Find Life Coach | Meet Alec Jiggins: How to Develop an Unshakeable Mindset?

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October 8, 2021

Alec Jiggins is one of the coaches we found and we did a little interview with him. He impressed us with his no BS approach to coaching. Here is what he said.

Meet Life Coach Alec Jiggins:

Name: Alec Jiggins
Pillar: The Mind
Who is this coach for: Anyone who wants to develop an unshakeable mindset that will help them push past their limits.
How they can help: By using various techniques, models as well as NLP and action promoting questions.

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these Pandemic times?

Thankfully, we are all fine.

My family and I moved back to the UK from Singapore mid pandemic, which was a real challenge. It’s lovely to be close to family, finally putting down some roots after 16 years overseas.

For me, the pandemic has helped me to strip away lots of superfluous beliefs and really focus on what’s important.

Being physically isolated made me really value the closeness of being with my family and friends, and now that we are able to travel and see people, I am determined to really build and cherish each relationship.

How does the coronavirus pandemic affect your clients? Did it affect you at all?

Coaching is person centered, so switching from face to face to online presented me with an opportunity to challenge my beliefs around coaching, learn some new skills, and show up powerfully online for my clients.

The pandemic has created new challenges for all of us, whether that be in our careers or families.

It’s thrust the frailty of human existence into everyone’s awareness, and my clients.. and myself.. are asking deeper questions of themselves. I help them to find the answers.

What are the biggest lessons that you learned in this pandemic?

The quality of our life is determined by the quality of our relationships, so stay connected, even remotely.

One of our basic human needs is to feel part of a community.

I made a conscious decision of “nobody left behind” so I connected with friends, clients, former clients and colleagues, even total strangers, to make sure that we all felt connected.

The Origin:

Tell us about you, your career, how you started with your coaching career?

I’ve been coaching, in one way or another, since I was in high school. I have always been fascinated by people, their drive and motivation, and how to be successful.

I wasn’t a particularly good student at school, and didn’t have THAT teacher who stood for me. I left school at 18 with average grades and no real plan to achieve my goal of becoming a journalist. Through sheer determination and a lucky break, I landed a job with a newspaper and slowly learnt my craft, developed my skills as a writer and editor.

My own immaturity was a major obstacle to feeling fulfilled, so I began a search for meaning. I quit my job and went to university to train as a teacher, as I had always enjoyed working with young people. I got the teaching bug, and was naturally drawn to working with teenagers who were struggling. In many ways, I identified with their journey and wanted to connect with them and help them achieve their potential.

I was promoted to Head of Department at the end of my induction year, and found myself coaching a newly qualified teacher. I discovered that I really enjoyed helping adults achieve their potential, not just teenagers. During my career in education, I worked with my own coach as I was struggling with imposter syndrome, feeling overwhelmed, and ultimately burning out. It was transformational for me and led me to train as a coach.

In my career, I’ve started two successful new schools and turned around a failing school, and all of this has been possible by developing my own unshakeable belief, a growth mindset, and by coaching and building high performing individuals and teams. No two people are the same, so I start where my client is, and we co create the rest.

Every year, Dr Marshall Goldsmith generously offers scholarships for coaches to train in Stakeholder Centered Coaching. I applied three years in a row before I was successful, so resilience does pay off. I’m now a certified leadership coach with both Marshall Goldsmith and the Global Coach Group.

What was your biggest obstacle that you had to overcome in your life that made you who you are today?

My imposter syndrome, choosing to believe in myself.

There have been times in my life when I have slipped into a disempowered state, at times even into a victim mentality.

What helped me overcome this?

1. Working with coaches. I am not the same person I was six months ago, let alone 10 years ago. My self awareness and self belief have grown massively.

2. Letting go of my ego. It wasn’t easy, trust me, but accepting myself, being 100% authentic, and living according to my values are my superpower.

3. My purpose. I truly believe that when you are living your purpose, your passion, then you are thriving. Serving others is my purpose, coaching is the vehicle I use.

The Coaching Style:

How do you innovate with coaching your clients?

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” — Wayne Dyer

My coaching is based on my clients developing an unshakeable belief in themselves, a mindset that is set to “thrive” and not “survive”.

I don’t do warm and fuzzy.

My coaching is like having a drill sergeant for your mind.

Pain is a by product of growth, suffering is optional.

I want all of my clients to become stronger, more empowered, making powerful choices in their lives.

In either my individual or group coaching programmes, my clients have the benefit of belonging to an online community, which is great for promoting accountability, collaboration, and supporting one another.

What’s unique about your coaching approach?

Other than my life experience, absolutely nothing. I am unafraid to share my own personal failings, the lessons learnt, and the insights I have about it now.

Our past does not equal our present or future, so breaking the cycle of beliefs and behaviors is at the heart of my coaching.

In essence, I stand for my clients, give them my full and absolute attention and integrity, and support them in making powerful choices.

