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Emotional Labour – Organisational Behaviour

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Abstract:

Putting on a good show, keeping face, professionalism in customer treatment can all be examples of emotional labour. When in the workplace dealing with others whether they be colleagues or customers we tend to give a positive emotional response despite the negativity of the other person (customer complaint) or our own current mood state (sadness, irritability) known as emotional dissonance. In this paper we will explore the phenomenon of emotional labour and its effect on workers productivity and social relations. The general outcome being that the strain of that dissonance creates mental health problems in the workplace.

Introduction:

Emotional labour can be seen as the affect of the current mood of a worker whilst engaging in interactions with others – putting on a good face for example despite feeling emotionally uncomfortable. (1. Robins/Judge 2013) These emotions can be driven by organisational expectations of an employees behaviour towards customers, clients and co-workers in support of the business goals to profit. For example in the service industry, customer complaints should be handled with a polite professional smiling attitude so that the customer perceives that their complaints are receiving serious attention. Despite the fact the service provider (customer relations officer) maybe be in a personal bad mood, have life problems or employment concerns – all this is swept aside to provide the company’s public positive image to the customer. For the employee engaged in such activities the strain of appearing positive and enthusiastic may cause both physical and emotional strain often leading to further deterioration in mood after work and in between assignments. You could argue that a good deal of the time we are in fact faking our emotions (feelings) in front of and towards others to support social conventions for example being polite. If a customer’s complaint is unreasonable, they are showing anger, accusing the company or misleading them and selling shoddy products – the company service support worker must maintain control over their own emotions despite feeling that the customer is wrong and the complaint is unwarranted or even ridiculous they still have to maintain the company driven reaction to the customer with calm professionalism. (2. Myler – Case Studies 2018) Some companies make being happy at work almost mandatory – where staff entertain, create an atmosphere or encourage excitement over the product and its associated feelings of happiness. For example, theme park staff forced to smile all day – try it yourself – it is very stressful to keep a happy demeanor in the face of disgruntled visitors waiting hours in a queue for a five minute ride or the phone shop worker being asked to entertain the queue of waiting customers with hi-fives and silly games. (3. Grandey et.al. 2010) Many customers in fact reporting discomfort at being targeted for unwanted attention and interaction). Therefore there is a difference between felt emotions (what I am actually thinking and feeling) than with displayed emotions (what is expected of me). After an interaction the employee can feel both exhausted by the forced situation and emotionally angry at faking their feelings for the benefit of others. Many people who suffer from depression report that faking happiness is the biggest strain of the day.

Culture and Emotional Labour

Culture may impact on how someone sees emotional labour as the expectations of others in the light of social comparison. (4. Matsumoto etal. 2009) For example many American service jobs, such as retail staff, service providers and customer interaction workers all feel that a positive upbeat smiling enthusiastic person is a definite requirement for the companies image management. The monocor – have a nice day – often rings false in the ears of those who understand this is not a genuine sentiment but a practiced social grace. In other cultures such as Japan or Asia in general – forced politeness or deference to not displaying emotions may in fact cause particular strain on everyday life where displaced emotion can be seen in acts of violence and sexual deviance. The French tend to not display openness in dealing with customers but in fact a non-smiling or even impolite attitudes towards their clients. This can cause companies dealing in global markets problems with staff in having to adapt and understand policy in line with the cultural underlying expectations of behaviour.

Mental Health

Many psychologists, counsellors and others such as nurses encounter patients (clients) who maybe presenting mental health problems such as anxiety (worry about future events) or depression (living with the past) that report difficulties in the work place in faking their emotions towards both colleagues and customers – that they feel the strain of the day at home later through irritability, sexual indifference a lack of appetite and sleep. Keeping up appearances at work therefore effects the very quality of our lives both in and out of the work place. (5. Myler Case Studies 2018) Dealing with difficult people whether customers or colleagues leaves us feeling exhausted physically and mentally. In therapy the psychologist maybe searching for psycho-dynamic reasons for the negative feelings from past patterns of behaviour and often miss the power of the here and now effect of faking your feelings at work simply due to enforced company policies that require us to present an image of well- being and happiness that actually is not there. Treatment therefore should focus on workplace stress rather than personal history.

Role Play & Emotional Labour:

Of course we are schooled from an early age in how to act given certain social situations, for example being happy at a birthday party ( don’t spoil it for everyone) to look sad at the funeral (even when we did not even like the deceased). We have learned behavior for situational displays of affect. Have you ever been told off – criticised – looked at the person with a smile on your face – and they say, “what are you smiling at?” they think you are not taking them seriously enough, acknowledging their concerns – the truth maybe that we think their remarks are unwarranted and silly – however our learned correct response is to – look serious and be intently listening – while all the time inside feeling what an idiot this person is! In other words we are often asked to fake it – for the sake of the other persons feelings – this is often seen as high empathy when in fact it is more often just a learned reaction to a situational event. Emotional intelligence is seen a as a panacea for management effectiveness but maybe little more than learned responses to situations, rather than a genuine cognitive response to some event. In other words emotional intelligence maybe more pop psychology than a fact. Measurement for emotional understanding may reflect no more about the learned response to given situations we have come to understand through cultural, generational and traditional customs of our community or group behaviour. Psychometric tests for emotional intelligence may in fact be invalid and not robust enough to provide any useful measure of a persons feelings towards others but in fact reflect that learned behaviour – what should be the response not what I actually feel inside.

