Women. Money. Misery. There is another way.

When an article “Why young women are miserable” popped into my inbox, I had to flag for a concentrated read later. I was surprised to find the article actually address an issue friends and I are facing right now, money! This topic immediately ties to our well~being and happiness. Especially when your are referring to money for increasing cost of living and stagnant incomes that haven't moved much since the recession.  

The article talked about stress as it relates to finance and offered the following tips on being less stressed about your finances. Here are 5 amazing tips you should not only read, but share with everyone. Especially other women and young adults.

1. Set at budget and stick to it! It is the fundamental basic of money. If setting a bi-weekly or month budget is something you find hard to stick with, try setting a daily spending limit. It’s much easier to pass up a latte today vs over spending a line item in the budget like groceries or spa trip.
2. Treat yourself, within your means! Key here is your means. Treating yourself is great, but if you’re earning $50,000 a year, treating yourself isn’t a shopping spree at Nordstrom, but more like a movie and cheap dinner out with friends. Shopping at Nordstrom isn’t bad, but those are things we have to save and plan for.
3. Talk to someone. Ahhh, attend a Women’s Well~Being Circle event and share concerns, best practices, and tips with other like-minded women who inspire and support one another without judgement. It’s a save space to realize you are not alone.
4. Look at the big picture. It’s true what they stay, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” You can’t make every event, party, and concert in town. But you can save to have that once in a lifetime experience after you have saved some money and planned for an expense like a weeklong vacation.
5. Seek financial advice from a planner or counselor. If you have tried everything and your money matters are more than you can handle, seek professional help from a trained financial planner or counselor.

Money can’t buy you happiness, but control of your money can. Robert Cummins, Professor Emertius at Deakin University says a sense of purpose, a strong personal relationship and a sense of financial control can help you find happiness. Hiss research found that low income earners who rated themselves at least an 8 out of 10 for being in control of their money were far happier than those who earned substantially more but rated themselves less in control of their money.

Take control of your money and cheer up! You’re not alone, and there are lots of help and strategies for a financial well~being. I personally have cut cell phone usage which afford me a week at a beach front condo each summer, and recently have cut cable. I instead opted for Roku and borrow free DVDs from my local library. Yes, they even have new releases and you can often place holds on materials for a quick pick up.

You can learn other tricks of the trade by sharing, talking to others, and accepting that you are not alone and you can be empowered by money.

To read the full article, “Why young women are miserable,” click here. 

What I know for sure.....

Life can get so busy, we can easily ignore the small signs that our body signal to us. Not only do we ignore these signs, we do not take note to follow up on them at a later time. So they not only go missed, but can easily become unnoticed, as our threshold for these signals are repeatedly ignored. 

I have found making a list of these signs that "somethings not right" help me to review them with my doctor during annual visits. Also, it helps me to remember to schedule those visits in the first place. That's exactly what brought me to this article, "Stop the Progress of Pre-diabetes." 

My lab slip for annual blood work was a year old. I had the lab slip re-written twice before I ended up hospitalized on an unrelated matter. It prompted me to quickly stop ignoring signs and get that blood work done. During the testing time and subsequent appointment with my doctor to review my results, I worried she'd come back with a list of pre-everything, including diabetes. Let me highlight, it is easier to avoid an illness than to recover from one. That visit to the ER and hospital has me eating clean and more conscience about moving my body. 

The American Diabetes Association recommends that any adult under age 45 who is overweight and has at least one of the following risk factors should be tests:  

• Family history (especially parent or sibling with diabetes)
• Physically inactive lifestyle
• Native American, African-American, or Hispanic heritage
• Prior gestational diabetes diagnosis 
• Birth of a baby over nine pounds in weight
• High blood pressure or treatment for high blood pressure
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) diagnosis
• Dark, velvety rash around the armpits or neck
• History of heart disease 

What I know for sure is thoughtful eating, exercising, and learning to share best practices is something I want for not only me, but my entire circle. 

To read the full article "Stop the Progress of Pre-diabetes," click here. 

Welcome to the Women's Well~Being Circle

When engaging with women through intimate conversation that often results from that famous Wendy Williams questions, “How you doin’?” It is almost always answered with rounded shoulders caused by a robust exhale. It’s almost always followed by a laundry list of things on their plates and none of them involve self-care. I’m surprised at the number of women (including myself) who either do not have the time or resources or the time and resources for simple pleasures, such as:

•        Bubble bath
•        Pedicure
•        Professional hair grooming
•        Lunch during work day
•        Dinner out with girlfriends
•        A visit to see about a friend or family member in need
•        Uninterrupted time for personal reading

Without a calendar event, it is actually hard for a woman to set aside time for herself. Today after a dialogue with a friend, I realized the need for the Women’s Well~Being Circle is stronger than ever before. The Women’s Well~Being Circle is simply a place woman could go to seek a little reward for all they give to their families, work, spouses, parents, and the list goes on! This circle is a time set aside, preferable once a month, where women would know in advance a date, time, and location for an event scheduled to release daily stressors. Often these events are fun activities with subtle educational information about mental and physical health and financial wealth (financial literacy).