I start from where they are, using tools and questions to move them towards their goals, but always focused on building an unshakeable belief in their potential.

I use a range of coaching techniques and models, including NLP, through individual coaching, group coaching, online and face to face with my clients.

What benefits do your clients get after working with you?

By its very nature, coaching is intangible, you’re not buying a washing machine.

My clients find greater clarity around what they truly want in life, develop an unshakeable mindset, and build the behavioural changes and habits that are going to enable them to be authentic and live their best life.

My clients have achieved promotion, quit their jobs and started their own businesses, found greater work and life balance, a sense of calm and improved wellbeing, and dialed down the voice of their inner critic.

Do you use any specific tools to be efficient with your clients?

I use a range of different tools with clients, including an online booking system for sessions, recordings of each session for reflection, and a community group for support.

The Impact:

If you had a super megaphone that, when you speak into, the whole world will hear your message, what would you say?

You are enough.

You cannot fail.

It can be done, and you can do it.

The only difference between fear and excitement is your attitude about it.

What is the greatest lesson you have learned in your life?

Self Belief is everything.

Before Roger Bannister ran the four minute mile, everyone believed it was impossible. His record lasted just 46 days before it was broken, by someone who knew it was possible.

Life is about choosing, every moment, to believe, how to be. Letting go of expectations, just being in the moment, being responsible, being aligned with one’s values, believing in oneself.

We all slip, from time to time.

Coaching has helped me to develop a greater self awareness, so I can catch myself and my clients when this happens, and pivot into an empowered state.

Your final thoughts?

Life is created, minute by minute, by the choices we make.

You can only join up the dots when you stop and look backwards, but you have to live it looking forwards, so believe in yourself and go for it.

I have reinvented myself, been fired, pivoted careers, lived in seven countries, failed more than I’ve succeeded, and I am leaning into the fear and going flat out for it.

Where Can You Find Alec Jiggins?

If this interview resonated with you and you want to get to know more about Alec’s coaching go and visit https://alecjiggins.com you will find everything about him and his method.

If you want to contact him directly you can do that at [email protected]. Don’t be shy, send him a message and he will make sure to answer your questions. It was an honor having this interview with him.

Find Life Coach | Meet Linde Hoff: How to Eat Your Way to Better Health?

Dejan

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October 6, 2021

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Linde Hoff is one of the coaches we found and we did a little interview with her. She impressed us with her approach to health, especially the connection between healthy diet and mental health. Here is what she said.

Meet Life Coach Linde Hoff:

Name: Linde Hoff
Pillar: The Body
Who is this coach for: Anyone who wants to improve their overall health, lifestyle and wellbeing.
How they can help: By listening, using empathy and applying unique guidance customized to the individual, working as a team to improve the health, habits and lifestyle.

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these Pandemic times?

We are doing as well as can be expected.

We have adapted and have moved more of our work to our homes, and are grateful we were able to do so! It was an adjustment, but we are making it work.

How does the coronavirus pandemic affect your clients? Did it affect you at all?

The coronavirus pandemic affected my clients in various ways, but it mostly brought anxiety and fear about not knowing what the future would hold for them and their families.

Many weren’t sure about their financial futures or if their job would continue. Others were concerned about older family members.

Clients suffered increases in stress, for sure.

As for myself, it certainly did affect me, given I have elderly parents. I was concerned about them getting ill, although they were very cautious.

What are the biggest lessons that you learned in this pandemic?

The biggest lessons I’ve learned are:

1. Be kind, because you have no idea what someone else might be going through.

2. Think before you act or type, because I saw and read so many unbelievable and inappropriate things online that people probably wish they could take back.

3. Breathe. When in doubt about something, take a big breath, count to ten, and then decide whether whatever you were thinking is still a good idea.. like that second helping of food, buying that shirt you don’t need, etc.

The Origin:

Tell us about you, your career, how you started with your coaching career?

After carrying out the duties of Clinic Director and Case Manager and Wellness Coach for an out patient psychiatric and addictions clinic, it became evident how important the coaching role was for individuals to stay on track for their treatment program with their physician and to improve their lifestyle overall.

It was then I became increasingly motivated to take further steps in my career to offer more to people who struggled in a wider variety of issues.

What was your biggest obstacle that you had to overcome in your life that made you who you are today?

When I was a sophomore in college, I contracted rheumatoid arthritis and was very ill for several months.

I had difficulty getting around physically and had to take a lot of medications to get it under control.

At a time when a young girl should be enjoying herself, I wasn’t, and, instead, I was on an extremely restricted diet and unable to do the things my classmates were doing.

It taught me the importance of health and one’s lifestyle and diet.

Fast forward to today, and through proper exercise and a good diet, I have been able to control the disease without medications. In fact, it’s in total remission.

This experience has made me believe one can overcome a diagnosis, within reason, if one tries hard enough.

The Coaching Style:

How do you innovate with coaching your clients?

