It’s that time of the year again in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. This mother blacktail deer has given birth to twins in my backyard. They were still wet and wobbly, when I first spotted them and the doe appeared anxious as she tried to keep everybody together and scan the area for threats. For 8 years I have witnessed the appearance of fawns in the late spring and it continues to excite me and get me running for my camera. I don’t know where they come from or go to, they seem to get absorbed into the hedges and amazing foliage that grows in this maritime climate. These fauns will reappear and in no time be chasing each at high speed across several yards, followed by rest periods of heavy panting. They eventually tire themselves out and head back to mom. These urban deer retain a degree of wildness and have mostly integrated with human activity. A small downside to this relationship is the impact they can have on gardens (raided my cherry tomatoes-lol) and when they cross the roads at a leisurely rate.
You have heard of IQ or EQ and possibly SQ which is social and/or spiritual intelligence. Another acronym that is emerging as our lives become more globalized, is CQ or cultural intelligence. This short, upbeat video simplifies what is required to adapt and succeed in a diverse work or other social setting. See below.
Many of us work in a multi-generational workplace which may include Boomers, Gen X, Y and possibly Z. The Gen Y workers (Millennials) appear to be shaping the labour market with their own style and according to PwC’s NextGen: A global generational study: “When you were born definitely makes a difference.” Click here to check out a short and engaging summary of the study’s findings.
The impact of stressors on our wellbeing is often overlooked. Many of us are unclear what a stress response is and what affect it has on our health. The excerpt below from a HeartMath article points out the role emotions play in creating the stress response in our bodies.
What is “Stress?”
“Stress comes from our perception and emotional reactions to an event or idea. It can be any feeling of anxiety, irritation, frustration, or hopelessness, etc. Stress is not only created by a response to an external situation or event. A lot of daily stress is created by ongoing attitudes, that is, recurring feelings of agitation, worry, anxiety, anger, judgments, resentment, insecurities and self-doubt. These emotions are known to drain emotional energy while engaging in everyday life. It is emotions—more than thoughts alone—activating physical changes that make up the “stress response.” Emotions trigger the autonomic nervous system and, in turn, trigger stress hormones that cause many harmful effects on the brain and body. Stressful feelings actually lead to a chaotic pattern in the beat-to-beat changes in the heart’s rhythm–indicating that our nervous system is out of sync. When this happens, a cascade of over 1,400 biochemical changes are set in motion that have a wide range of effects on the body’s systems.”
After this release of biochemicals and especially if it occurs chronically, damage to our health and wellness can occur.
Click here to reach the HeartMath website, which contains a wealth of information on stress. It is currently offering “free access to the HeartMath experience” on its website at the time of this update, September16, 2022.
