Is your job quietly taking over your life? š°š¼ In this episode, Daniela explores the growing problem of work stress and burnout, sharing how chronic stress can shift the brain into survival mode and impact our health, creativity, and decision-making. š§ ā”
The good news? Simple practices like conscious breathing, hand massage, self-hugs, and even water can help calm the nervous system and bring us back into balance. š§š«¶ Daniela's message is simple: don't wait for your wake-up callāyour wellbeing matters now. āØ
FREE GIFT: We would love to offer your audience a complimentary neuroscience-based Happiness at Work Workshop for their organization. The workshop provides practical tools to reduce workplace stress, prevent burnout, improve wellbeing, and create healthier and happier ways of working. There is no cost for the workshop. To request one, simply email [email protected]
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Episode Summary:
Key Takeaways
- Work stress is a crisis: 6/10 US/Canadian workers are "workaholics" (defined by constant work thoughts, Sunday anxiety, Friday relief), leading to burnout and health issues.
- Burnout rewires the brain for survival: Chronic stress depletes GABA, shifting the brain from creative problem-solving to a reactive "fight or flight" mode.
- Simple tools calm the nervous system: Techniques like conscious breathing, hand massage, and self-hugs trigger calming neurotransmitters (serotonin, oxytocin) to counteract stress.
- Free resources are available: Happy Organizations offers a free, anonymous "Workaholics Anonymous Lab" and a complimentary neuroscience workshop for Melissa's audience.
Topics
The Problem: Work Stress & Burnout
- Daniela's work was inspired by her own stress-induced hospitalization 20 years ago.
- The average person spends ~90,000 hours at work, making purpose and happiness essential.
- "Don't wait for your wake up call" ā Find purpose now to avoid deathbed regrets.
- "Workaholics Anonymous Lab"
- A free, anonymous online support group (Saturdays via Google Meets).
- Created by Happy Organizations, Inc. (a collective of scientists, strategists, etc.) to address the crisis.
- Goal: Provide tools to regulate the nervous system without organizational pressure.
- Rationale: Free access ensures no worker is left without support due to cost.
The Science: How Stress Impacts the Brain
- Chronic stress depletes GABA: This neurotransmitter, which normally promotes calm, is overused.
- Brain shifts to survival mode: The system enters "fight or flight," focusing on defense over creativity.
- Consequences:
- Impaired decision-making
- Reduced conflict resolution skills
- Increased susceptibility to illness
- Productivity research: Shorter workweeks (e.g., 4-day) increase productivity and loyalty, proving less work with more consciousness is more effective.
The Solution: Simple Neuroscience Tools
- These tools are divided into pre-work, during-work, and post-work categories.
- Conscious Breathing:
- Stress ā fast, shallow mouth breathing, which signals danger to the nervous system.
- Technique: Nose breath, hold, mouth exhale. This calms the system and improves brain function.
- Self-Massage:
- Massaging hands and fingers triggers calming neurotransmitters (serotonin, oxytocin).
- Benefit: A discreet way to self-regulate during stressful meetings.
- Self-Hugs:
- A powerful way to self-soothe, best done in private (e.g., a bathroom break).
- Water:
- Drinking water and submerging hands can have a calming effect.
About the Guest:
Dr. Daniela Jines is an internationally recognized Happiness at Work Strategist, researcher, author, and global advocate for happiness at work as a human right. A PhD in Organizational Happiness and Fulbright Scholar, she is the co-founder of Happy Organizations and Director of Happiness & Culture at SurfBreak HawaiŹ»i. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience and research across 30+ countries, Daniela combines neuroscience, organizational science, human rights, and practical tools to help leaders build healthier, happier, and higher-performing workplaces.
Contact info:
Website: https://www.happyorganizations.org
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniela-jines-90b701170/
Instagram: @behappyatwork1.
TOPICS:
Workaholics Anonymous Lab ā Why we created a free global community to help people build a healthier relationship with work, prevent burnout, and learn practical tools for wellbeing.
Free neuroscience tools to feel better at work ā Simple practices people can use immediately to reduce chronic stress, calm the amygdala, protect cognitive performance, and recover during the workday.
What happens to the brain when we work too much ā How prolonged cognitive effort affects the prefrontal cortex, glutamate, cortisol, creativity, decision-making, and emotional regulation.
Why happiness at work should be accessible to everyone ā Well being shouldn't depend on whether an employee or organization can afford expensive programs; practical education and support can be made freely available.
How to start changing your relationship with work today ā Small, realistic changes involvingā¦.
About the Host:
Melissa is an Integrative Health Practitioner and a Board Designated Master Trainer of Hypnotherapy, Trainer of NLP, Time Line TherapyĀ®, and NLP Results Coaching, helping people get to the root cause of their health issues and then get lasting results. Melissa neither diagnoses nor cures but helps bring your body back into balance by helping discover your ātoxic loadā and then removing the toxins. Melissa offers functional medicine lab testing that helps you āsee insideā to know exactly what is going on, and then provides a personalized wellness protocol using natural herbs and supplements. Melissaās business is 100% virtual ā the lab tests are mailed directly to your home and she specializes in holding your hand and guiding the way to healing so that you donāt have to figure it all out on your own.
Melissa has launched Amplify Impact Academy, with business partner, Billie Aadmi and together they train other coaches, practitioners and counsellors in the 4 mind-body healing modalities mentioned above, giving them powerful tools to use with clients to get results with greater ease, speed and grace. These courses teach life skills and anyone can take them, if you want to be a better leader, parent, partner, be empowered in your own life, these courses are for you!
Melissaās passion project is her non-profit, Girls Matter (www.girlsmatter.ca), breaking the poverty cycle 1 girl, 1 family, 1 village at a time. The mission is to keep girls in school and stop teenage marriages, because school isnāt free in over 50 countries around the world and when parents have to make the difficult choices of feeding their kids or paying for school, food wins. And when the girls hit their teen years, they will often be married off so that someone else becomes responsible to feed them. Keeping girls in school instead creates a generational ripple effect, because an educated girl is more than twice as likely to ensure her own children are educated. Educating girls also grows the GDP of countries, when they get into the workforce. This is how together, we can change the world.Guests on this podcast are invited to donate to this important cause. Learn more here in this short video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R3-xqzJLZW14om1PhFClcU_oRSZ8zgip/view?usp=share_link
Melissa is also the winner of the 2024 Women in Podcasting Awards in the āinspiration & motivationā category and the 2021 & 2022 Quality Care Award by Business From The Heart and is also the recipient of the Alignable āLocal Business Person of the Year āAward 2022, 2023 & 2024 for Whistler.
Melissa has been featured at a number of Health & Wellness Summits, such as the Health, Wealth & Wisdom Summit, The Power To Profit Summit, The Feel Fan-freaking-tas-tic Summit, the Aim Higher Summit and many more! She has also guested on over 90 different podcasts teaching people about the importance of prioritizing our health and how to get started.
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/yourguidedhealthjourney
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