Through motivational interviewing and active listening, I approach each client uniquely and innovate with them on a personal level.

We are all separate individuals and respond differently to different stimuli, no two people are alike. Therefore, a cookie cutter approach won’t work.

We work together as a team, with the client in charge.

I am there to assist in guiding along the journey.

What’s unique about your coaching approach?

My coaching approach is tailored to the unique individual, it’s not about me!

What benefits do your clients get after working with you?

After working with me for a contracted amount of time, I send my clients a signed copy of my cookbook, free of charge. It’s titled “Eating Your Way to Better Mental Health”.

Do you use any specific tools to be efficient with your clients?

Empathy and my ears for listening.

The Impact:

If you had a super megaphone that, when you speak into, the whole world will hear your message, what would you say?

We only have this one life and this one body, so be kind to yourself and the beautiful vessel you inhabit. It’s amazing and will treat you well if you allow it.

What is the greatest lesson you have learned in your life?

It’s really not about you.

We think people are staring at us and criticizing us, when, in reality, they haven’t even noticed us, because they’re too busy worrying about themselves. Relax!

Your final thoughts?

In this time of high tech and automated everything and hustle and bustle, we have sky rocketing suicides, terrible rates of depression and anxiety, and a society of people stressed for a variety of reasons.

We need to connect more, not in a technical manner, but in a human way.

Through coaching, I find such gratification in doing this.

It might sound simple, but sometimes, less is truly more.

Where Can You Find Linde Hoff?

If you resonated with what Linde said, you can find all about her coaching on her website at www.LindeRHoff.com, so don’t shy away from checking her out.

Also, if you are interested in her book “Eating Your Way to Better Mental Health” you can check it out here. You’ll find all the recipes that she gives her clients inside the book. It was an honor having this interview with her.

Here is How Bad Breathing Habits Affect Your Wellbeing

Dejan

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October 5, 2021

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How often do you pay attention to the way you breathe?

It’s understandable that most people seldom consider their breath and how bad breathing habits may be affecting their health.

After all, the process we repeat an average of 20,000 times per day seems to be an automatic one that doesn’t necessarily require any conscious intervention.

While you can usually leave your body to handle your breathing for you, there’s good reason to be more mindful of it.

For starters, not breathing correctly can make you sick. It can deprive your lungs of oxygen, leaving you prone to illness and stress.

There are many other aspects of wellbeing that are negatively affected, and we’ll look into them below.

Why We Have Bad Breathing Habits?

Now more than ever, we are prone to certain behaviors that don’t lend well to breathing properly.

This includes sitting at desks for extended periods and being exposed to continual states of anxiety and pressure.

We have gotten used to taking short, shallow breaths that mirror the stress inducing effects of hyperventilation.

Over time, these symptoms can accumulate and create lasting tension, which may contribute to poor posture and higher risk of developing respiratory conditions such as asthma.

How Bad Breathing Affects Your Wellbeing:

Cognition

In a study carried out at Northwestern University, researchers found that breathing and cognitive function are connected.

By only breathing from the top part of your lungs, the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide are disrupted, and thinking is impaired.

Blood rate and Cortisol

Shallow breathing also increases blood pressure and heart rate, ramping up cortisol production. All of it induces your stress levels.

Endurance

Another risk of bad breathing habits is that they reduce the use of respiratory muscles. This lowers your endurance and makes you feel out of breath sooner.

Sleep

Finally, there’s the matter of sleep. If you read our articles you know that we are big ambassadors of quality sleep. We often rant about the negative effects of not getting enough sleep.

Taking fewer deep breaths can lead to difficulties with sleep, along with increased headaches and back pain as a result of less diaphragm engagement.

The negative effects of bad breathing habits reach far and wide when it comes to your wellbeing. So, what should you be doing instead? Let’s take a look at how you can reduce shallow breathing.

How to Breathe Effectively:

An important first step is to stay mindful and recognize bad breathing habits.

You can try the following simple exercise to establish the difference between deep and shallow breathing:

1. Lie on the floor with your hands on your stomach.

2. Take note of whether your chest or diaphragm rises when you breathe.

3. Focus on breathing into the lower part of your torso.

4. Take long and slow breaths through your nose.

As the last step suggests, you shouldn’t be breathing through your mouth, an increasingly common habit with endless negative effects.

In a study published by NeuroReport, it was found that breathing through the mouth can increase sleep apnea, raise blood pressure and put you at risk of harmful heart problems.

That said, putting an end to mouth breathing can be challenging, especially when it happens in your sleep.

You can use a solution such as mouth tape to keep your lips from coming apart when you’re in bed.

Head to the following link to have all your questions answered about mouth tape and why it’s important to breathe through your nose.

What You Should Remember?

Being aware of the benefits of proper breathing habits can help you stick to them.

Among them are reduced stress, improved concentration and cognition, regular heart rate and improved blood circulation. Your endurance will also be higher, along with your pain tolerance.

