Your Bucket?, StrengthsFinder 2.0, Eat Move Sleep & Are You Fully Charged?
Louisa Jewell has written a brilliant book that is steeped in research, filled with novel ideas, and memorable stories. I learned things from this book that I will use for years to come.
Tom Rath
Louisa delivered a fantastic workshop on the topic of personal resilience and learning to embrace failure. Her session was refreshing, entertaining and very pertinent to our work with students.
The strategies she provided are ones we can apply right away. Our time with her simply flew by! I highly recommend Louisa as she is both an expert on and shining example of the power of positive psychology.
Jen Tigno
Manager, Advising & Learning Skills Services, Academic Advising & Career Centre
It would have taken me months of independent study to learn what I have learnt in just six short weeks. The classes were lively, engaging and down to earth. The practical examples and stories made the research come alive.
I especially loved the home happiness boosters turned my A-ha Moments into easy action steps with big impact. Flourishing 101 made a positive impact on my life and has given me powerful resources that I will continue to use daily.
Louisa is as generous as she is knowledgeable. If you want to be happier, don’t miss this chance to learn the secrets of flourishing from a leader in the field of Positive Psychology!
Shirin Khamisa
Career counsellor & Certified ICF Coach – Careers by Design
The Watercooler sessions that you offer have meant the world to me during this most challenging time in our lives. From the coronavirus to the Black Lives Matter movement, to political unrest, this is an unprecedented time in history. I am so thankful for your generosity and your teachings. You truly are a gift! Your sessions have kept me grounded and working towards being resilient, with a new awareness around the importance of well-being in everyday life and in the most trying of times. The tools you share and the way you explain them and then allow us to practice them, has been invaluable. What you’ve taught me, I’ve passed along to friends and family and in turn, helped them too. So your teachings are multiplied and touch more people than you know! A heartfelt thank you to you, Louisa!
Diane Pincus
I had long struggled with my lack of motivation and my fear of the world. I didn’t have enough confidence in myself to start conversations with strangers or to try new things. I was unhappy with the small and empty way I was living my life and I wanted to make a change, but I didn’t know how or if I could. I found the answers I was looking for in this course.
It opened my eyes to the traps I was falling into and it gave me the knowledge and more importantly, the strategies I needed to overcome them. Once I started to apply some of those strategies and to do the exercises, I started to have a more positive outlook. With that new attitude, I embraced the findings and philosophies the workshop presented and gained the courage I needed to grow into a more productive and resilient person. Now I feel more in control of my life and hopeful for my future. Friends and family have told me I’m lighter and more confident. I have mended bad relationships and accomplished long-term goals. I feel like I’ve finally left my state of arrested development behind and entered adulthood. I owe that to Louisa and Flourishing 101.
Collette Johns
The Resilience for High Performance seminar delivered by Louisa Jewell to our sales and services teams at Patient News was interesting, entertaining and highly effective. Louisa clearly has full command of the subject. She delivered the content, true to the theme of her book, with total confidence, wit and rigor. Leading up to the session, Louisa took the time to really get to know our company, team and objectives and brilliantly structured the afternoon to meet our specific needs. From individual character strength identification to uncovering the 6 pillars of wellness, the content really engaged and I received many overwhelmingly positive comments from session participants. What really resonated were the “actual tools” Louisa introduced to help attendees incorporate the learnings into real practice. I even heard one of our senior sales executives on the phone with a prospective client saying “I work with an amazing organization that really cares about people. We recently had an expert in Positive Phycology here to coach us on how to been more effective, productive and happy. She was fantastic”. I highly recommend Louisa Jewell to any organization wanting to enhance the performance and interconnectedness of their teams. The Resilience for High Performance program is for you!
Karen Galley
President, Patient News
1) I felt that the PD with Louisa Jewell really had an effect on me in a very positive way. I could not stop talking and thinking about her discussions for a week or more after. It had such an impact on me that I spoke to my friends about that PD. I feel that our school needs these kinds of reminders in order to put ourselves on track and keep us conscious about our behaviors. I would love to continue to have her and listen to her and work. The best speaker and the most interesting topic I can remember.
2) I loved this PD session – more than any other previous PD. What made it unique was the universal applicability to all facets of life – family, work & personal. Ultimately, all of us working on personal growth and self-awareness will make us better role models, teachers, friends, parents, staff
Helen Gin
Middle School Principal
Southlake Regional Health Centre
Louisa was asked to present a full day workshop to our leadership group on Building Resiliency.
Louisa’s professionalism, expertise, engaging and interactive style, together with a unique sense of humor made the day not only very enjoyable and worthwhile, but very informative. I had many leaders express gratitude and appreciation for the learnings Louisa provided. In addition, prior to the workshop Louisa was very accommodating and flexible, working behind the scenes to help make the day productive. If you are looking to educate staff or leaders on the topic of building resiliency, I would definitely not hesitate in recommending using Louisa as your facilitator. You will not be disappointed.
Christopher Cecchini
Vice President, Employee Experience and Chief Human Resources Officer
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Thank you for this Louisa.
I am the telephone contact for our program (Center for Problem Gambling and Digital Dependency) proving support, and outreach to our clients and people who may be struggling not only with these dependencies but with the virus.
These 4 resilient tips are great and I will provide them to our clients and direct them to your site for ongoing information and tips for how they can care for themselves through this crisis.
Be well my friend.
🙂 Diana
Oh I am so glad they are helpful! Thanks Diana. Stay safe!