2017 March Articles Archives

Humour and laughter in the workplace

“A company that has fun, where employees put cartoons on the wall and celebrate, is spirited, creative, and usually profitable” (David Baum).

The sound of a belly laugh is far more contagious than any cough, sniffle or sneeze. Shared laughter binds people together and increases happiness and intimacy. Laughter also strengthens your immune system, boosts your energy, diminishes pain and protects you from the damaging effects of stress. Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free and easy to use.

Make your job fun

With the constant pressures in the workplace to work faster, assimilate more information, learn new skills and adopt new responsibilities, try taking yourself less seriously (while taking your work more seriously) and you’ll probably achieve all these goals. By finding the light side of deadlines, conflicts and other aspects of your job (especially on days that are tough), you’ll not only let go of the frustrations and upsets of the moment, but also deal more effectively with the immediate problem. Bringing your sense of humour to your job (when appropriate) also goes a long way to helping make your work fun.

How others perceive you

Research shows that fun people are viewed by their colleagues as being intelligent, energetic, hardworking, outgoing, friendly, competent and able to laugh at themselves. It is precisely because of these qualities that so many companies now seek employees with a good sense of humour.

Negative side to humour

If you tell jokes on the job that poke fun at other racial or ethnic groups, the opposite sex, etc, it’s just a matter of time until you seriously offend someone, even if the person laughs at your joke. With increasing levels of cultural diversity emerging in most workplaces, it’s best to not tell any “put-down” jokes on the job.

Our Employee Wellbeing Programme (EWP) is available 24 hours a day. If you want to know more about humour at work, call us on the EWP number or email us at help@lifeassist.co.za.

Sources:

Abramis, D. 1989. All work and no play isn’t even good for work. Psychology Today (March):34–38
Abramis, D.J. 1989. Fun at work. Personnel Administrator (November):60–63
LaBarre, P. 1996. Lighten up! Blurring the line between fun and work not only humanizes organizations, but strengthens the bottom line. Industry Week (February):53
Lancaster, H. 1996. Your career may be a laugh track away from the fast track. Wall Street Journal (March):26

zara2021-04-01T11:22:01+00:00

Tooth veneers: the good, the bad and the ugly

In the past, the only way to correct dental imperfections and get a movie star smile was to cover teeth with crowns. Today, veneers are the “in” thing!

What is a veneer?

A veneer is a layer of material placed over or bound to a tooth to give it a better, more natural appearance and colour. Different materials are used to do so of which porcelain veneers are the most common. A porcelain laminate veneer is a thin layer of dental ceramic material, fixed to the outer surface of a tooth with a special resin adhesive. A small amount of the tooth’s surface (1 mm or less) is usually removed before the veneer is bonded to the tooth. A relatively new process, referred to as the no-drill or prep-less porcelain veneer (lumineers), does away with this practice of tooth shaving. Lumineers are ultra-thin (approximately 0.2 mm) and highly translucent porcelain veneers.

There are many pros to having teeth covered by veneers but there are also a few cons to take into consideration before going for the Holywood look.

Good

- Veneers improve your smile. They cover and disguise discoloured teeth and can give you a set of pearly whites − just like the movie stars

- Veneers can be used to repair and cover badly chipped and misshapen teeth

- Veneers’ effects are both immediate and long-lasting. With today’s improved cements and bonding agents, they typically last 10 to 30 years

- Veneers can be used to close minor to moderate spaces between teeth

- Veneers can correct minor bite problems

- Veneers can be used to build up teeth that have been worn down by grinding habits

- Veneers are reasonably quick to fix.

Bad

- Veneers can be quite expensive

- Veneers are fairly permanent and, if done badly; difficult to repair or reverse

- Lumineers (prep-less veneers) may be reversible but aren’t appropriate in all situations

- Veneers may later cause tooth sensitivity because of the removal (shaving down) of part of the tooth’s surface

- Veneers that have been poorly installed can cause an uneven bite and problems with chewing

- Veneers, although tough and durable, are made of glass and can shatter if bent. They need to be treated with care, for example by wearing a mouth guard if you grind your teeth at night

- Veneers can be harmful when applied to “straighten” the normal and healthy teeth of younger people.

Ugly (consequences)

Veneers are not for everyone and should be limited to older individuals with significant aesthetic problems that harm their health and self-confidence. Cosmetic dentists warn that creating the perfect veneer and a realistic-looking smile is a very involved process. Mismatched colours on the top and bottom teeth and cheap veneers that mimic bathroom tiles rather than human teeth, can make you look like a clown.

A reliable dentist will not only take note of the size and structure of your mouth but also your skin tone, the shape of your face, fullness of your lips and size and colour of your natural teeth before applying a veneer. Make sure you choose a reputable cosmetic dentist before “baring” your teeth!

Sources

Dental Veneers: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. 2015. Retrieved from: https://www.thenorthridgedentist.com/dental-veneers-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/
Porcelain veneers. Retrieved from: http://www.deardoctor.com/porcelain-veneers/#sthash.Iq7ywuAn.dpuf
Veneer (dentistry). Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veneer_(dentistry)
Walansky, A. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly about veneers. Retrieved from: http://www.thegloss.com/beauty/good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-about-veneers/

2021-03-15T17:07:39+00:00

Ten habits of highly happy people

Everybody wants it but nobody is certain how to get it. Studying the habits of truly happy people may shed some light on the subject; so let’s try and find an answer.

Nobody knows for certain what the secret to happiness is but some claim that it’s a skill like any other life skill and that it can be mastered. Recent Positive Psychology studies about the science of happiness also seem to point out that specific ways of thinking and acting can strongly impact our sense of wellbeing and happiness.

According to Positive Psychology expert, Martin Seligman, 60% of our happiness is determined by our genetics and environment while the remaining 40% is up to us. The happiest people are those who have discovered their own strengths and virtues and then use these for a purpose that is greater than their own personal goals, he says. Happy people:

Build and nurture relationships. They have one or up to five, maybe six, close friends that they can bare their souls to and vice versa. They surround themselves with other happy, positive people.
Have found their “flow” meaning they are deeply involved in trying to reach a goal, or are engaged in an activity that is challenging but well suited to their skills just because they like doing it and it gives them much joy in the doing. It may be anything – sports, playing an instrument, painting, writing, teaching, etc.
Have found greater meaning in their lives through spiritual and religious practices. Studies back this up.
Count their blessings daily. Studies have shown that grateful people have more positive emotions, a greater sense of belonging and a lower incidence of depression and stress.
Are quick to forgive and forget. They don’t hold grudges because they know that holding onto resentment, anger, hurt and other negative emotions will mar their happiness.
Regard their problems as challenges or as opportunities to learn new skills and wisdom that will change their lives for the better. They don’t sweat the small stuff!
Dream big. When you dream big you’re opening your mind to a more optimistic, positive state where you have the power to achieve virtually anything you desire.
Live in the present and avoid constantly replaying past negative events in their heads or worrying about the future.
Don’t compare themselves to others and don’t need their approval either. They do not allow others to dictate the way they should live.
Choose to follow a healthy lifestyle by exercising and eating the right food, getting enough sleep and enough fresh air and sun exposure.

To follow these steps takes two things: attitude and action! So, do give it a try. Learn to make yourself happy − live, laugh and then embrace being a happy individual!

Sources

Mercola, J. 22 Habits of happy people. Retrieved from: http://www.hungryforchange.tv/article/22-habits-of-happy-people
The persuit pf happiness: bringing the science of happiness to life. Retrieved from: http://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/science-of-happiness/

2021-03-16T11:42:00+00:00