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14 Days to a healthier work-life balance

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BY SIMONE J. SMITH

I get it; you just like to stay connected. Everyone does it. Sometimes, it seems like you’re not enjoying yourself as much as you used to. Maybe you’re right, but it’s not like you are addicted, or anything. You can stop whenever you want.

It’s not about being addicted, it’s about finding a balance. Social media can be great, but when it starts affecting your mental well-being, that’s when it becomes a problem.

I get it. It’s easy to get sucked into the digital world without realizing it, but it’s important to take breaks, to disconnect and focus on the real world too, and this week we are going to help you navigate the break that you need to take from the digital diaspora.

In a world where many jobs are fast-paced and digitally driven, the constant influx of emails, notifications, and media feeds can feel overwhelming. For many, being inundated with so much information at once can take a real toll on your mental and physical wellness, but what if there was a way to regain control and harmony again?

In a research study titled, “The Relationship between Social Media and the Increase in Mental Health Problems, (Hasan Beyari) the researcher found that deterioration in mental health is one of the side effects stemming from social media overuse. This study investigated the relationship between social media and the increase in mental health problems in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has a high level of social media usage, with 82.3% of the population (29.5 million people) using social media in 2022. Young people, who make up 36.74% of the population, are the biggest users of social media in Saudi Arabia, with 98.43% of young people using social networking sites. The top three reasons given by Saudis for using social media are: keeping in touch with friends and family, use of free time, and finding products to purchase.

The researcher recommended that social media users be cautious when interacting with social media features, especially likes, comments, followers, media, and posts, because of their significant effect on mental health.

Another interesting research study titled, “Mental Health Surveillance over Social Media with Digital Cohorts,” (Silvio Amir, Mark Dredze and John W. Ayers) the researchers thought that it was worth noting that they found that Blacks and Hispanics who show a high usage of social media were more likely to be affected by mental illnesses. One possible reason for this disparity is that racial minorities are more likely to come from communities with lower education rates and socioeconomic status (SES), and to be in a position where they lack proper health coverage and mental-health care.

I think that you get the point; it might just be time to step away from that device that for some of you has become your lifeline. I want to introduce the 14-Day Digital Detox Challenge, a challenge that was introduced to me by HubSpot.  It is a journey that aims to restore balance and mindfulness in your life, both at work and at home. This challenge has tips, tricks, and tools to help you disconnect where you can—even if your job requires you to be plugged in.

Day One starts your 14-day digital detox challenge with mindful mornings that set the tone for the rest of your day and promotes a sense of calm and focus.

Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is crucial for your overall well-being and productivity.

On Day Two of your digital detox challenge, it focuses on creating clear boundaries between your work and personal life.

On Day Three, you have a chance to organize your digital devices and online presence, so that you can enhance productivity and reduce distractions.

On Day Four of your digital detox challenge, your focus will be on establishing a productive routine that enables focused and efficient work while also allowing time for personal activities and hobbies.

By taking care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally, Day Five helps you maintain balance and perform at your best.

Day Six helps you understand that by disconnecting from digital devices and engaging in face-to-face interactions, you can strengthen relationships and joy in your daily experiences.

Day Seven has you setting clear goals, tracking progress, and celebrating accomplishments that can increase productivity and maintain motivation.

Day Eight focuses on: incorporating mindful app usage, setting intentional screen time limits, and reflecting on the impact of excessive screen time. The point is to enhance your well-being and productivity.

By implementing techniques such as: creating filters and folders, utilizing email management tools, setting specific times to check and respond to emails, and writing effective emails, Day Nine shows that you can improve your productivity and reduce email-related stress.

Day 10 is all about re-evaluating your relationship with social platforms and focusing on online activities to reflect on the positive and negative effects of social media on your work- life balance.