Attributions Theory – Misunderstanding Others:

Attribution theory ( 6. Heider – 1958) suggests that we attend to what we see more than what we know. In other words – we do in fact judge a book by its cover. So if we are busy faking our emotions so must everyone else? So how do we know that the mood being displayed to us is genuine or faked. We pride ourselves on being able to know others feeling by their facial expressions, there seemingly genuineness and authentic sounding responses. In fact much of the time we maybe reacting to the faked emotion rather than the real one. We are often surprised to hear someone committed suicide – we may say – they always seemed so positive and happy looking – but that is exactly what a mis-attribution is – the lack of skills to identify a real emotion from a faked one – we are actually quite good at emotional labour at work and so do we really know what anyone is actually feeling, as opposed to what they are displaying to us. So the helpful shop assistant may in fact be bored rigid at having to seem enthusiastic about a product she has already spoken about ten times that day already.

In Summery:

Emotional labour is a situation where the employee expresses the companies desired response to a given situation. Emotional dissonance are our feeling of confusion between our internal feelings and the face we put upon the situation given company policy towards others. Felt emotions therefore being what we actually feel as opposed to displayed emotion being the faked response to another person. Finally emotional intelligence being no more than learned responses to events as we behave given the situation we find ourselves in. The consequences of faked emotions can be strain leading to emotional exhaustion that has both physical and emotional outcomes for mental health and general well-being. Judging others may in fact lead to mis-attributions where we think the faked emotion is in fact the real feelings of the other party.

To be honest, open and authentic would be real intimacy in our relationships but carries the high risk of rejection and misunderstandings.

References:

1. Robins S.P. Judge T.A. 2013 – Organizational Behavior 15Ed Pearson Publishing

2. Myler S.F. 2018 – Myler Case Studies 2018/19 Unpublished

3. Grandey A. et.al. 2010 – Work in the Global Services Economy – Journal of Service Management.

4. Matsumoto D. 2009 – Culture & Emotional Expression – New York, Taylor & Francis publishing.

5. Myler S. F. 2019 – Myler Case Studies 2019 Unpublished

6. Heider F 1958 – Attribution Theory – Oxford Dictionary of Psychology 2001

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Source by Stephen F. Myler

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July 26, 2022
Love One Another (A Sermon on John 13: 31-35)
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We are in the 13th chapter of the Gospel according to St John's this week, and I'm going to unpack our reading verse by verse as it is a difficult passage.

"When he had gone out, Jesus said," Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. " (John 13:31)

The person who had 'gone out' was Judas, and the sentence seems to suggest that Judas' leaving somewhat brought glory to Jesus, which sounds really odd.

"If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once." (John 13:32)

I really have no idea where to begin with that statement!

"Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.'" (John 13:33 )

That statement makes sense to us as Jesus speaking about his own impending suffering and death, though at the time it made no sense at all to His disciples.

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. "(John 13: 34-45)

That concluding pronouncement, I suspect, is the most difficult to understand of all!

"All you need is love!" – so said the Beatles.

When I read statements like these from the lips of Jesus, I can almost hear the soundtrack of that well-known Beatles song playing in the background.

"Love is all you need. Love is all you need …"

It's not true, of course. Love isn't all we need – not in relationships, not in families, not in governments.

We had an election yesterday. Did you vote for the most loving candidate? Should you have?

I tried to give some thought after reading this passage as to who the most loving candidate for electoral office was. It wasn't obvious.

It didn't take me long to come up with the names of politicians who were definitely NOT full of love and sweetness, but it seemed less obvious to me which candidates actually were.

Did the candidate who loves us the most win? Do we care?

In truth, in as much as we might say, "all we need is love" , I don't think we really care whether our political leaders love us, any more than we really care whether our boss at work truly loves us. Love is not all we need. A good capacity for management is probably far more important in cases like this than is love!

Love is not all we need in government or in families, and it's not even all we need in a system of morality! This might sound counterintuitive. Is not all of morality – all our statements about what is right and what is wrong – really an extension of that basic ideal of love?

Certainly, over the generations, scores of philosophers and other great thinkers have suggested that all of our moral intuitions can be reduced to one simple exhortation – if not 'to love' exactly, to something very akin to that.

The British philosopher, John Stuart Mill, saw all of morality as a system of increasing pleasure for people and reducing harm. He is probably best remembered for his 'harm principle' :

"That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others."

I have a feeling that if you'd asked Mill what the essence of morality was, he might not have said 'love one another' , but might well have said 'don't' harm one another ' , which is pretty similar.

Likewise, the great 18th century German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, believed that morality could be reduced to a single maxim – the 'categorical imperative' :

"Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law."

That's always sounded to me like a really complex way of saying 'love your neighbor as you would love yourself " , which, of course, was Jesus' 'golden rule' that many people see as being His one-line summary of the moral law , along with the first and great commandment, of course, that you have to love God:

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. " (Matthew 22: 37-40)

We are familiar with these commandments. We hear them every week in church, and they do seem to suggest that everything in the law of God comes down to love, and that the rest is just commentary.

Is that really what Jesus was saying? St Augustine thought so, and in my previous sermons on these passages, I have suggested exactly that – that there is really only one law of God – that we love – and that the rest is just application. My more recent reading though has suggested that it's actually a lot more complicated than that, at least if Jesus really was being true to His Hebraic tradition.