Past events included reflective practices, book discussions, movie night (followed by group discussion on best practices for daily work/life balances), spa trips, financial ad visor presentation, and more. Some events include speakers while others are basically an opportunity for women to share in a welcoming environment that enhances relaxation. These events are usually free of charge or of little cost (price of movie ticket or lunch).

Take some time to review and familiarize yourself with our site. Review the upcoming events tab and add them into your calendar. When you RSVP to an event, you will be sent the additional details closer to the date.

Welcome to the improved Women’s Well~Being Circle! A place for women to network and support one another's wellness.

Want a productive work day?

Want a productive work day? Watch what you eat.

By Carrie Dennett 

Washington Post, March 5, 2017

Do you have days at work when you feel energetic, inspired and productive, while on other days you feel tired, busy and stressed, with almost nothing to show for your efforts at the end of the day? When you spend several hours a day at work, it pays to make those hours healthy ones for both body and mind. Making some simple, smart choices throughout your workday can help boost your creativity and productivity while reducing fatigue and minimizing stress.

1. Fuel right. Vegetables, fruit, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats will provide you with a steady source of energy throughout the day while offering the nutrition you need for long-term health. Many fast-food or takeout lunches contain sugar, salt, white flour and low-quality fats and proteins, which can leave you feeling bloated and sluggish now while gradually eroding your health and expanding your waistline.

2. Don’t ignore hunger. When you’re busy, it’s easy to push rumblings of hunger to the back burner, if you even notice them at all. When you finally come up for air midafternoon — or worse, on your way home — you realize that you’re ravenous and ready to eat whatever’s handy and filling, regardless of taste or nutrition. Over time, ignoring hunger cues can dim them, making it harder to figure out if you’re actually hungry even during more relaxed times.

3. Take your lunch break. Consciously disconnecting from work in the middle of your day can give you an energy boost and make your afternoon go more smoothly. If possible, eat lunch somewhere other than your desk — preferably outside, weather permitting, where you can get a dose of sunlight and fresh air.

4. Eat mindfully. If you must lunch at your desk, try to refrain from checking your email, doing work or talking about work. Take a few deep breaths, then eat slowly and savor your delicious, healthful meal. While the volume and composition of your meal help you feel satisfied, so do the sensory aspects of eating — taste, aroma, texture, color and temperature. If you quickly inhale your lunch without noticing it, you deny yourself the full eating experience, which can leave you feeling like you need to nibble.

5. Manage the work food environment. If you work outside the home, you spend a huge chunk of your day in the workplace, which makes that your second most important food environment (after your home). It’s also an environment that can be unpredictable in what temptations it sends your way — especially treacherous if your job is stressful, and stress makes you want to eat. Packing your own nutritious and appealing lunch and snacks can help inoculate you against less-nutritious offerings from the vending machine or co-workers. If you buy your lunch, placing your order in advance instead of waiting until you are already hungry can make it easier to make a healthful choice.

6. Stay hydrated. Even minor dehydration can cause headaches and make you feel tired and unable to concentrate, which isn’t good for your productivity or your well-being. As there are no hard-and-fast rules about how much to drink, it’s best to let thirst be your guide. In the habit of ignoring thirst? Aim to drink at least six to eight eight-ounce glasses of water a day, more on days you exercise. One way to tell: If your urine is clear or very light, you’re probably doing just fine.

7. Move often. Our bodies are meant to move frequently, and that includes more than just planned exercise. If you sit at a desk all day, make a point to move at least every hour. Get up to fill your water glass, go talk to co-workers instead of emailing them, do a few stretches right at your desk, or step outside to take a short rejuvenating walk.

8. Breathe. Deep breathing is your body’s built-in energizer and stress reliever. Simply taking a few deep breaths can help you feel calmer, but if you have more time, sit and focus on your breathing for a few minutes. Try this at least a few times during the day to relax and recharge, more often if you notice you’re feeling stressed or tense.

9. Don’t multitask. You may think you’re being super productive, but you’re not. Studies show that multitasking wastes more time than it saves. Even worse, it reduces our brain function over time. When you allow yourself to focus on a task or project without distractions (email, social media, open browser windows), you’ll complete it better and faster — and then have the satisfaction of checking it off your to-do list.

10. Honor personal boundaries. Establishing at least some degree of balance in your universe is important to help you function at your best at work and home. Allowing work to bleed into your off-the-clock hours on a regular basis will ultimately make your performance suffer in both spheres. It’s important for your health and well-being to spend quality time with friends and family, as well as quality personal time to exercise, prepare nourishing meals and simply relax.