Monday December 30, 2019

Stress comes with a silver lining

Stress has an undeserved bad reputation, say psychologists, who claim that a form of it called “eustress” can be good for your health. After the University of California San Francisco researchers exposed rats to stressful circumstances, the rats learned to cope with future tense situations. Such eustress (the “eu” is from the ancient Greek for “good”) offers several benefits. Your stress response is crucial to your survival, experts say. It elevates your performance, is super-important for alertness and prepares you to adapt to the next thing that comes along. (The Guardian)

Small changes can make a big difference in avoiding burnout

Time management coach agree that there are three key elements: Knowing your body, personality and reality. First, it is recommended you get enough sleep, eat good food and exercise. Then, nurture your personality by understanding what restores you and invest in those activities. Finally, live the truth of your work by knowing what you can actually change to improve your situation. (The New York Times)

Colleagues who have filthy desks or leave communal kitchens in a mess may simply be bringing their “authentic selves” to work

Cambridge University researcher say the problem is with boundaries (or a lack thereof). “People can be incredibly confused by the boundary between work and personal life, and this boundary is made more porous by two practices: Working from home and living from work,” they say. A culture where there is no “nanny state” of hygiene rules from management can also exacerbate unsavoury behavior. (Irish Times)

U.S. Support for Death Penalty Wanes to Historic Low

Despite efforts to resurrect federal executions, support for the death penalty is at a 47-year low, according to a new year-end report. The executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center said it shows there were fewer than 30 executions and 50 death sentences nationwide for the fifth year in a row, marking a national decline in support for capital punishment. “The American public has moved away from capital punishment,” he said. “Support for the death penalty as a whole has dropped from 80% in the 1990s to slightly above 50% today.” He said major reasons for the diminished support include a growing public preference for life imprisonment over the death penalty in murder cases, and the high legal costs for states associated with death sentences and executions. Twenty-one states have now abolished the death penalty. (Death Penalty Info)

Thousands Of Oklahoma State Employees At Risk Of Being Fired Due To Unpaid Taxes

A new report shows thousands of state employees are at risk of being fired for not paying their income taxes. In fact, more than five and a half thousand state employees are at risk of losing their jobs because of this problem. The number of employees is up more than 25 percent this year compared to last. Oklahoma State employees get essentially three warning if they’re behind on their income taxes each year. In 2003 a law was passed in Oklahoma, requiring automatic termination of the state employee if they receive a third strike. Five agencies across the state have the most employees under the final non compliance list including OU, OSU, the Department of Corrections, Human Services and the OU Health Sciences Center. (News 9)

Crop duster sprinkles holy water down on Louisiana town

A Roman Catholic church in Louisiana used an unusual method to spread blessings all over town by using a crop duster. Members of St. Anne Church in Cow Island, Louisiana loaded 100 gallons of the blessed liquid onto the plane to be sprayed on the surrounding town and nearby farms, according to a Facebook post by the Diocese of Lafayette. Cow Island is located about 160 miles east of New Orleans. The unincorporated community is in Vermilion Parish. Parishioners also brought water from their homes to the airstrip to be blessed by the Reverend. Some commentators requested a visit by the blessed crop dusters to their towns. (Fox News)

How to deal with horrible bosses

A study on abusive supervision found that people who have worked with a bullying boss report being more withdrawn and depressed, and that targets of abusive supervision report symptoms that bear striking similarities to those diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Working under a bully can significantly impact your mental and physical health. Researcher and Stanford professor says there are several ways to fight back, starting with having an honest conversation with the person (and including a colleague for backup). If confrontation is a no-go, research suggests employees who adopt passive-aggressive techniques actually feel less psychological distress and job dissatisfaction. The silver lining? Research also says bad bosses suffer consequences by losing their social worth and respect. (The Guardian)

More than a third of PhD students have sought help for anxiety or depression caused by study

According to a global survey of 6,300 students, 36% of the students who sought help, 26% said it was helpful. A further 18% said they didn’t feel supported and 9% said they wanted to seek help but none was available. Some 21% said they’d been bullied — in 48% of the cases, by their supervisor. Experts say it’s essential that institutions adapt to the needs of their students. (Nature)

Why flexible roles are healthy

The way your job is structured, how much you’re paid and how flexible your schedule is could affect your health and workplace injury risk. Using data from 2002 to 2014, researchers at the University of Washington found that workers on short-term contracts or with part-time hours were more likely to report poor health. Similarly, those with generally high-quality jobs but long, inflexible hours reported worse mental health and more injuries than people in standard employment. (Washington EDU)

Military Faces Risks from Rising Seas, Climate Change

For the first time, the National Defense Authorization Act bill will provide funding that would help the military reduce security risks from climate change, including at vulnerable coastal military bases such as Marine Corps Base Camp Lajeune. An analysis of 18 East and Gulf Coast military installations by the Union of Concerned Scientists found the majority of bases will experience increased tidal flooding and land loss within the next few decades. Defense experts are increasingly viewing climate change as a threat multiplier. They say national security threats could also arise as global agricultural production and migration shift due to climate-change events. (Public News Service)

Monday (The Last Of 2019) Burst In Like A Busted Vein With:

• Bacon Day
• Falling Needles Family Fest Day
• No Interruptions Day