If turned into a regular habit, deep breathing can be life changing.

Be sure to practice each day and soon enough, you’ll feel the benefits.

4 Smart Tips For Avoiding A Sports Injury

Dejan

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October 5, 2021

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Being physically active is encouraged by everyone. From 30 to 45 minutes per day is the recommend dosage. It is good for your health and overall mood.

But, occasional accidents and injuries are inevitable if you’re physically active. People get hurt while exercising, twisting an ankle or pulling a muscle.

For serious athletes, on the other hand, injuries are often a combination of infrequent and serious, and tend to include more overuse injuries, or problems like torn ACLs, which are near endemic in soccer players.

Of course, regardless of whether you would consider yourself a casual athlete, a weekend warrior, or a total fitness buff, it’s important to know how best to avoid injuries so that you’re not hurting yourself in preventable ways.

The following guidelines can go a long way toward safeguarding your body against serious harm, while still letting you enjoy your favorite activities.

4 Smart Tips For Avoiding Injury While Exercising:

1. Know Your Body.

Anyone who is serious about sports will tell you that sometimes you’ll need to workout when you don’t feel your best.

That doesn’t mean overextending yourself when you’re injured, more like going for a run when you’re a little sore or coming down with a cold.

Those things are part of being an athlete, but distinguishing between real injuries and being under the weather means knowing your body.

What does knowing your body look like in practice?

If you’re a runner with a chronic, mild back ache, not running is probably not the answer.

In fact, it could cause your muscles to seize up even more and make the pain worse.

Instead, your first steps should be things like checking your form and replacing your shoes to see if adjustments relieve the discomfort.

Or, if you do think running is a problem, you might consider changing exercises and swimming for a few days or weeks until your back feels a little better, rather than retiring to the couch.

You should be the one who knows your body the best.

2. Know The Activity.

Another way to avoid getting hurt when exercising is by being well versed in the activity you’re participating in.

That means, for example, knowing how to properly perform stretches or hold your body when lifting weights.

Another key rule: don’t skip your warm ups and cool downs.

These pre and post workout activities are key to caring for your muscles, and yet people frequently skip them.

3. Do Your Rehab.

If you’ve recently suffered a sports injury, you’re in a vulnerable place, physically and mentally.

Not only are you likely a bit out of shape because you needed to rest during your recovery and because your body is newly healed, but you may also be experiencing injury anxiety.

Doing your post injury physical therapy can help rehabilitate your body, but you’ll also want to go slowly and consult a trainer who can support you as you get back on the field.

Some athletes also benefit from working with a sports psychologist to overcome the mental barriers that come with recovering from an injury.

4. Play Smart.

Even if it’s not uncommon for people to get injured during sports, too often those injuries are worse than they need to be because the participants are doing something foolish, like failing to wear protective equipment or participating in an activity they’re not ready for, like a challenging race.

This is what some doctors refer to as weekend warrior syndrome, the tendency to dive into challenging activities on the weekend while being largely sedentary during the week.

That’s playing hard, not playing smart, and it’s a surefire way to hurt yourself.

For the average person, a sports injury may not derail your life or career, but it can certainly be painful, frustrating, and could be entirely avoidable with the proper precautions.

Rather than diving head first into an activity, then, first make sure you know how to participate safely.

It’s the best way to make sure you can stay on the field in the long term, not just for this season.

What You Should Remember?

Being physically active every day is healthy for your being. It’s encouraged by almost everyone. From taking a walk or a hike to doing a HIIT exercise, it’s important to move your body.

However, keep in mind that it’s easy to hurt yourself if you tackle your physical activities without any preparation.

In that case you might need to attend some post injury physical therapy. Always consult with your physician first.

Keep in mind these 4 tips and keep yourself safe.

Find Life Coach | Meet Laura Holmes: How to Go from Shame to Self Trust and Compassion?

Dejan

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October 5, 2021

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Laura Holmes is one of the coaches we found and we did a little interview with her. She impressed us with her expertise and her unsettling passion to always improve her coaching skills. Here is what she said.

Meet Life Coach Laura Holmes:

Name: Laura Holmes
Pillar: The Spirit
Who is this coach for: Anyone who wants to transcend their self deprecation and tackle their life purpose with confidence.
How they can help: By using goal setting techniques and strategies to find your purpose, releasing limiting beliefs and mindfulness meditation.

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these Pandemic times?

I’ve been very lucky to have started my online business at the start of the pandemic.

I live abroad in Bali and haven’t been able to see my family for a long time due to travel restrictions, but they’re all doing well and we keep in touch all the time!

How does the coronavirus pandemic affect your clients? Did it affect you at all?

Many of my clients have faced a sense of overwhelm, more so as we approach normality again.

It’s been hard on all of us to constantly be adjusting.

I think so many people have changed their careers in the last year, whether that’s working from home or a total job change and that’s something we certainly cover in coaching sessions.

