DON'T LOOK DOWN!

        "Child the devil is always busy". This is a quote I've heard my mother say all throughout my life. I even remember hearing my grandmother say it many times over the years. And if she had been living while I was was growing up, I'm almost certain that I would've heard my great-grandmother say it too! That quote rings true to the opposition that comes into our lives from time to time. It always seems like when things appear to be going well  in life (example: employment, school, health, marriage, etc.) from out of nowhere negativity always seems to find its way into the situation and cause havoc. As I shared with you back in December, my goal was to write a post that would reflect on our ability to keep our sanity in a world that has become more and more insane by the day. So this week's post is dedicated to self-care and mental health.
      History has shown that stress can cause a person to become discouraged, depressed, and leave them feeling hopeless. Sadly for this younger generation living in the age of social media, there has been a rise in cyber-bullying which has led to some of the most tragic news stories that we've heard in recent times. For many who work in schools, you may have attended a Professional Development Training focused around this topic as well as school bullying. Interestingly what I have found over the years is that like children, there are adults who also engage in this type of bullying behavior. Whether it's towards students or other staff members; workplace bullying is a very real thing. As such so is discrimination based on race, gender, disability, etc. In fact any of these types of discrimination can have an impact on a person's mental health. And as history has shown time and time again, there are those individuals who engage in behaviors which they know attribute to creating a hostile environment. Of course they are typically the ones who like to play "dumb" or "aloof" to what they are doing so they covertly do things to undermine you (i.e. gossip to others about you but smile in your face as though nothing is wrong, look for the smallest deficiency that they think you have and illuminate it in an effort to shame you before others, etc.). These individuals do this with the attempt of keeping you in "your place" so you don't outshine them. On the flip  side, there are those individuals who are blatant in their hatred towards you and make it known that you are "beneath" them. For me when I encounter these types of behaviors that's when I'm reminded of my mother and grandmother's words "child the devil is always busy". But I cannot stress enough the importance of taking care of yourself and your mental well-being during those times that you feel you are under attack. Of course there are many proactive steps that you can take so that your environment is more tolerable and I encourage you to read this article that discusses ways to tackle the negativity known as workplace bullying. 
     On issues concerning your health and physical well being I encourage you to revisit my August video blog that highlights 5 important tips for self-care by clicking here. And under this week's Intentional Toolkit, I have included a great video by motivational speaker Les Brown titled "True Warriors Never Give Up!" I've also shared two music videos that I watch and listen to often when I need to be reminded that I have every reason to keep moving forward while being the best version of myself. I hope you find these resources useful. Remember, you owe it to your family, friends, and most importantly yourself to live each day of your life to the fullest! Stay warm during these bone chilling days of winter and until next time...go out there and be GREAT!
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