Signs of our time…

By Terry Orr

While browsing Facebook and funny pictures, I have selected a few to share with all of you and hope you will enjoy them as well….

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Emotional Intelligence and Wellness Month

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By Diane Forrest

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 I have been having a string of bad luck lately when it comes to Home Owners Insurance.  If you have ever been canceled by an insurance company, then you will know how difficult it is to get more insurance.  If you are able to find another company, then you will more than likely be charged more than you have been paying.  I was canceled by my company three years ago.  Apparently they just want you to pay for it, not actually use the insurance.  Since I had three small claims in five years, they decided to drop me. Luckily I found another company, and was paying the same amount, so it works out.  In August I got a letter from them saying they were dropping me.  I had never made a claim, however they said my roof and electrical wiring was too old.  Seeing as how they were both recently replaced, I sent them the information and they not only reinstated my policy, but I got an even lower rate.  When I went online to pay my bill this morning, I discovered that my policy had in fact been terminated.  I wasn't too worried, since I just chalked it up to bookkeeping records.  So...I call the customer service and learned that I had in fact been canceled, because they no longer covered homes in my state.  Well as you can imagine, I lost it.  Not only was my policy gone, but that was my second insurance cancellation  and the prospects of finding new insurance was bleak.  My stress level hit the roof.

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Stress is running high for alot of people this month, the presidential elections coming up, stress from lost jobs, increases in bills, gas and food.  There is an increase in violent crimes and other catastrophes.  I was just reading about another mall shooting killing four and injured another four.  The headlines this morning stated a 10 year old girl was heading to court this morning on manslaughter charges.  All these issues increase your body's level of stress tolerance.

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This month we are looking at Emotional Intelligence and Wellness.  'Emotional intelligence' refers to the ability to identify and cope with emotions on oneself and others.   'Emotional wellness' refers to happiness and resilience as well as the absence of distressing emotional issues and the presence of healthy coping techniques.  There are several coping mechanisms to help you deal with stress.  As many of you know, laughter is the best medicine.  It is healthy to be able to laugh at the things that bother you, and if you tuned into the vice presidential debates, I think that Joe Biden uses that method as well.  Crying is another form of release of stress.  Sometimes there is nothing better than a good cry to wash your troubles away.

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According to emotional intelligence experts Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer, there are a few different factors that comprise emotional intelligence.

• The first is an ability to accurately perceive emotions, which includes both your own emotions and the emotions of other people.
• A second factor is an ability to understand these emotions. It may be one thing to identify that someone is experiencing an emotion, but it is also important to understand the possible meanings and causes behind that feeling.
• Third is the ability to use emotions in reasoning. Research has shown that emotions have a major impact on how we think, including how we prioritize and attend to information.
• The final factor is the ability to regulate and effectively manage emotions. Salovey and Mayer suggest that seeking out mood-enhancing situations, people and experiences are a few methods that can be used to regulate emotions.

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In July of this year, Judi England wrote an interesting article titled “Four Room” that helps one better understand Emotional Intelligence and Wellness. This quote came from part one of the four part article.

“There is an Indian proverb or axiom that says that everyone is a house with four rooms, a physical, a mental, an emotional, and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time but, unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are not a complete person.  ” – Rumer Godden, “A House with Four Rooms”

• Part One – http://blog.timesunion.com/holistichealth/four-rooms/9268/
• Part Two - http://blog.timesunion.com/holistichealth/four-rooms-part-2/9320/
• Part Three - http://blog.timesunion.com/holistichealth/four-rooms-part-3/9350/
• Part Four - http://blog.timesunion.com/holistichealth/four-rooms-part-4/9460/

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If you are bogged down, and disheartened about the current situations in your life, the important thing is to: 1) Recognize there is a problem, and 2) Seek help.  If laughing or crying doesn't make you feel better, try talking it out with a friend, family member, pastor, or professional.  Unless the problems are dealt with or resolved, they will build up and cause an even bigger problem.

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References and Links:

• http://thetased.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/keep-in-touch-with-your-emotions-and-keep-your-job/
• http://www.cscc.edu/campus-life/seal/seal-wellness.shtml
• http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu/units/health_ed/wellness.htm

Celebrate National Humor Month

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By Diane Forrest

April 2012 is the 36th Anniversary in the US of National Humor Month.