The Hebraic law centers around the Ten Commandments – the ten words of God to the people of Israel – and while it seems straightforward to see commandments like "thou shalt not steal" and "thou shalt not murder" as being extensions of the commandment to love , other commandments like "honor thy father and thy mother" do not seem to be so easily reducible. Honoring your father and your mother seems to be more about respecting authority than it is about love .

I've been reading a very interesting book lately by moral psychologist, Jonathan Haidt, called "the Righteous Mind" , in which he outlines what he calls 'moral foundation theory' .

I'm not suggesting that everyone should rush out to get a copy of this book. It is not an easy read and could prove difficult if you don't have an academic background in the study of philosophical ethics (which, thankfully, I do).

The author's key point, at any rate, is that our moral intuitions can't be reduced to any one simple maxim such as 'love one another' as morality is invariably more complex than that.

Haidt suggests that there are five reasonably independent dimensions to our moral awareness, and 'caring' for others is just one of those dimensions. The others are:
- Fairness (which is all about justice, rewards and punishments)
- Loyalty (which is associated with values such as faithfulness and patriotism )
- Authority (where you honor your father and your mother, king and country)
- Sanctity (which involves respecting your body and potentially embracing things like chastity, temperance and cleanliness)
Forgive me if I'm now sounding more dry and esoteric than the book I mentioned. My point is actually a simple one – that 'all you need is love' is both simplistic and inadequate. We don't only need love – not if we are going to be successful in our relationships or in all of life. We actually need a lot of things – courage, self-discipline, wisdom, nurture and support and a good education, and more!

Of course, Jesus didn't say "love is all you need". That was ' The Beatles' . What Jesus did say was "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" . In other words, Jesus didn't say that love is all we need to live a full and productive life. What He said was that it was all we needed in order to show the world that we are His disciples. That might sound like much the same thing but it's actually quite distinct.

The life of love is not a strategy for success, despite what any number of tele-evangelists might have told you. Indeed, if it's right to consider it a strategy at all, the life of love could only be a strategy for getting yourself killed. That's certainly how it worked for Jesus.

I'm sure I've mentioned before that friend who said to me "I'm sick of hearing people tell me about all the problems they had before they met Jesus and how He solved them all for them. till I met Jesus! "

That's difficult to hear, I think. We don't want to think of Jesus as the one who leads us down a path of suffering and misery. We want to think of Jesus as one who elevates us to heavenly places.

Isn't that what religion is for after all? Isn't good religion supposed to benefit our lives and help us live more fully and peacefully with a great sense of purpose and fulfillment? Surely, it's not just about suffering in this world so that we can enjoy a better life in the next? Surely there's more to it than that?

I don't think Jesus is saying that discipleship is all about suffering any more than it is all about success. Discipleship, Jesus says, is all about love, and everything else depends on what Jesus means by love .

Jesus says His command to love is a new commandment, and that's a surprise. Certainly, the commandment to love is as old as the Scriptures themselves, so it must be the latter part of the commandment – to love one another ' as I have loved you' – that makes it new.

When we hear those words, I suspect most of us immediately think of the cross and Jesus laying down his life for us. That makes sense, and indeed the same Gospel writer, John, writes in his first letter "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us" (1 John 3:16). Even so, without wanting to press the issue of the timeline too heavily, the exhortation we have in today's Gospel reading -to love one another "as I have loved you" happens before the cross, suggesting that the model on view here may not be the death of Jesus but the life of Jesus!

Further, as noted, today's reading begins with a reference to Judas – "when he had gone out" – and Jesus' exhortation to love each other as He has loved us comes immediately before the two terrible betrayals from disciples whom Jesus had just broken bread with and whose feet Jesus had just washed – the one betrayal being from Judas, of course, and the other one being from dear Peter!

Jesus loved Peter, was betrayed by Peter, and would eventually be reconciled with Peter. Jesus loved Judas but would never be reconciled with him. Even perfect love does not guarantee a perfect ending to the story. Even so, love anyway – that's the new commandment .

Yes, "greater love has no one than this – to lay down one's life for their friends" (John 15: 3). That is true, and bodily self-sacrifice is indeed the ultimate example of love, but most of the time love is not so grandiose and (thankfully) not quite so painful. The far more common (and in some ways more difficult) labor of love is the ongoing work of having to forgive those who fail us, and sometimes fail us very badly.

This, I believe, is the love by which everyone will now that we are His disciples – it's the love that breaks bread with those who betray us and that washes the feet of those who turn their backs on us. It's the love that finds its ultimate inspiration in the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross, but which likewise finds daily encouragement in the simple acts of grace shown by Jesus towards those whom He knew would radically fail Him.

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. "(John 13: 34-45)

It's not a strategy for success. It's not a means to a better life or more successful relationships. It's just the way that we demonstrate to the world that we are followers of Jesus. We break bread, we wash feet, we empathise, we forgive. We love one another just as He loved us.

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Source by David B. Smith

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July 25, 2022
An Insight Into the Different Sectors of the Healthcare Industry

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Health has always been one of the major factors determining the growth magnitudes of the economy of any country. The margin between a developing and a developed country is often drawn based on the progress in the fields of healthcare. A strong healthcare sector refers to a lower death rate and a higher level of life expectancy, which largely influences the growth and development of any economy. Hence, it is critical that a country takes good care of its healthcare sector to cater to its populace in an effective manner and to contribute to the country’s growth index in a positive way.