Day 11 allows you to explore the importance of avoiding digital multitasking and focus on techniques that can help increase productivity and reduce distractions. By prioritizing single-tasking and implementing strategies like the Pomodoro Technique (designed to improve productivity by breaking work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks for time-blocking), you can optimize your work and accomplish more.

Day 12 explores the power of mindful communication and how it can enhance relationships, both in the workplace and personal life. By practicing active listening and mindful communication techniques, you can foster empathy, understanding, and open-mindedness in your interactions.

Day 13 explores the benefits of spending time in nature, and how it can enhance your well-being and reduce stress. Engaging in activities such as walks in the park, gardening, or simply observing and appreciating nature can have a profound impact on your productivity and overall mental health.

Finally, Day 14, the final day focuses on reflection and goal adjustment, allowing you to assess the progress you’ve made throughout the challenge and make any necessary adjustments to your goals. By applying self-reflection and goal-setting techniques, you can continuously improve and set yourself up for ongoing success.

Are you ready for your Digital Detox; don’t worry, in 14 days, you can get yourself back on track, and become even more productive than you were before. Good luck, and if you are open to the challenge, let us know how things go.

We, as humans are guaranteed certain things in life: stressors, taxes, bills and death are the first thoughts that pop to mind. It is not uncommon that many people find a hard time dealing with these daily life stressors, and at times will find themselves losing control over their lives. Simone Jennifer Smith’s great passion is using the gifts that have been given to her, to help educate her clients on how to live meaningful lives. The Hear to Help Team consists of powerfully motivated individuals, who like Simone, see that there is a need in this world; a need for real connection. As the founder and Director of Hear 2 Help, Simone leads a team that goes out into the community day to day, servicing families with their educational, legal and mental health needs.Her dedication shows in her Toronto Caribbean newspaper articles, and in her role as a host on the TCN TV Network.

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Forgetting isn’t just something to be annoyed about, it’s a smart way to survive

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BY KHADIJA KARIM

Have you ever forgotten someone’s name, or where you left your phone and thought, “Why can’t I remember anything?” Forgetting might feel frustrating, but it turns out that forgetting things can actually be good for you. Experts believe forgetting might be an important part of human survival and could even have benefits.

You probably think that remembering everything would be better, right? If you remembered every tiny detail, like what you had for breakfast three weeks ago, or the colour of every car you saw today, you would be overwhelmed. Our brains are constantly receiving information, and if we didn’t forget some of it, we wouldn’t be able to focus on what really matters at that time.

Forgetting helps you clear out information you don’t need, and it helps your brain remember the most useful memories. Think about how hard it would be to focus on important things if your mind was filled with random thoughts. Forgetting helps you stay focused and keeps your mind from getting lost.

So, why would evolution make us forget things? Early humans had to deal with dangerous environments that changed quickly. They needed to remember things that helped them survive, like where to find food, or how to avoid predators. They didn’t need to remember every small detail, like what happened last week. Forgetting information, they didn’t need allowed them to make quick decisions based on what was most important at that moment in time.

For example, if you remember a recent storm, you might make sure to stay inside or find shelter. If you remembered every storm you’d ever seen, it would be harder to make decisions about the present. Forgetting irrelevant details helps you stay on your feet and helps you react faster to new situations. This ability to forget likely helped early humans survive and make better decisions in their everyday lives.

Next time you forget something, don’t be too hard on yourself! Forgetting is a natural part of how our brains work and can actually help you stay focused on the important things. It might seem annoying at times, but it’s helping you make better decisions. Forgetting isn’t just something to be annoyed about, it’s a smart way to survive in a world that’s always changing!

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Blink equity dives deep into the gap between people of colour and decision-making roles in Canadian law firms

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Photo Credit: AI Image

BY ADRIAN REECE

Representation in the workforce has been a topic of conversation for years, particularly in positions of influence, where people can shift laws and create fair policies for all races. Representation in the legal system is an even more talked about subject, with many Black men being subjected to racism in courts and not being given fair sentencing by judges.