National Humor Month was founded in 1976 by best-selling humorist Larry Wilde, Director of The Carmel Institute of Humor. It is designed to heighten public awareness on how the joy and therapeutic value of laughter can improve health, boost morale, increase communication skills and enrich the quality of one's life.

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I was talking to my friend the other day who told me her daughter's anniversary was coming up.  I said, oh...what day? She told me it was April 1.  I said April Fool's Day??  Who gets married on April Fool's Day?  I mean really, after saying your vows all you have to do is look at your spouse and say.....April Fool's!!!!!

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I love April Fool's Day, and just generally having fun.   Some days we get so bogged down with work, school, kids, the economy, politics that we just forget to have fun.  So today, I am declaring April as Humor Month!  Ok, well I didn't declare it, someone else did, but I’m all for it 100%.  Some days we need to lighten up and enjoy life and turn that frown upside down.  My father is a great jokester.  In high school he was voted Most Wittiest.  He always makes us laugh.  Not just a little giggle either, I’m talking about at the dinner table where you laugh so hard  your ice tea shoots out of your nose!  Luckily my son takes after him and his humor has really saved him from a lifetime of grounding.  My father recently celebrated his birthday, he received several cards in the mail, but his favorite one was from his brother.  His brother's birthday was in February.  My dad sent him a card that said it could only be opened by someone who was wonderful smart handsome.etc. but. .it was glued shut.  Then, on the back it said...You didn’t try to open it did you??

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So when it came time to send my daddy a birthday card, my uncle took the card he got, scratched out daddy’s signature, and wrote his name...and sent it back!  Daddy loved it!

Sadly I didn’t inherit my father's comedic side, however I do have my moments, and it is so much better to make people laugh, than to make them mad or sad.

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Today is April Fool's day.  The earliest recorded prank is written in the Canterbury Tales by Chaucer, in 1392.  Pranks are played all over the world, from simple ones such as sticking paper fish on the backs of unsuspecting folks, yelling April Fish, to sending invitations to folks in England and inviting them to the Tower of London to watch the lions getting washed which happened in 1698.

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I love reading the stories to see what fun pranks have been pulled, and hopefully get some ideas of my own. Below is a list of the top 5 pranks that have been pulled:

1. The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest:  On 1 April 1957, the respected BBC news show Panorama announced that thanks to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. It accompanied this announcement with footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees. Huge numbers of viewers were taken in. Many called the BBC wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. To this the BBC diplomatically replied, "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best."
2. Sidd Fitch: The April 1985 issue of Sports Illustrated contained a story about a new rookie pitcher who planned to play for the Mets. His name was Sidd Finch, and he could reportedly throw a baseball at 168 mph with pinpoint accuracy. This was 65 mph faster than the previous record. Surprisingly, Sidd Finch had never even played the game before. Instead, he had mastered the "art of the pitch" in a Tibetan monastery under the guidance of the "great poet-saint Lama Milaraspa." Mets fans celebrated their teams' amazing luck at having found such a gifted player, and they flooded Sports Illustrated with requests for more information. In reality this legendary player only existed in the imagination of the author of the article, George Plimpton, who left a clue in the sub-heading of the article: "He's a pitcher, part yogi and part recluse. Impressively liberated from our opulent life-style, Sidd's deciding about yoga —and his future in baseball." The first letter of each of these words, taken together, spelled "H-a-p-p-y A-p-r-i-l F-o-o-l-s D-a-y — A-h F-i-b".
3. Instant Color T.V.:  In 1962 there was only one TV channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. But on 1 April 1962, the station's technical expert, Kjell Stensson, appeared on the news to announce that, thanks to a new technology, viewers could convert their existing sets to display color reception. All they had to do was pull a nylon stocking over their TV screen. Stensson proceeded to demonstrate the process. Thousands of people were taken in. Regular color broadcasts only commenced in Sweden on April 1, 1970.
4. The Taco Liberty Bell:  The Taco Bell Corporation took out a full-page ad that appeared in six major newspapers on 1 April 1996, announcing it had bought the Liberty Bell and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Hundreds of outraged citizens called the National Historic Park in Philadelphia where the bell was housed to express their anger. Their nerves were only calmed when Taco Bell revealed, a few hours later, that it was all a practical joke. The best line of the day came when White House press secretary Mike McCurry was asked about the sale. Thinking on his feet, he responded that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold. It would now be known, he said, as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial.
5. San Serriffe: On 1 April 1977, the British newspaper The Guardian published a special seven-page supplement devoted to San Serriffe, a small republic said to consist of several semi-colon-shaped islands located in the Indian Ocean. A series of articles affectionately described the geography and culture of this obscure nation. Its two main islands were named Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse. Its capital was Bodoni, and its leader was General Pica. The Guardian's phones rang all day as readers sought more information about the idyllic holiday spot. Only a few noticed that everything about the island was named after printer's terminology. The success of this hoax is widely credited with launching the enthusiasm for April Foolery that gripped the British tabloids in subsequent decades.