Rather than taking the perspective of panic and scarcity, I like to support my clients in seeing leaving a job role as an opportunity to figure out what it is they truly want to do, then cultivating self belief to make it a reality.

What are the biggest lessons that you learned in this pandemic?

The pandemic has taught me to slow down and to listen to my own needs rather than focussing on others or what I think I ‘should’ be doing.

Pre pandemic, western society was in a very ‘yang’ state. We were feeling imbalanced and burnt out.

I believe the pandemic has brought us all more into a yin state, it taught us that it’s ok to just be, without being productive every moment of the day.

The Origin:

Tell us about you, your career, how you started with your coaching career?

I began my coaching career after struggling with my mental health and working as a part time online tutor.

I knew that wasn’t my ‘calling’ in life but I didn’t know how to find clarity in what I actually wanted to do and I thought my options were limited.

I started working with a life coach myself and realized that my psychology background and experience in teaching and behavioral therapy all made sense, plus I am extremely passionate about people feeling empowered, life coaching was my thing all along!

I trained and got my life coaching qualification, then started working with clients from August last year.

My coaching style and the values behind my business have shaped and shifted but now I am so happy with the work I do. It’s so rewarding to support other people in feeling their best and living a life they deserve.

What was your biggest obstacle that you had to overcome in your life that made you who you are today?

What a tough question!

Honestly, I think moving abroad has been my toughest hurdle.

Most people tell me I’m lucky to be living in Bali but when you move and immerse yourself in a totally contrasting culture to your own, you go through a process of acculturation which then brings about an identity crisis!

I’m so pleased I’ve undergone so much personal development to feel sure in who I am and therefore rooted in my own values and beliefs.

I know this is where I want to be but it’s been a rollercoaster to feel settled somewhere so novel.

The Coaching Style:

How do you innovate with coaching your clients?

I work with clients from all different background but with similar goals.. they feel out of control and aren’t connected to who they truly are.

I continue my professional development constantly to ensure I am improving my coaching strategies and techniques.

But what has helped the most with perfecting my coaching services is experience.

I now know from the first session with a client what will work best with them and specify their coaching aims, then I can tailor our coaching trajectory to allow each session to be unique and complimentary of the client’s needs.

What’s unique about your coaching approach?

While I am a confidence coach, I take a gentle approach and integrate a lot of mindfulness practices into my coaching.

I believe mindfulness helps us to develop true inner confidence as we cultivate a deeper relationship with ourselves.

More than anything, my coaching is compassionate.

I am compassionate, I encourage my clients to be compassionate and therefore there are no ‘rules’ or ‘shoulds’… which is pretty unique!

What benefits do your clients get after working with you?

Where do I begin?

There are the ‘practical’ wins, such as clients moving to their dream homes, getting the job they’ve always wanted, leaving a partner that wasn’t serving them.

But in my eyes, the biggest wins are the mindset shifts.

Going from a place of self deprecation and shame to a place of self trust and compassion. To me, that’s a long lasting shift that can change someone’s life.

Do you use any specific tools to be efficient with your clients?

I have a whole range of tools that I use with clients and am constantly developing.

I’ve created my own goal setting strategies, techniques to find someone’s deeper life purpose, how to defeat limiting beliefs and more recently have been integrating meditation and other mindfulness tools into my coaching practice.

The Impact:

If you had a super megaphone that, when you speak into, the whole world will hear your message, what would you say?

Stop what you’re doing, unclench your jaw and take some deep breaths! Nothing is more important than your wellbeing, so take time to just be.

What is the greatest lesson you have learned in your life?

To listen to myself and trust what’s right for me.

Your final thoughts?

It’s been a joy to talk through my business and how it’s developed during the pandemic.

This is my dream career and I feel so lucky to be doing what I love to do everyday.

I have a new affordable membership opening up at the start of July, so head to my website to learn more!

Where Can You Find Laura Holmes?

If you want to learn more about her work you can visit her website at Mindful Confidence where you will find all about her coaching.

You can also listen to her podcast Fill Your Teacup or ask to join her private Facebook group. It was an honor having this interview with her.

The 7 Biggest Challenges For Public Health Experts in The Aftermath of a Pandemic

Dejan

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October 2, 2021

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The world is still recovering from the outbreak of the virus even after almost two years.

The pandemic caused several cases of infectious diseases, leading to the discovery of many new long term health consequences.

The virus was so challenging for some economies that it instigated the collapse of many healthcare systems all around the world.

The large scale impact of this contagious virus impacted the decision making powers of many authoritative figures such as health experts.

Public health experts confronted unprecedented challenges because they were responsible for making the people aware of the ongoings and ensuring they understood the cruciality of following the SOPs.

They had to consider attaining all public health objectives while maintaining adequate restrictive strategies to safeguard the public’s interest.

The challenges which public health experts face in the aftermath of a pandemic should not go unnoticed.