The fear of Black men entering the system is something that plagues mothers and fathers as they watch their children grow up.

Blink Equity, a company led by Pako Tshiamala, has created an audit called the Blink Score. This audit targets law firms and seeks to identify specific practices reflecting racial diversity among them in Toronto. A score is given based on a few key performance indicators. These KPIs include hiring practices, retention of diverse talent, and racial representation at every level.

The Blink Score project aims to analyze law firms in Ontario with more than 50 lawyers. The Blink Score is a measurement tool that holds law firms accountable for their representation. Firms will be ranked, and the information will be made public for anyone to access.

This process is ambitious and seeks to give Canadian citizens a glimpse into how many people are represented across the legal field. While more and more people have access to higher education, there is still a gap between obtaining that higher education and working in a setting where change can be made. The corporate world, at its highest points, is almost always one race across the board, and very rarely do people of colour get into their ranks. They are made out to be an example of how anyone from a particular race can achieve success. However, this is the exception, not the rule. Nepotism plays a role in societal success; connections are a factor, and loyalty to race, even if people are acquainted.

People of colour comprise 16% of the total lawyers across the province. Positions at all levels range from 6% to 27%. These numbers display the racial disparity among law practitioners in positions of influence. Becoming a lawyer is undoubtedly a huge accomplishment. Still, when entering the workforce with other seasoned professionals, your academic accolades become second to your professional achievements and your position in the company.

What do these rankings ultimately mean? A potential for DEI-inclusive practices, perhaps? That isn’t something that someone would want in this kind of profession. This kind of audit also opens law firms up to intense criticism from people who put merit above all other aspects of professional advancement. On the other hand, there is a potential for firms to receive clientele based on their blink score, with higher ones having the chance to bring in more race-based clients who can help that law firm grow.

It is only the beginning, and changes will undoubtedly be made in the legal field as Blink Equity continues to dive deep into the gap between people of colour and decision-making roles in these law firms. This audit has the power to shift the power scale, and place people of colour in higher positions. There are hierarchies in any profession, and while every Lawyer is qualified to do what they are trained to do, it is no shock that some are considerably better than others at their jobs. The ones who know how to use this audit to their advantage will rise above the others and create a representative image for themselves among their population.

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“The Pfizer Papers!” Documentation of worldwide genocide

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BY SIMONE J. SMITH

We are living in a world where promises of health and safety came packaged in a tiny vial, one injection was promoted by powerful governments, supported by respected institutions, and championed by legacy media worldwide. Sadly, beneath the surface, a darker truth emerged.

Reports from around the globe began to tell a different story—one that was not covered in the news cycles or press conferences. Families torn apart by unexpected losses, communities impacted in ways that few could have foreseen, and millions questioning what they had been told to believe.

Those who dared to question were silenced or dismissed (the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper being one of those sources). “Trust the science,” we were told. “It’s for the greater good.” As time went on, the truth became impossible to ignore.

Now, I bring more news to light—information that demands your attention and scrutiny. The time to passively listen has passed; this is the moment to understand what’s really at stake.

I reviewed an interview with Naomi Wolf, journalist and CEO of Daily Clout, which detailed the serious vaccine-related injuries that Pfizer and the FDA knew of by early 2021, but tried to hide from the public. I was introduced to “The Pfizer Papers: Pfizer’s Crimes Against Humanity.” What I learned is that Pfizer knew about the inadequacies of its COVID-19 vaccine trials and the vaccine’s many serious adverse effects, and so did the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA promoted the vaccines anyway — and later tried to hide the data from the public.

To produce “The Pfizer Papers,” Naomi, and Daily Clout Chief Operations Officer Amy Kelly convened thousands of volunteer scientists and doctors to analyze Pfizer data and supplementary data from other public reporting systems to capture the full scope of the vaccines’ effects. They obtained the data from the Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency, a group of more than 30 medical professionals and scientists who sued the FDA in 2021 and forced the agency to release the data, after the FDA refused to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request.