As far as India is concerned, it has one of the largest and most diverse population frame comprising of individuals belonging to different social and economic conditions. To cater to the multiple needs arising out of the diverse living conditions in India, we have a healthcare sector that upholds a bunch of services ensuring good health and effective prevention. Though if we segregate the sector based on its functioning, you will find a lot of distinct sectors attached to the main industry. However, if we take a brief insight into the broad categories that serve as the backbone to the industry, we would have four major domains as described in the article below.

Hospital Services and Facilities

Hospitals are the primary lifeline of the health sector and the core of the health industry. Comprising of general medical hospitals, surgical hospitals, substance abuse and psychiatric hospitals, specialty hospitals, hospices and palliative care centers, family planning and abortion clinics, emergency and other outpatient care centers, dental laboratories, blood and organ banks, sleep disorder clinics, and more, hospitals form a long chain that binds the entire landscape together in terms of serving health to the people. There are residential and nursing care facilities available as well. Nursing, supervisory, residential care are some of the services that are available through this vertical. The other facilities extended through the hospital services are Urgent Care Centers, In-Home Senior Care, Mental Health and Residential Developmental Handicap Facilities, Community Care for the elderly, and so on. Besides, since it is critical that patients receive ambulance services in time, there are direct and indirect services available for ambulatory patients as well. The outpatient care centers, diagnostic centers, hospitals, and some private players in the field also provide this facility to guarantee uninterrupted health service.

Healthcare Equipment and Diagnostic Tools

The present-day advancement in science and technology has rendered the healthcare industry with some of the most innovative and effective equipment and processes to diagnose and treat the ailments as critical as cellular malignancy. There are multiple companies who cater to the rising demand of this equipment. In-Vitro diagnostic substances, ophthalmic goods, surgical appliances and supplies, Mammography Machine, Robotic Surgery Equipment, Venous Access Device, and Glucose Meter are some of the examples that help the healthcare professionals in treating and detecting the diseases in a streamlined manner. To manufacture and supply these, there is a huge industry involved that ensures smooth operations and timely delivery of the equipment and tools.

Medical/Health Insurance

Apart from the direct health care industry, there are services attached to it that render value to its being. Medical insurance and other organizations that back up the entire process of operations for the healthcare industry have a major impact on the existence and growth of this industry. With active participation and spontaneous service, medical insurance has become primary support for the majority of the treatments that involve considerable expenses. With facilities like TPA and cashless treatments, the patients can now enjoy a hassle-free treatment at best-facilitated hospitals.

Pharmaceuticals Sector

The pharmaceutical industry manufactures, markets, and innovates licensed drugs that are effective and integral for better healthcare facilities. This is a huge sector employing a large percentage of population to cater to the market requirements. From drug wholesalers to over the counter stores, the pharmaceutical industry is a major player in this domain. With the rise in the health consciousness in the general public, nutritional supplements have also taken a major share of the healthcare industry, which are again the products of the pharmaceutical sector only.

As the days have walked into modern times, the increasing level of dependency on technology along with the rising pollution levels have worked to make the diseases even more complicated and varied. Hence, it is imperative that there exists an equally strong healthcare sector guiding the mass to cure. With government interventions and private sector initiatives, the number of hospitals has increased over the years catering to a larger crowd. The other sectors like pharma, insurance, and medical equipment have also grown in parallel to support this emerging sector in every possible way. Covering a large landscape encompassing villages as well as the urban corners of the country, the healthcare sector promises high to keep up with the upcoming challenges and demands of the time.

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Source by Alok Mishra

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July 24, 2022
Youth Leadership and Entrepreneurship Development Mentorship – The Perspective

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The youth are the leaders of the future and deserve to be treated like we would treat any candidate of a succession planning in any organization, institution, and company. Such candidates are often enrolled in some sort of development programme in preparing them for the future challenges they would face. Such programme could and should include mentorship development programme.

The Mentorship Development Programme could include projects that expose the youth to the opportunity to practice leadership as early as possible in their lives. The most effective programmes are those that are designed by the youth, for the youth, under the mentorship of the elderly and/or experienced members of the society, the institution, the organisation or the company.

The progressive members of the society see the mentorship of the youth as their responsibility and they take the ownership. They would contribute to the formulation of the youth leadership development mentorship. They go all out to also oversee the successful implementation of such a programme. The programme should create the opportunity for the contribution by the parents and guardians where practical.

The effectiveness of the youth leadership development mentorship programmes is seen in the evolving leadership qualities of the youth. Hence, the need to create the space in the NGOs, Community Organizations, and Clubs for the youth to practice their leadership. Countries are encouraged to introduce national youth development organizations, projects and programmes to absorb those youth that are truly committed to taking their leadership development to the higher level.

The mentorship guidelines for the youth leadership development programmes are the basis on which to package the programmes. These guidelines are based on experience over many years, but also the lessons from benchmarking local and international programmes. They evolve over time. They are genuinely supporting the youth initiative.