These came from the website http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/aprilfool/ Check it out for more April Fool hoaxes.

For some ideas of pranks you can do at home check out this site:  http://familyfun.go.com/april-fools-day/ I particularly like the donut seeds!

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So check back all month we will be sharing other fun and crazy days to help lighten your day and put a smile on your face.  After all, Laughter is the best medicine!

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Moment of Laughter Day

April 14, 2011 is International Moment of Laughter Day

International Moment of Laughter Day is certainly a day to put a smile on your face! Today is a day to laugh loudly and laugh often. Watch a funny movie, read an amusing book, or just be silly with your friends. It is not the cause of the laughter that matters… but the effect.

Researchers have begun to examine positive emotions and their impact on a person's health and aging process. Based on the results from a scientific study at the University of Maryland Medical Center, laughter may give a jolt to circulation and have positive effects on the heart. In addition, laughter may increase the body's production of nitric oxide (a chemical that helps dilate blood vessels).

All of these positive impacts on your health are reason enough to laugh not just today, but every day! So go ahead and be silly and laugh at your own jokes. And don't forget that laughter is contagious!

 

The Benefits of Laughter

Physical Health Benefits:	Mental Health Benefits:	Social Benefits:
Boosts immunity	Adds joy and zest to life	Strengthens relationships
Lowers stress hormones	Eases anxiety and fear	Attracts others to us
Decreases pain	Relieves stress	Enhances teamwork
Relaxes your muscles	Improves mood	Helps defuse conflict
Prevents heart disease	Enhances resilience	Promotes group bonding

All of these positive impacts on your health are reason enough to laugh not just today, but every day! So go ahead and be silly and laugh at your own jokes. And don't forget that laughter is contagious!

Here are a few – mixed reviews – but a starting  point – please feel free to share other jokes with us.

All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl.

~ Charlie Chaplin

Total absence of humor renders life impossible. ~ Colette

Humor is by far the most significant activity of the human brain. ~ Edward De Bono

Don't worry about the world coming to an end today.  It is already tomorrow in Australia.  ~Charles Schulz

I have six locks on my door all in a row.  When I go out, I lock every other one.  I figure no matter how long somebody stands there picking the locks, they are always locking three.  ~Elayne Boosler

Murphy was an optimist.  ~O'Toole's Commentary

The Pope flew into an airport for a meeting within a few minutes. His limo driver takes off and the Pope needs him to go faster in order to get to his meeting. The Pope asks the driver to switch places and the Pope will drive. They take off again and the limo is stopped by a cop. The cop takes one look at the situation and radios to headquarters. He tells the chief he's got a pretty important person on his hands. The chief asks "Is he more important than the mayor?" Cop says yes. Chief asks “Is he more important than the governor?" Cop says yes. Chief asks "Is he more important than the President?" Cop says yes. Chief asks "How important can he be" Cop says "I don't know, but he's got the Pope for a driver.

What's the difference between Roast beef and Pea soup? Most people can roast beef.

Did you hear about the dyslexic lawyer who studied all year for the bra exam?

These two cannibals were eating a clown when one of them looks at the other and asks "does this taste kinda funny to you?"

A couple of New Jersey hunters are out in the woods when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn't seem to be breathing; his eyes are rolled back in his head. The other guy whips out his cell phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps to the operator: “My friend is dead! What can I do?”