7 Biggest Challenges For Public Health Experts:

biggest-challenges-for-public-health-experts-in-the-aftermath-pandemic

1. Unanticipated Shock.

The shock of the coronavirus disease does not seem to be ending anytime soon.

In fact, several research studies have linked it to illustrate an unexpected large scale surprise that will have a long term impact on many societal and economic factors.

But most essentially, it has severely increased the responsibilities of public health professionals.

Even the new public health policy about wearing a mask in public to reduce the infectious spread of the virus was not taken well by the public.

The government had to step in and enforce strict laws against the new Standard Operating Procedures for activities outside the home.

2. Slow Adoption.

Many experts had warned about the incoming of a large scale pandemic in their researches and studies, but nobody was ready to take it seriously.

It is why we were so unprepared to deal with lasting economic and social consequences.

The lack of response and slowness of adoption from the public was another massive challenge for the public health experts.

It was the case for almost every country globally, even the most developed ones like the USA. People were not ready to accept the catastrophic alterations without seeing them happen before their eyes.

The public health professionals took up the duty to make the people understand and consider the interdependencies of multiple healthcare activities.

3. Unnecessary Accidents.

The healthcare sector was unequipped and unprepared to deal with such a consequential epidemic.

It led to several unnecessary accidents, which we could have avoided if only the healthcare workers had the right equipment at the right time.

The public health professionals faced a similar issue because of common misconceptions in society and easy accessibility to unreliable information.

People are still reluctant to get vaccinated because of the widespread rumors attached to it. The experts are undergoing immense stress to develop ways to convince the public and bring an overall behavioral change.

4. Deteriorating Mental Health.

The stress and exhaustion of constantly dealing with the rapidly increasing problems have taken a toll on everyone’s mental health.

Public health experts are going through immense pressure from the public and the government, which has led to their deteriorating mental condition. Unfortunately, minimal policies ensure holistic care for medical or public health professionals, which became a significant issue during the pandemic.

The increasing pressure of providing public safety and interest while managing the industry’s shortage of workers and equipment led to worsening mental health.

The epidemic demands quick and prompt decision making which keeps the professionals with the least time for self care.

The psychological weariness became a challenge because it started affecting their performance at work and caused an even more shortage of workers.

5. Improper Surveillance of System.

Unfortunately, the public health professionals had to deal with external pressure and internal exploitations of the healthcare system.

The public health system faced a lack of integration and coordination during this pandemic.

It became difficult to give patients and the public the optimum quality of care, which led to other failures in the system.

It became a significant challenge for public health experts and leaders to monitor the activities adequately.

It led to major issues in performance management, causing the system to fall apart nearly.

Professionals had to come up with new and better ideas to develop the industry once again.

They had to ensure that all public health organizations were continuously in touch and on the same page to provide the public an equal level of precaution and reduce medical errors.

6. Growing Number of Older Population.

One of the aftermaths of the pandemic is the loss of the working population that the world experienced due to an increased mortality rate globally.

It has increased the number of older people in the community, while the younger ones fall victim to the coronavirus.

The real challenge is accommodating the more senior citizens, as many lost their young sons who looked after them.

The public health experts are finding and developing alternatives to nursing homes, but the budgets are too low to take any quick action.

There is a high chance of elderly’s experience a shortage of healthcare services due to lack of workers, slow growth in the private insurance market, and uncertainty of fund projections shortly.

It has been a great challenge for public health experts to find new ways to protect the working population, who cannot spend their days staying safe inside the house and have to serve the economy.

7. Missing Incentives.

Public health experts had to face a particular revolt from within their organizations due to missing incentives like health insurance and a safe working environment for the healthcare workers.

They did not have optimum quarantining facilities, which caused resentment towards work.

The criticalness of this work demands a hundred percent sincerity, which is why a negative attitude on the job could lead to severe consequences.

Public health professionals had to develop strategies that prioritize up to date training, availability of protective gear, and adequate quarantine periods to healthcare professionals so that they could give their best to the task at hand.

What You Should Remember?

Conclusively, the pandemic has caused many problems for the healthcare industry, and it brought similar challenges for public health professionals.

All the difficulties demanded these experts always to stay vigilant and come up with innovative strategies which could help achieve the long term objective of the industry.

5 Reasons to Go For an Advanced Degree in Nursing

Dejan

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October 2, 2021

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The pandemic made us realize that healthcare professionals are superheroes who wear scrubs instead of capes.

They do a lot more than we think they do.

For years, we’ve seen nurses as the hospital labor staff changing diapers and looking after IVs.

They’re significant to society in ways we may never realize.

Nurses are advocates of healthy lives. They educate the public regarding health issues across cultures and ways to prevent them.

One of the most prominent benefits of having nursing as a career is compensation. The salaries are almost too good to be true and very close to the salary digits of the doctors.

A nurse aesthetician is one of the highest paying jobs in the entire healthcare sector.