The youth leadership development programmes that requires mentorship intervention could cover diverse areas as education, community development, art, culture, sport, entrepreneurship, business, etc. They therefore genuinely form part of the country’s real sectors and areas of development need. It is therefore expected that the mentorship programmes be informed by the needs of the society under these sectors and areas. Making resources available for such programmes, including the mentorship programme, should be viewed as investment in the future.

The youth leadership programme could take a specialist dimension, for example entrepreneurship development. Developing the youth in entrepreneurship early in their lives caters for the supply of future businessmen and women. The majority of the youth respond positively to the mentorship programmes dedicated to the entrepreneurship development. The entrepreneurship opportunities for the youth are mostly in the technology sector. The 4th Industrial Revolution is the main reason why this is the case. The start-ups in technology by the youth is becoming a norm. This, however, provides a challenge to a number of mentors, as they require the understanding of the context from which these youth are functioning.

Entrepreneurship will always be the most direct option to employment for the youth. As more companies are shedding jobs, more people would see entrepreneurship as the direction to follow. This makes demand for youth entrepreneurship mentorship to grow. The mentors assist the youth entrepreneurs in accessing the markets through their network. Most governments have entrepreneurship support programmes and incubators. These incubators are making mentors available to the youth entrepreneurs.

It is important for the youth to make a shift and consider entrepreneurship not as a survival means but an opportunity to innovate solutions that mitigate the challenges in the society. Since they are the youth, they are expected to continue paying attention to their holistic development. Involvement in the youth entrepreneurship development initiatives must not become replacement of their education and development. The mentors must continue to challenge the youth to explore many options about their future. We do not expect them to jump certain stages of their development and become adults too soon. They must enjoy their life journey.

The business case for early youth leadership and entrepreneurship development is very strong. They are laying strong foundation for future responsibilities as entrepreneurs and leaders in the society. They could become serious value chain additions in the various economic sectors of their countries and international. They are the future ambassadors of their countries.

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Source by Sam Tsima

Views: 0

July 24, 2022
Awe Inspiring Reports of Reiki Healing Severe Nerve Damage

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As part of the Medical Reiki Master Community, I’m repeatedly amazed by the healing power of Reiki. This group continuously shares amazing outcomes of the healing capabilities of Reiki in multitudes of medical cases. There are even cases that are oftentimes documented medical issues where the patient is not given a lot of hope from their doctor for a complete recovery. I’ve been given permission by a fellow Certified Medical Reiki Master, Jody Wolfe, to share her own success story along with the success story of her client, which is very near and dear to her heart.

This is Jody’s recap of her own personal Reiki success story:

“I got involved working with a hand therapist because she watched me heal my own hand with Reiki, to her astonishment. I shattered my radius at the wrist in a compound fracture from a fall. My ulnar nerve was so badly damaged that I was told by more than one hand surgeon that I was unlikely to ever regain use of my right hand. The muscles in that hand became atrophied. I did Reiki every day, never giving up on its power to heal. My ulnar nerve spontaneously recovered overnight, and I went from completely unable to use my hand one day to full function the next morning. All my therapist had to do was help me rebuild strength and endurance. She understood that what happened was medically impossible and has been a champion for Reiki ever since. Like you, I remember every day the gift of recovery Reiki has given me. How can we not want to bring this gift to others? Reiki on, sister!”

With such an incredible nerve damage recovery of her own, Jody is blessed to now have a certified hand therapist in her corner. She is able to share her gift of Reiki with others’ with a similar personal story.

This is what Jody shared about her clients healing with Reiki:

“I volunteer in a beautiful integrative working relationship with a certified hand therapist. Last week I started working with a long-time client of the clinic with severe Guillain-Barre syndrome. She was completely paralyzed, and after 2 years of hard work in both physical and occupational therapy, she has made minimal progress, with her hands being almost useless to her. While her nerves recently began showing some small initial signs of healing, she still had very far to go. After one short Medical Reiki treatment, her occupational therapy session, normally agonizing, was pain-free, and she spontaneously regained significant range of motion and functionality in her hands. She was able to perform every task the therapist gave her to test her new abilities. The client cried with joy, and the therapist was speechless, even though she was already a believer in Reiki. The occupational therapist did a periodic evaluation with her this week, and she did amazing – completing tasks in record time that she didn’t think she would ever be able to do again. Additionally, with Reiki, her pain during OT treatments has dropped from off the charts (with pain meds) to barely noticeable (with no pain meds). Oh, the wonders Reiki can do for patients! We are so blessed to be part of this important work.”

Like so many others, I am so very grateful every day for the gift of Reiki healing in my own life after thyroid cancer, so I will continue to share the incredible power of Reiki. Today, I am healthy and whole and feel blessed to be able to share the gift of Reiki healing with others. We all deserve to have the gift and grace of Reiki, so please share this with anyone who can be helped by the medical marvels of Reiki Healing.

A special thanks goes out to Jody Wolfe for allowing me to share two very personal and awe inspiring cases of Reiki Healing!

Be well! Love and light to you!

Nicole

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Source by Nicole Lawler

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July 22, 2022
Why You Might Not Be Right For Affiliate Marketing

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Affiliate marketing is a business model which rewards ‘affiliates’ for the promotion of other people’s products on the internet. By sending website traffic to various products and services, affiliate marketers can earn a living from the sale of goods and services on the internet.

