Emotional Well-being & ProductivityChamber of Commerce ExecutivesNovember 5, 2010

Edgardo PérezMD, MPH, FRCPC, CHE, CPHQ

CEO and President, Homewood CorporationHomewood Health Centre

Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Universities of McMaster, Ottawa, and Toronto

Director, The Centre for Organizational Health

Homewood Health Centre150 Delhi St.Guelph ON N1E 6K9www.homewood.org

improving life

2

Promoting Self Emotional Well-BeingOUTLINE1. Well-Being and Positive Health

2. Personal Mastery

3. Know Thyself

4. Resilient Mindset

5. Resilient Attributes

6. Stress-Proofing for Life

7. Change: Self and Others

8. Homewood Human Solutions Counselling Model

9. Be Happy

10. Counselling in our Local Communities

improving life

3

Well-being/Positive Health

Consists of the physical, mental, social and spiritual attributes that permit an individual to cope successfully with challenges to health and functioning.

(Health Canada, 1999)

improving life

4

The really lucky people do not necessarily have the best of everything;

They are the ones who make the most of whatever life throws at them.

Personal Mastery

improving life

5

Personal Mastery is based on:

1. Understanding our subconscious

2. Inquisitiveness

3. Not resisting, but working with the forces of change

4. Feeling connected to others and to life itself

5. Feeling part of a larger creative process

Living life from a creative as opposed to a reactive viewpoint.

Peter Senge

improving life

6

The most splendid future will always depend upon the necessity to release the past;

You cannot move forward in life unless you learn from your past mistakesand move on.

improving life

7

Know Thyself

1. Influence the Historian in Us

85-15% Rule

85% Historian (cognitive distortion)

15% The Situation

2. Perception and Cognition• Cognitive behavioural approaches• Help change maladaptive thinking

Personal Mastery: understanding the subconscious

improving life

8

Know Thyself

3. Cognitive Distortions

a. All or none thinking

• if not perfect equal to failure

b. Overgeneralization

• a single negative event seen as ongoing pattern of failures

c. Mental Filter

• a single negative aspect becomes the focus and colours your perception of the entire situation

improving life

9

Know Thyself

3. Cognitive Distortions cont’d

d. Disqualifying the positive

e. Jumping to conclusions

f. Magnification or minimization

• exaggerate errors or de-emphasize successes and strengths

improving life

10

Know Thyself

3. Cognitive Distortions cont’d

g. “Should” statements

h. Personalization

• take responsibility for negative events for which you are not responsible

D. Burns

improving life

11

Resilient Mindset

1. Feeling in control of one’s life

2. Build “stress hardiness”

3. Being empathetic

4. Effective communication and interpersonal skills

5. Solid problem-solving and decision-making skills

6. Realistic goals and expectations

improving life

12

Resilient Mindset

7. Learning from failures and successes

8. Contributing member of society

9. Being compassionate

10. Responsible life based values

11. Sense of specialness (not self-centered) and help others feel the same

The Power of Resilience, R. Brooks and S. Goldstein

improving life

13

When a door closes, Another one opens,But often we stand there so long lookingat the closed door, That we do not see that one that’s opened.

improving life

14

Resilient Attributes

Inner Strengths

1. Strong sense of self-esteem

2. Personal discipline and responsibility

3. Creativity with open-mindedness

4. Willingness to dream

improving life

15

Resilient Attributes

Inner Strengths

5. Sense of humor

6. High tolerance for distress

7. Commitment to life

8. Philosophical and spiritual framework

improving life

16

Resilient Attributes

Interpersonal Strengths

1. Independence of thought and action

2. Give and take in human interactions

3. Well-established network of family and friends

4. Let go of resentments

5. Forgive others

improving life

17

Resilient Attributes

Interpersonal Strengths

6. Healthy self-interest

7. Generosity

8. Able to give and receive love

9. Can set limits

10. Can protect against the selfishness of others

Resilience, F. Flach, MD

improving life

18

Techniques to Enhance Your Resilience and Cope with Stresses1. Take care of yourself first