However, to earn this much money and reputation, one must work recklessly and earn several relevant qualifications.

Why to Go for The Advanced Degree?

It’s understandable that pursuing an advanced degree with a job as demanding as nursing is difficult.

Thankfully, healthcare professionals are now conveniently opting for online degrees to complete their education in the digital era.

Most nurses are enrolling in online DNP programs as it’s the highest qualification in this profession.

It offers just the right skills to prepare you for a leadership role in nursing.

A DNP is also a nurse’s only way of finally earning the ‘doctor’ rank.

Going for an online DNP allows you to have a flexible schedule and save a great deal of money.

Continue reading to explore your options and know the actual value of earning an advanced degree to soar in your nursing career.

The 2 Nursing Specialties with an Advanced Degree:

1. Clinical Care.

Clinical nurse leaders invest their time in preparing the best possible clinical plans for their patients.

They also oversee the care being provided to all the patients.

In moments of emergency, they step in to take the wheel.

They also offer direct care to patients if the case is too unique or complex.

The required qualification is one or two MSN, Master’s of Science in Nursing, qualifications per the state’s requirements.

Other clinical care professions include diabetes nursing, perinatal nursing, and critical care nursing.

Diabetes nurses work with diabetic patients to manage their condition and provide care.

They also counsel and educate patients and other people regarding the risks, prevention, and treatment of diabetes.

Critical care nurses work in intense hospital environments.

They may invigilate severely ill patients or provide therapy to those in need.

They are also on standby in the event of an emergency.

Perinatal nurses look after new moms before and after their babies are born.

They’re also capable of caring for newborns.

Perinatal nurses also occasionally educate people regarding the risks and tips regarding pregnancies.

2. Advanced Nursing Practice.

Advanced practice includes far more advanced nursing roles, the most popular being the Nurse Practitioner, or NP.

Nurse practitioners are required to obtain a DNP to proceed.

You have the option to specialize in a particular nursing field, either family, mental health, pediatrics, or gerontology.

Other advanced nursing roles include Certified Nurse Midwife, or CNM.Just like perinatal nurses, CNMs also work near new mothers. They provide comprehensive care to women in labor and their newborn child.

Clinical Nurse Specialist, or CNS. Similarly, a clinical nurse specialist may specialize in a particular population, environment, disease, or treatment.

And Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, or CRNA. Lastly, CRNAs are experts of anesthesia and render the same to patients in multiple settings.

Their work is one of the most important in the patient’s overall time at the hospital. The wrong anesthesia or the wrong dose can cost a patient their life.

There are several other fields of nursing like community health, public health, emergency services, education, informatics, etc., for nurses to pursue in their advanced degrees.

Every field is diverse enough for you to discover your passion and opt for the one that suits you best.

5 Reasons to Go For an Advanced Degree:

1. Better Earning Potential.

Having an advanced degree greatly affects your salary as a nurse.

You will likely get promoted to higher positions in the hierarchy and consequently earn better pay.

A promotion may require more experience at times.

However, even if you’re not yet eligible for a leadership position, your salary is still likely to increase after completing an advanced qualification.

2. Promotion To Leadership Roles.

You don’t have to be a baby boomer to land leadership roles in nursing.

An advanced degree and relevant experience will be just right for you.

Almost all leadership ranks in nursing now have a mandatory advanced degree requirement.

For example, you can’t become a nurse practitioner without a DNP.

Nurses who complete an MSN degree in leadership and management are eligible for leadership positions way faster than other candidates in line. They may also score hospital administration jobs.

3. Beneficial Skills.

While nursing undergrad degrees focus more on clinical skills.

Advanced degrees focus on other beneficial skills, such as communication, leadership, critical thinking, problem identification, resolution, adaptation ability, and emotional intelligence.

These are all necessary skills that every nurse should possess.

4. Better Working Hours.

The initial years of a nursing career are severely difficult as the shifts can extend up to 36 hours straight.

As you advance in your career, you get to do more decision making and supervision tasks rather than the labor you previously had to do.

You also get to be with your loved ones on holidays and weekends. You may also skip night shifts.

5. New Employment Opportunities.

If you ever feel like being stuck in a rut in your nursing career, know that it’s time you hit up a notch and enroll in an advanced degree.

You don’t necessarily have to work in a hospital if you have an advanced qualification.

You can also opt to be an educator or start your nursing practice.

Entrepreneurship in nursing is one of 2021’s most popular trends.

What You Should Remember?

Whether you’re a nurse or nurse to be, note that countless opportunities are waiting for you to grab them.

An advanced degree can open countless new doors for your nursing career.

You can now enroll in a fully online advanced nursing degree to a flexible schedule and reduce education costs.

Once you do, you can earn better salaries, leadership roles, and infinite respect from the public.

4 Ways How to Stay Calm During A Medical Emergency and What Steps You Should Take

Dejan

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October 1, 2021

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Regardless of the nature of your emergency, keeping calm is immensely critical to control the situation from escalating.