It was then that the federal court ordered the agency to release 450,000 internal documents pertaining to the licensing of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The data release was significantly and the documents so highly technical and scientific that according to Naomi, “No journalist could have the bandwidth to go through them all.”

The “Pfizer Papers” analysts found over 42,000 case reports detailing 158,893 adverse events reported to Pfizer in the first three months The centerpiece of “The Pfizer Papers” is the effect that the vaccine had on human reproduction. The papers reveal that Pfizer knew early on that the shots were causing menstrual issues. The company reported to the FDA that 72% of the recorded adverse events were in women. Of those, about 16% involved reproductive disorders and functions. In the clinical trials, thousands of women experienced: daily bleeding, hemorrhaging, and passing of tissue, and many other women reported that their menstrual cycle stopped completely.

Pfizer was aware that lipid nanoparticles from the shots accumulated in the ovaries and crossed the placental barrier, compromising the placenta and keeping nutrients from the baby in utero. According to the data, babies had to be delivered early, and women were hemorrhaging in childbirth.

Let us take us to another part of the world, where research has been done on other pharmaceutical companies. A group of Argentine scientists identified 55 chemical elements — not listed on package inserts — in the: Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, CanSino, Sinopharm and Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccines (according to a study published last week in the International Journal of Vaccine Theory, Practice, and Research).

The samples also contained 11 of the 15 rare earth elements (they are heavier, silvery metals often used in manufacturing). These chemical elements, which include lanthanum, cerium and gadolinium, are lesser known to the general public than heavy metals, but have been shown to be highly toxic. By the end of 2023, global researchers had identified 24 undeclared chemical elements in the COVID-19 vaccine formulas.

Vaccines often include excipients — additives used as preservatives, adjuvants, stabilizers, or for other purposes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), substances used in the manufacture of a vaccine, but not listed in the contents of the final product should be listed somewhere in the package insert. Why is this important? Well, researchers argue it is because excipients can include allergens and other “hidden dangers” for vaccine recipients.

In one lot of the AstraZeneca vaccine, researchers identified 15 chemical elements, of which 14 were undeclared. In the other lot, they detected 21 elements of which 20 were undeclared. In the CanSino vial, they identified 22 elements, of which 20 were undeclared.

The three Pfizer vials contained 19, 16 and 21-23 undeclared elements respectively. The Moderna vials contained 21 and between 16-29 undeclared elements. The Sinopharm vials contained between 17-23 undeclared elements and the Sputnik V contained between 19-25 undetected elements.

“All of the heavy metals detected are linked to toxic effects on human health,” the researchers wrote. Although the metals occurred in different frequencies, many were present across multiple samples.

I am not going to go any further with this; I think you get the picture. We have been sold wolf cookies, very dangerous ones. These pharmaceutical companies must be held accountable. I am proud of anyone who has gone after them for retribution, and have received it. Regardless, in many ways, there is no repayment for a healthy life.

REFERENCES:

https://ijvtpr.com/index.php/IJVTPR/article/view/111

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/health-law-and-business/why-a-judge-ordered-fda-to-release-covid-19-vaccine-data-pronto

https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender_category/toxic-exposures/

Pfizer’s ‘Crimes Against Humanity’ — and Legacy Media’s Failure to Report on Them

55 Undeclared Chemical Elements — Including Heavy Metals — Found in COVID Vaccines

 

Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency

FDA Should Need Only ‘12 Weeks’ to Release Pfizer Data, Not 75 Years, Plaintiff Calculates

Judge Gives FDA 8 Months, Not 75 Years, to Produce Pfizer Safety Data

Most Studies Show COVID Vaccine Affects Menstrual Cycles, BMJ Review Finds

Report 38: Women Have Two and a Half Times Higher Risk of Adverse Events Than Men. Risk to Female Reproductive Functions Is Higher Still.

 

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