2. Time Management

3. Set Priorities

4. Anticipate and prepare for situation

5. Learn to say “No”

6. Take regular time off

7. Use support systems

improving life

19

Techniques to Enhance Your Resilience and Cope with Stresses

8. Share your stories

9. Set realistic expectations

10. Laugh more often

11. Take time for yourself

12. Let go of the guilt

13. Find a mentor

IRONDOC, M. Gautam

improving life

20

Stress-Proofing for Life

1. Living life with a purpose

2. Align your commitments to your purpose

3. Affirm your belief periodically

4. Build a positive emotional state

5. Change your negative emotions

improving life

21

Stress-Proofing for Life

6. Build your physiological harmony:• sleep and eat well • breathing exercises• “fuel and nurture your machine”

7. Be in the moment

8. Smile and laugh often

9. Welcome and benefit from change:• less stress but not an easy life

improving life

22

Stress-Proofing for Life 10. Put energy in finding ways to benefit from new

circumstances

11. Reclaim your energy:• “breathing exercises”

12. Pursuit of Happiness:• birthright• assume a happy person role• play music that triggers pleasant feelings• help others• deep breathing (abdominal)

improving life

23

Stress-Proofing for Life

13. Emotional Transformation:• Stressful situation• Negative emotion• Control it quickly• Will pass and I will not let it compromise my health• Replace it with something you are grateful for• Techniques to move you to a better feeling state (memories, music, actions of someone who feels theway you want to feel)

Power Over Stress, K. Nedd

improving life

24

Dream what you want to dream;Go where you want to go;Try to be who you really are;

Because life is short,and often only gives one chance to do things..

improving life

25

Change: Self and Others

Stages of Change:

1. Pre-contemplation:

• Awareness of the need for change

2. Contemplation:

• Identifying your choices and making a specific decision to change, set realistic goals

3. Preparation:

• Resolving to make a commitment to change

improving life

26

Change: Self and Others

Stages of Change:

4. Action:

• Set a plan of action towards the change

5. Maintenance:

• Regular reassessment and evaluation

IRONDOC, M. Gautam, Prochaska and Associates

improving life

27

• learn solution-focused problem-solving, and apply to Work, Relationships and Lifestyle

• nurture that which is “working”

• transform pain into deeper healing

• mindful and grateful living independent of circumstances

• “reprogram” strong but mistaken convictions of shoulds, musts, and have tos

• learn to “Self Talk” new perspectives

• build relationships based on mutual respect

• build community connectedness

• put Love into action• live simply

• physical exercise and nutrition medical and rehabilitation therapies

• medications, natural therapies, supplements as useful

• body work, acupuncture, Yoga

• become more fully aware and allowing of Reactions, Thoughts, Feelings, Body• stress reduction and calming the mind• increased satisfaction through more complete awareness of experiences

Reframe, ReinterpretingThat Which is Happening

Healing and Caring for the Body

Mindfulness

Community/Being of Service to Others

Experiencing a More Complete

Meaning to Life

Change That Which Can Be Changed

The Process - Giving and Receiving Support, Insights,and Growing Experiences

HEH Counselling Model

improving life

28

Remember:

“We become what we think.”

Ed, Zimmer

improving life

29

THE DIFFERENCE ATTITUDE MAKES

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.Attitude to me, is more important than facts. It is more important

than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think, say or do.

Attitude is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.Attitude will make or break a company, a church, a home.The remarkable thing is, we have a choice, every day, regarding

the attitude I will embrace for that day.I cannot change my past.I cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.I cannot change the inevitable.The only think I can do is play on the one string I have,

MY ATTITUDE! I am convinced, that life is 10% what happens to me and 90%

how I react to is.Charles Swindoll

improving life

30

To be happy,

We must all:

improving life

31

Do our best at whatever we set out to do,

improving life

32

Do at least one thing every day that scares us,

improving life

33

Get plenty of rest,

improving life

34

Always be open to love and romance,

improving life

35

Be kind to everyone, regardless of how similar or different we may be,

improving life

36

Be patient, especially when we don’t want to be,

improving life

37

Reach for our dreams, no matter how far off they may seem,

improving life

38

Learn when to talk, and when to just listen,

improving life

39

Learn to accept our looks and our bodies,

improving life

40

Take risks,

improving life

41

Take the time to rediscover your child inside,

improving life

42

Accept that there are going to be things we are not going to like, but we

are just going to have to deal with them

improving life

43

And never, ever let anyone get you down!!!!

Counselling in our local communities for businesses

of all sizes

Health Management E-courses

Health Risk Assessments Health Library

Self-Help Resources

PlanSmart Series Elder/Child Care

Legal Advise Financial Nutritional

Career

Chamber EFAP Services

Guelph Chamber Supporting Mental

HealthFor Chamber Members