Panicking not only leads to wastage of time but could endanger someone’s survival as well.

Did you ever present to an audience of more than 50 people, whether in a class or a business meeting? Do you recall that feeling of anxiety that suddenly accelerates your heart rate, making you jittery?

It blocks your ability to think or function rationally and adequately. Your heart begins pounding, your face appears flushed, and you face difficulty breathing.

Something similar happens when you’re in an emergency. The only difference is that not responding appropriately to a crisis can have life endangering consequences.

What to Do When You are Encountering an Emergency?

how-to-stay-calm-during-medical-emergency

When encountering an emergency, our body responds with an automatic fight or flight response.

It means you either want to flee the scene or stay there and do something about it.

This response is triggered by the overproduction of cortisol hormone in our bodies.

The same can make it significantly difficult for us to remain calm and think.

Fight and flight response is our body’s way of perceiving an alarming situation and take measures to ensure survival.

It is almost impossible to escape this occurrence, and emotional stability plays a tremendous role in managing this urge.

Furthermore, this notion explains why paramedics are mastering emotional intelligence skills since they witness crippling situations almost regularly.

They have to manage their emotions, set aside any distracting thoughts, and focus solely on the problem at hand.

Most EMS professionals opt for BLS recertification for this reason so they can work on various skills and remain updated with the latest information.

It allows them to enhance their emotional stability and work on their EQ alongside learning other essential techniques, methods, procedures, etc.

Please continue reading to know how you can keep your head in an emergency and handle it without being a threat to anyone.

4 Steps How to Respond to an Emergency:

1. Call for help.

The first step to handling an emergency is to seek assistance.

Ensure that you have your local emergency hotline on speed dial.

You may also directly contact the nearest healthcare center to have them send their EMS professionals immediately.

2. Analyze the situation.

Once you’ve called for help, you’ll have some time on your hands to do the needful.

If you just witnessed a car accident, before you help the victims, ensure that the car isn’t going to blow up while you’re near it.

If there’s a fire, don’t try to jump right into it to save others.

Analyze the situation and protect yourself first before you try to help others.

Seek the assistance of other people and pull the victims out of danger.

3. Provide emergency care.

Emergency professionals aren’t wizards who can use their flying broomsticks to make their way onto the incident scene.

They use the same roads and have to go through the same traffic to reach.

Therefore, they might get late.

However, even a minute of delay can cause someone their life if they’re injured or unconscious.

It’s up to you to provide basic first aid while they’re on their way.

If the victim is bleeding, stop it at any cost by applying pressure or tying the particular area with a belt or a shirt.

You may also need to perform CPR if the victim isn’t breathing.

4. Crisp and clear communication.

When the emergency management team reaches the scene, tell them what happened and how the incident occurred.

Tell the paramedics how you found the victim, what steps you took to preserve life, and anything related to the incident.

This detailed explanation can play a critical role in the provision of treatment and care. Even minor miscommunication can result in a delayed diagnosis.

4 Ways to Stay Calm During A Medical Emergency:

1. Take deep breaths.

As mentioned earlier, your body responds in a jittery and nervous way to such situations.

You can’t help other people if you don’t take control of your stress levels first.

Deep breathing can help you shake off the anxiety.

Inhale a deep breath of air, slowly count till three, and release.

Doing this twice or thrice will help you calm down instantly.

2. Practice mindfulness.

Your inability to take your surroundings into notice will only incline you to opt for the flight option.

Acknowledging that you’re in an emergency will help you tackle it more appropriately.

So, remind yourself that it’s the fight or flight response that’s making you feel this way.

3. Visualize safe place.

If deep breathing doesn’t help, visualize a safe place in your mind.

This place can be any soothing scenario or a region that brings you peace and calmness.

Ultimately, the goal is to relax and avoid panicking at all costs.

4. Repeat a mantra.

Repeating phrases like “it will all be over soon,” “everything is going to be fine,” “keep your head,” and “breathe,” etc., can help you.

They can take your mind away from the current situation and shift your focus on the words coming out of your mouth.

Your brain will fixate all its attention on the repetitive commands and try to follow them.

In no time, you’ll begin to feel calmer and have more control over the situation.

Tell yourself some affirmations that you need to hear to calm down so you can proceed with providing care.

What You Should Remember?

Emergencies can be mind boggling.

At times, you might need to call emergency services for yourself if you undergo a panic attack.

However, the stress can be controlled using various precise and straightforward techniques.

Moreover, before you do anything else, ensure to call emergency services to arrive on the scene quickly.

Meanwhile, you can assess the current situation and provide care to the victim.

If they’re unconscious, evaluate their pulse and breathing and provide CPR if necessary.

If they’re bleeding, do anything to stop it.

If they’re up and conscious, try to calm them down by engaging in a distracting conversation.

Let them know that you’ve called for help and that it’ll be here soon.