But not everyone is cut out for this kind of work. It involves working by yourself for quite a bit of time. There’s various technical skills you’ll need to learn such as website building, running adverts and connecting various software together to make your online business work.

Even though there’s been huge leaps in technology lately, meaning there’s less technical hassle involved, some people just won’t have the patience for this. Even if you find a community of help and support, there’s still a lot to learn and it isn’t for everyone.

Expect to work between 6 months and a year before you see any results at all, too. This is pretty tough, especially if you don’t fully believe in what you’re doing. There’s a fair amount of trial and error with affiliate marketing. Most people will give up too early and never see the fruits of their efforts.

For those who stick, there are great rewards to be earned. But they are earned. Not in the conventional way of earning money by trading your time for it, but in overcoming barriers to success. You need to have a fair amount of tenacity and patience. It’s not like a job where you get paid every month initially. So, if you’re used to trading time for money and getting paid every month, don’t give up the day job just yet!

Affiliate marketing is a business and not an employment. You need to drop any entitlement attitude which may be buried in your mind. You can’t expect any reward unless you actually have had it! If something isn’t working, you need to take stock and change your habits. It took me years before I saw any tangible results from affiliate marketing. I just refused to quit!

There are of course faster ways to benefit from affiliate marketing. Getting the right training and education from the start can make the most difference. If you’re going the wrong way, no amount of hard work will matter. I spent quite a bit of time here, being a busy fool; not knowing that what I was doing wouldn’t yield any results at all. I did many online training courses before I found the right one.

There’s a lot of mental challenges too, when it comes to making an internet business work. Some people are in a better place to face these than others. If you’ve already run a business, for example, you’ll have a better understanding of an online business. For years I thought I could just concentrate on the activities which I enjoyed. I later realised that this was what held me back. You need to learn and grow with your business; otherwise the glass ceiling of your business will always be you.

Who do you hang around with? There’s a saying that your income can be determined by the average of your 10 closest friends. Again, this can have massive implications on whether your internet business is successful or not. Who do you listen to and ask advice from? Is it business leaders who are making 6 figures? Or, more likely it is someone doing a regular job who is massively sceptical of anything different.

How do you perceive yourself? Self image has a lot to do with success too, whatever area of life you want to be successful in.

Affiliate marketing is a great business model. But not everyone will see this. If your circle of influence is sceptical of it, chances are this will rub off. It’s very difficult building a business if part of your mind doesn’t believe in it, or in yourself.

Then there’s the obvious monetary barriers to entry. When I started looking at affiliate marketing I was in a lot of financial trouble. I had a very deeply ingrained poverty consciousness, and real financial hardship. So a lot of affiliate business courses and software were out of reach for me. I started with the cheaper ones and as a result made slow progress. I wasn’t able to use paid marketing strategies, so I had to use content marketing. This takes a long time and results are never guaranteed.

If you’re trying to build a business and simultaneously fighting with a massive poverty consciousness and are terrified about spending even a tiny portion of what you have, I wouldn’t recommend affiliate marketing.

There’s a saying in the trading world “Scared money is lost money”. The same can be said of affiliate marketing. If you’re using money for your business which you’re terrified of losing, you’re much more likely to lose it.

On the other hand, if you can afford to spend some money each month on your business, and grow it slowly, your chances of success are far greater. Starting with an income already is really a necessity with an online business. It’s hard building stability in a business on shifting sand.

When I started affiliate marketing, I didn’t have regular work. As a result, I concentrated on the activities which were free to do. This is a very slow tactic. Although I eventually made progress, it was much slower than the affiliates who use paid marketing and start in employment. It’s not impossible, but very slow.

Saying that, I also think that if you’ve got time, and little money, then affiliate marketing is a good thing to focus on. You just need to find strategies which match your own specific situation and circumstance.

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Source by Tim Halloran

Views: 0

July 22, 2022
Study Links Drug Use to High Rates of Syphilis

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A connection between drug use and high syphilis rates in the United States was established by a recent report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Sarah Kidd, lead author of the report, pointed out that two major health issues, namely addiction and syphilis, seemed to be colliding with each other.

The report displayed a connection between drug use and instances of syphilis in heterosexual men and women. As per the report, the usage of heroin, methamphetamine, and other injection drugs by the aforementioned group almost doubled from 2013 to 2017.

The report however, did not display a similar increase in drug abuse in gay men suffering from syphilis. According to the researchers, the results of the study indicated that risky sexual behaviors associated with drug abuse may be one of the key driving factors for this increase in syphilis among the heterosexual population.

People using drugs more likely to engage in unsafe sexual activities

According to experts, people abusing drugs are more likely to engage in unsafe sexual activities, thereby making them more susceptible to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Syphilis significantly increased among heterosexuals especially during the ‘crack cocaine epidemic’ prevalent during the 1980s and 1990s. It was observed that during this particular time period, the usage of drugs was connected with the higher transmission rates of syphilis.

According to Patricia Kissinger, professor epidemiology at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, it is common tendency among people abusing drugs to indulge in unprotected sex, exchange sex in lieu of money or drugs, and have multiple sex partners. All these are considered as significant risk factors contributing to the spread of the disease.