The operator, in a calm soothing voice says: “Just take it easy. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead.” There is a silence, and then a shot is heard.

The guy's voice comes back on the line. He says: “OK, now what?“

This woman rushed to see her doctor, looking very much worried and all strung out. She rattles off: “Doctor, take a look at me. When I woke up this morning, I looked at myself in the mirror and saw my hair all wiry and frazzled up, my skin was all wrinkled and pasty, my eyes were bloodshot and bugging out, and I had this corpse-like look on my face! What's WRONG with me, Doctor!?”

The doctor looks her over for a couple of minutes, and then calmly says: “Well, I can tell you that there ain't nothing wrong with your eyesight....” 

A general noticed one of his soldiers behaving oddly. The soldier would pick up any piece of paper he found, frown and say: “That's not it” and put it down again. This went on for some time, until the general arranged to have the soldier psychologically tested. The psychologist concluded that the soldier was deranged, and wrote out his discharge from the army.

The soldier picked it up, smiled and said: “That's it.”

Two guys are sitting on a bar stool. One starts to insult the other one. He screams, “I slept with your mother!” The bar gets quiet as everyone listens to see what the other weasel will do. The first again yells, “I SLEPT WITH YOUR MOTHER!”

The other says, “Go home dad you’re drunk.” 

I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather. Not screaming in terror like his passengers.

This Week on Keeping it Simple

National Volunteer Week 2011

It is about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities.  It’s about demonstrating to the nation that by working together, we have the fortitude to meet our challenges and accomplish our goals.  Volunteering goes hand-in-hand with our mission, Helping Others Help Themselves, and at the core of what we strive to do every day.  Please join us in celebrating this week, by giving a little of your time helping others.  Thank you.

Our ace author, Diane will start us off with an overview and some really good links for you to review and use.  We will follow that post with a couple additional ones that will focus on scheduled events and activities and other volunteer-related events coming up this year.

“Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation’s compassion, unselfish caring, patience and just plain love for another.”  ~ Erma Bombeck

HIPPA Week – HIPAA Privacy Rule and Public Health Guidance from CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

New national health information privacy standards have been issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). The new regulations provide protection for the privacy of certain individually identifiable health data, referred to as protected health information (PHI). Balancing the protection of individual health information with the need to protect public health, the Privacy Rule expressly permits disclosures without individual authorization to public health authorities authorized by law to collect or receive the information for the purpose of preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability, including but not limited to public health surveillance, investigation, and intervention.

Comprehensive DHHS guidance is located at the HIPAA website of the Office for Civil Rights (http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa/).

Moment of Laughter Day

International Moment of Laughter Day

International Moment of Laughter Day is certainly a day to put a smile on your face!  Today is a day to laugh loudly and laugh often.  Watch a funny movie, read an amusing book, or just be silly with your friends.  It is not the cause of the laughter that matters, but the effect.

Researchers have begun examining positive feelings and how they impact your health and aging.  Results from a scientific study from the University of Maryland Medical Center show that laughter may give a jolt to circulation and have positive effects on the heart. In addition, laughter may increase the body's production of nitric oxide, a chemical that helps dilate blood vessels. All of these positive impacts on your health are reason enough to laugh not just today, but everyday! So go ahead and be silly and laugh at your own jokes. And don't forget that laughter is contagious!

Global Youth Service Day

Global Youth Service Day is an annual campaign that celebrates and mobilizes the millions of children and youth who improve their communities each day of the year through service and service-learning. Established in 1988, Global Youth Service Day is the largest service event in the world, and the only day of service dedicated to children and youth. GYSD is celebrated each year in over 100 countries.

Stress Awareness Week

National Stress Awareness Day was started by the Health Resource Network (HRN) in 1992 to raise awareness of stress. The day is celebrated each April 16. April is also stress awareness month and people are asked to take a look at their stressful lives and deal with them in a healthy manner. Here are some steps for you to celebrate this stress-free day.

A good friend, Vivian Takafiyi, CMT, MQT, CAT, PhD, will be writing our article on Stress later in the week.  We are looking forward to her article and expertise.

Here’s to a great week ahead – hope to see you throughout the week.  Your comments and recommendations are always welcome and please join our expanding list of followers.