Syphilis rates are setting new records

At the national level, the occurrences of syphilis jumped by around 73 percent at an overall level and 156 percent in case of women patients between 2013 and 2017. While syphilis had been almost eradicated, of late, the highest resurgence of the disease was reported in California, Louisiana, and Nevada. Syphilis can be treated with antibiotics, but if left untreated, it can cause organ damage and even death in some cases. In women, congenital syphilis typically occurs when a mother transmits the disease to her unborn baby, leading to cases of premature birth and newborn fatalities.

Analyzing the syphilis cases that occurred between 2013 and 2017, the researchers discovered that methamphetamine abuse was the biggest contributor. The report revealed that more than one-third of women and a quarter of heterosexual men suffering from syphilis were reported to be abusing methamphetamine within the last year. The California Department of Public Health reported that methamphetamine use by people suffering from syphilis, doubled in case of heterosexual men and women between 2013 and 2017.

Why is it difficult to treat sexually transmitted infections?

Owing to the overlapping instances of substance abuse and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), it becomes challenging to identify and treat people suffering from syphilis. That is because, typically, people using drugs are less likely to visit a doctor or report their sexual activities or partners.

Likewise, pregnant women may refrain from seeking prenatal care and get themselves tested for syphilis owing to concerns such as their gynecologists reporting their drug abuse. To combat this issue, the CDC urges to bring about more collaboration between programs treating substance abuse and programs addressing STIs.

Fresno County reported highest rate of congenital syphilis

According to the report, the highest rate of congenital syphilis was reported in Fresno County in California. The county’s community health division manager, Joe Prado, said that the California Health Department analyzed around 25 congenital syphilis cases in 2017 and more than two-thirds of these women were abusing drugs.

To address this issue, the country took proactive measures such as offering STD testing for patients getting admitted into inpatient drug treatment centers. Patients coming back for reports were provided incentives including gift cards. Apart from this, for patients undergoing drug treatment, the county offered a care package comprising of contraceptives and education materials about STIs.

Challenges faced

While it is significant to have an increased collaboration between STD clinics and drug treatment providers, it is not always that simple, since these two entities have not worked together previously. Usually both these units tend to focus only on their relevant specialties and often fail to screen people for associated ailments like syphilis or other forms of STIs or for drug abuse.

According to Jeffrey Kalusner, professor of medicine and public health at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), in order to fight the rising rates of syphilis more resources are needed. He added that though policies can be implemented towards syphilis testing, these policies need to be accompanied with appropriate resources.

Seeking treatment for drug abuse

Drug abuse is often associated with the development of physical ailments like hepatitis C, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), syphilis and other STDs. These infections can be severe and result in rapid deterioration of overall health. The best way to avoid the contraction of these diseases is to avoid taking drugs or if addicted, to seek addiction treatment help at the earliest.

The drug rehab centers of Hillside Mission offer comprehensive evidence-based treatment plans for substance abuse. Whether selecting an inpatient, outpatient, or a residential plan, the detox process at Hillside Mission is designed to minimize the patient’s discomfort and result in a shorter treatment cycle.

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Source by Susan Navarez

Views: 0

July 22, 2022
Can Acupuncture Cure Cancer?

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In recent years the healthcare industry has witnessed a rapid growth in acupuncture treatment for various health conditions around the world, with more than 14 million people in the United States of America (USA) alone using the treatment. But the most frequently asked questions regarding acupuncture by patients have been, can it cure cancer?

The medical community's answer is YES IT CAN, as Acupuncture is no longer seen as just a treatment for a headache, asthma, and strokes, but is now one of the most sought treatments to treat a number of cancer-related symptoms and conditions, also the side effects of cancer treatments.

Over the years there has been a great amount of research done on whether acupuncture can really cure cancer, and the conclusions brought forth by the studies have shown that it does. And particularly the research study by The National Cancer Institute says so too, that acupuncture helps to cure and relieve cancer, and in the following ways:

1) Improves overall immune system : By enhancing the components of the immune system such as Natural Killer (NK) cells and lymphocytes, and increasing white blood cell count, it improves the immune system and reduces the risk of having an infection.

2) Manages pain : It helps in managing the long-standing pain caused to cancer patients due to social, psychological and biological aspects. It serves as a non-pharmaceutical mediator for managing the pain to an extent that even if the pain in cancer patients is not directly related to cancer.

3) Reduced nausea and vomiting : Studies have shown that cancer patients experience less vomiting and nausea caused by chemotherapy.

4) Boosts Quality Of Life (QOL) : Acupuncture treatment shows encouraging results such as reduced depression and anxiety, hot flashes, dyspnea, insomnia and leukopenia in cancer patients which boosts the Quality Of Life.

Lastly, this treatment is all natural.

I recognize, by watching those close to me with cancer, that your focus is on surviving cancer and taking charge when you are in remission. With the help of your medical doctors, you may be able to use acupuncture and other alternative procedures to improve your well-being, relieve stress, and experience a better quality of life. Specialists Nisreen Ahmad Marketing Specialist Answers (449) TAGNAME (TAGCOUNT Specialists)

I always remind those reading my articles that nothing replaces a private appointment with your doctor. While I am happy to provide you with health and fitness alternatives, if you have any uncertainties regarding your health, make an appointment to chat your doctor. Your doctor is in the best position to assist you in making healthcare decisions.

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Source by Dolletta Mitchell

Views: 0

July 21, 2022
7 Thoughts From Scripture for Struggling Christian Business Owners

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I have seen a lot of articles that list scriptures for Christian business owners, but rarely do they have practical wisdom that goes with them. Yes, scripture can speak for itself, but when we are struggling Bible verses seem to get glossed over by our stressed out mind.

I want to share with you seven Bible verses with seven thoughts and seven insights. I know when I am going through a tough time, it helps me to ‘hear’ from someone who understands what I am going through. It makes the Bible come to life when someone shares it from a perspective of a Christian entrepreneur.

Worries are like butterflies, they need to be released.

It is easy to worry. There are so many things to think about it can be overwhelming. Take heart… and mind. When we look at the way we try to handle our problems, we often leave God out of the solution. He cares about all the things you go through and is there to help when we ask Him. We must learn to release our worries to God so that He can work wondrous things for us.

Philippians 4:6-7 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Humility lets us bring others into our struggles.

Sometimes when we get caught up in tough times we try to take on everything ourselves. We must learn to delegate and let others help us. We must bring others in to pray for us and with us. We are leaders in our business, but more than that, we are part of a faith community. God wants us to help us with our anxieties and He may have placed people in your life to do just that. We must remember that God cares for us.

1 Peter 5:6-7 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Our reaction to our struggles defines our success.

We don’t like to go through hard times, but when we do our reaction to those tough times can make or break us. When we redefine our struggles in light of what God is doing and has done in our lives, we find God’s power working even in the tough times.

James 1: 2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Perspectives help us define our problems.

When we go through tough times, we get caught up thinking about all the bad things that could happen. I have an elderly lady at my church tell me, “Quit sowing worries.” If you look at your troubles in light of all the things that others are going through, your problems may seem a lot less. Across the world people are starving, being beheaded for their faith and their homes are being destroyed by bombs. How does your problem look compared to those?

Psalm 46: 1-3 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and mountains quake and with their surging.”

We can praise God even when times are tough.

David went through some horrible trials. His boss tried to kill him. His best friends betrayed him. His kids killed each other. Yet, through all of these things, he always took time to worship. He looked to God in the good and the bad. There are so many Psalms that start out talking about how bad thing are only to end by focusing his attention back to praising God for all he has.

Psalm 37: 3-6 “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this; He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”

Action trumps worry almost every time.

Worrying is what happens when we are not taking action. Christian business owners are people of action. Instead of worrying about the things you cannot change, take action on the things you can. Action will lead to better results than thinking and worrying about your struggles. Take time to write out your problems, get them out of your head and plan a strategy to take care of business.

Matthew 6:25-27 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”

You have a purpose

If there is one thing you will see over and over again on this webpage, it is the fact that you have a purpose. You are a Christian. You were created to be an entrepreneur. God placed a desire in your life to help other and you are a Christian business owner who can make a difference in the world. Go and do what God has called you to do.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

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Source by Lyle H

Views: 0

July 21, 2022
How to Prevent and Overcome Prenatal Alcohol and Drug Exposure

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Drug and alcohol abuse is one among the major challenges of an expecting mother. This usually has a lot of negative effects on the fetus during birth and can lead to other bigger problems in life.

To light up the issue associated with the use of drug and alcohol during pregnancy, a week has been launched to create awareness about this growing problem. Alcohol, drug, and pregnancy should not go together are the main scope of this event. Every year the Alcohol & Drug-Related Birth Defects awareness week starts on the 13th of May and will continue until the 19th. This awareness week targets mainly on the childbearing women whose age ranges from 15 years to 45 years.

It is not fair for an innocent soul to be punished because of its mother's poor decision. More babies could be prevented if their mothers are not indulged in drug and alcohol abuse. When mothers take proper care during their pregnancy, some problems, namely: low birth weight, the improper diameter of the head, age-related developments, epilepsy can be avoided.

Only some women will intake alcohol even after knowing about their pregnancy, whereas many are unaware that they are pregnant until their 4th to 6th week and consumption of these during that time might have already done enough damage to the fetus. Since all the women want to have a baby at some point in life, it is advice for mothers to quit using them if they are trying to get pregnant. Using any amount of drugs and alcohol is considered unsafe during pregnancy.

How to overcome prenatal alcohol and drug exposure

It is a must for everyone to attend the events related to this week to educate yourself and your family members know about the seriousness of it. Listed below are some ways to overcome the prenatal and drug exposure:

Join hands with your community members, nearby hospitals to create an awareness event. Seek attention from the wide range of audience by choosing the most attractive giveaway items. Some of them include caps, pocket pins, finger rings, wristbands. The interesting thing about choosing them is, they can be customized with personalized messages about the event.

Design posters, banners, templates related to the event and distribute it for free. Make use of the social media websites and popularize the events. Ideas include creating chat groups on Facebook, hashtags in Twitter and posting pictures related to the event on Instagram.

To be precise avoid drugs if you are wanting to get pregnant, that's the only way you can protect your child from the havoc caused by the usage of drugs. Since, it is easier for others to comment about the use of alcohol, for the sufferer, it is not really easy to come out of it. Speak with your healthcare professional and look after the ways to refrain yourself from using it. Also, you can find many counseling centers in and around your community to help people deal with such problems. Ideas discussed here are not based on the opinions or suggestions from a medical practitioner. Please check with your healthcare provider to get more information about this serious issue.

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Source by Billie Jean Bateson

Views: 0

July 20, 2022